A new study suggests that Neanderthals may have eaten maggots along with their meat.
A joint research team, including members from Purdue University in the U.S., published findings in the international journal 'Science Advances' on the 25th (local time), suggesting that Neanderthals may have eaten maggots with their meat, based on a two-year study of muscle tissue samples from decomposing bodies.
About 30 years ago, in 1991, scientists discovered high levels of the nitrogen isotope Nitrogen-15 in the bones of Neanderthals, an ancient human species that lived during the ‘Late Pleistocene’ from approximately 129,000 to 11,700 years ago. These levels are commonly found in large carnivores like hyenas and wolves.
The more meat an animal consumes, the more Nitrogen-15 accumulates in its body. Archaeologists and anthropologists can determine what foods were predominantly eaten and the proportion of meat in the diet by examining the ratio of Nitrogen-15 in bones or hair.
Scientists speculated that since the intestines and livers of Neanderthals were not capable of digesting and processing protein to the same extent as large carnivores, another method of consumption, rather than eating massive amounts of fresh meat, must have elevated their Nitrogen-15 levels.
The research team investigated by obtaining muscle tissue samples from 34 human bodies that had decomposed naturally over two years from the Forensic Anthropology Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They focused on the dietary practice of an indigenous group that consumed both decaying food and the maggots that fed on it. This group would let meat decay or sit until it was infested with maggots, then eat it like a fermented food. The team hypothesized that Neanderthals might have prepared and consumed meat in a similar way.
The team's analysis of the 34 muscle tissue samples revealed that as the flesh decomposed, Nitrogen-15 levels gradually increased. When hundreds of larvae were collected from the tissue, the maggots measured up to 43 ppm of Nitrogen-15, whereas the tissue itself measured a maximum of 8 ppm of the isotope.
The research team stated, "If Neanderthals ate decaying meat and maggots, it could explain the high Nitrogen-15 levels found in previous studies." They added, "Consuming lean meat along with fatty maggots would provide a more complete nutritional profile."
The team noted that their hypothesis would gain more traction if they could study the meat of animals Neanderthals actually ate, such as deer, along with the maggots that would have infested it.
However, skepticism about the study has been raised. This is because there is no specific isotope or distinct marker to definitively conclude that Neanderthals consumed maggots. Hervé Bocherens, a professor at the University of Tübingen in Germany, argued, “This study is based on results from modern forensic laboratory conditions, which are very different from the actual environment of ancient Neanderthals.” He added, “The high Nitrogen-15 levels in Neanderthals could be explained by a protein-heavy diet supplemented with starchy plant foods, without the need to eat maggots.” The research team also stated in their paper that their conclusions are preliminary and that further research is needed.
<Reference>
-https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02104-w
