Early humans may have hibernated in winter

[Still Waters]

Bears do it. Bats do it. Even European hedgehogs do it. And now it turns out that early human beings may also have been at it. They hibernated, according to fossil experts.

Evidence from bones found at one of the world’s most important fossil sites suggests that our hominid predecessors may have dealt with extreme cold hundreds of thousands of years ago by sleeping through the winter.

The scientists argue that lesions and other signs of damage in fossilised bones of early humans are the same as those left in the bones of other animals that hibernate. These suggest that our predecessors coped with the ferocious winters at that time by slowing down their metabolisms and sleeping for months.

The conclusions are based on excavations in a cave called Sima de los Huesos – the pit of bones – at Atapuerca, near Burgos in northern Spain.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/dec/20/early-humans-may-have-survived-the-harsh-winters-by-hibernating

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003552120300832

[Grim Reaper 6]

23 minutes ago, Still Waters said:

Bears do it. Bats do it. Even European hedgehogs do it. And now it turns out that early human beings may also have been at it. They hibernated, according to fossil experts.

Evidence from bones found at one of the world’s most important fossil sites suggests that our hominid predecessors may have dealt with extreme cold hundreds of thousands of years ago by sleeping through the winter.

The scientists argue that lesions and other signs of damage in fossilised bones of early humans are the same as those left in the bones of other animals that hibernate. These suggest that our predecessors coped with the ferocious winters at that time by slowing down their metabolisms and sleeping for months.

The conclusions are based on excavations in a cave called Sima de los Huesos – the pit of bones – at Atapuerca, near Burgos in northern Spain.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/dec/20/early-humans-may-have-survived-the-harsh-winters-by-hibernating

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003552120300832

Thanks for posting this, it's very interesting but I have trouble completely understanding one thing. If what they are calling early humans (Neanderthals) were able to some how hibernate, those that still carry some Neanderthals DNA ( Europeans ) should still carrier or possible carry the genes necessary to still do this. In the article they did not discuss this at all, so while it is an amazing assumption it appears to be nothing more than theory at this time. Maybe in future scientific papers they will go into more depth.

Thanks much for sharing, I really enjoyed this.

Edited December 20, 2020 by Manwon Lender

[rashore]

Shoot, some of us still do hibernate  

[fred_mc]

3 hours ago, Manwon Lender said:

Thanks for posting this, it's very interesting but I have trouble completely understanding one thing. If what they are calling early humans (Neanderthals) were able to some how hibernate, those that still carry some Neanderthals DNA ( Europeans ) should still carrier or possible carry the genes necessary to still do this. In the article they did not discuss this at all, so while it is an amazing assumption it appears to be nothing more than theory at this time. Maybe in future scientific papers they will go into more depth.

Thanks much for sharing, I really enjoyed this.

Hmmm, maybe because those who had DNA for hibernation didn't survive since humans who didn't hibernate killed them and used them as food during the harsh winters. Those who hibernated were easy to kill, they didn't resist since they were asleep. It could also be that they were killed in order to eliminate competition for food resources in the area, or to eliminate a possible threat from that group.

Edited December 20, 2020 by fred_mc

[Grim Reaper 6]

4 hours ago, fred_mc said:

Hmmm, maybe because those who had DNA for hibernation didn't survive since humans who didn't hibernate killed them and used them as food during the harsh winters. Those who hibernated were easy to kill, they didn't resist since they were asleep. It could also be that they were killed in order to eliminate competition for food resources in the area, or to eliminate a possible threat from that group.

That's kind of what I was thinking, that if they are hibernating they would be very vulnerable to others and to animals. But, it appears that this whole idea is just a theory, it hasn't proven, and like you said it would not safe, so for me I dont really think it actually occurred at all.

Take care my friend

[Tatetopa]

4 hours ago, fred_mc said:

Hmmm, maybe because those who had DNA for hibernation didn't survive since humans who didn't hibernate killed them and used them as food during the harsh winters. Those who hibernated were easy to kill, they didn't resist since they were asleep. It could also be that they were killed in order to eliminate competition for food resources in the area, or to eliminate a possible threat from that group.

Well that is a point, but consider that Neanderthals were around and presumably hibernating 70,000 years before Cro-Magnons showed up.  Would they not be tender vittles for every hyena, cave bear, cave lion,  and hungry rat that came along?