Climate change has turned some Neanderthals into cannibals.

In all of Europe there are more than 200 places whereThe ancient remains of Neanderthals were found, but the Mula Gvertsi cave in southeastern France is very different from all the others. In the 1990s, the remains of six ancient people were found there: two adults, two teenagers and two children. After examining the bones, paleontologists from the French National Center for Scientific Research concluded that thousands of years ago a terrible event occurred in this cave, namely, an act of cannibalism. It is noteworthy that the ancient people had to go to the atrocities due to climate change.

The bones found in the cave are perfectly preserved.therefore, paleontologists were able to identify every cut, and traces of bites and bumps. A total of 120 bones were found, and they were mixed together with the remains of animals. The fact that none of the remains was in an anatomical relationship with each other opened up a terrible picture for scientists - the bodies of ancient people were completely dismembered.

Traces of cuts distributed over 50% of humanremains and are distributed throughout the skeleton from the skull and lower jaw, to the phalanges of the fingers. Parts of the skeleton suggest that they were damaged only after Neanderthals were killed.

The assumption of cannibalism ishypothetical, but the facts suggest that Neanderthals could well kill each other. Killed individuals lived during a sharp climate change from cold to warm. Warming has led to rising sea levels, the transformation of plants and animals, as well as other changes. The ancient people were clearly not ready for them, and could not satisfy their hunger due to lack of protein food. Probably, in order to survive, they could even go to kill their kinsmen.

At the same time, researchers believe that Neanderthalsdid not turn into bloodthirsty monsters. Their actions could be forced, and be a severe response to food stress caused by climate change.

Do you believe in scientists speculation? You can leave your opinion in the comments, and you can discuss the topic in more detail in our Telegram-chat.