Excremental Evidence: Reconstructing the Ancient Homo Microbiome from Paleofeces

Abstract

Past research into the human gut microbiome has revealed the important role these microorganisms play in human health through our metabolism and immune system. These connections generate questions about the evolutionary origins of the symbiosis between humans and our gut microbiome and how this dynamic has shifted over time. In this study three paleofeces recovered from Picareiro cave (Minde, Portugal) dated to approximately 48kya and suspected to be Neandertal in origin were analyzed for their microbial contents. The results support the hypotheses that some taxa within the gut microbiome were established in the Homo genus prior to the speciation of Neandertals and Homo sapiens.