Category Archives: Paleobiotics

If only vegetables smelled as good as bacon

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Last night I was perusing Loss-Adjusted Food Availability spreadsheets available on the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) website (I know, get a life). Despite the boring title, the data is quite interesting as it provides per capita food availability in the U.S., adjusted for food spoilage, plate waste, “other” losses, and what we export and . . . read more »

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Reconsidering Prehistoric Yields of Cultivated Agave in AZ

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Abstract Archaeological research in the northern Tucson Basin over the last two decades has confirmed that species of the genus Agave were cultivated in extensive agricultural fields marked by the presence of rock piles, terraces, and check dams. Researchers estimate that ~ 10,000 agaves were harvested annually from a standing population of greater than 100,000 cultivated . . . read more »

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Human Evolution, Nutritional Ecology and Prebiotics in Ancient Diet

Jeff D. Leach1, Glenn R Gibson2, and Jan Van Loo3 1 Paleobiotics Lab, USA, 2The University of Reading, UK, 3Orafti, Belgium Abstract Modern studies of prebiotic non digestible carbohydrates continue to expand and demonstrate their colonic and systemic benefits. However, virtually nothing is known of their use among ancient populations. In this paper we discuss evidence for prebiotic use . . . read more »

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Are government recommendations for daily fibre intake too low? an evolutionary perspective

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Modern humans are the latest in a diverse line of species within the genus Homo that evolved on a nutritional landscape very different from the one we find ourselves on today. During the ~ 2.5 million years since the first member of our genus made an appearance in the fossil record, humans subsisted on an . . . read more »

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