VOA慢速英语--古代人类骨骼揭示古代饮食和生活方式

Ancient Bones Reveal Ancient Diet, Lifestyle

Scientists learned recently that fish was the main source of protein for people in southern Scandinavia many thousands of years ago. They also ate other animals that live in the water. The findings come from Lund University in Sweden. Scientists there tested ancient human bones from more than 80 individuals.

One of the researchers was Adam Boethius. He says by studying the chemistry of the bones, they learned the diet of the people they belonged to.

"Basically you are what you eat. And so when you study this -- stable isotopes² -- you get an indicator³ of what the humans have been eating."

The study examined the importance of a mix of protein sources in the human diet from around 10,500 to 7,500 years ago. They found that in Scandinavia most of what people ate came from the sea.

Boethius said back then, fish made up 50 to 70 percent of the diet. He said other sea animals like seals and dolphins brought that percentage to almost 100 percent.

This research changed the understanding of how ancient people of the area lived. Earlier studies suggested these people hunted big animals and moved around a lot to follow them. But the chemical examinations did not show proteins linked to deer and elk⁴ and other land animals of the time.

Boethuis said scientists now believe these people stayed in place for most of their lives and ate local food. The discovery, he argued, provides evidence that "settlements appeared in Scandinavia much earlier than researchers” once believed.

I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

stable isotope¹ – n. Stable isotopes are non-radioactive forms of atoms.

indication – n. something (such as a sign or signal) that points out or shows something

settlement – n. a place or region newly settled : a small village

1 isotope   

n.同位素

参考例句：

• The isotope ratio is directly used for comparing oils or gases.同位素比率直接用于比较各种石油或天然气。
• How to apply a radio isotope?如何运用放射性同位素？

2 isotopes   

n.同位素；同位素( isotope的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the many isotopes of carbon 碳的诸多同位素
• Tritium is one of the mildest radioactive isotopes. 氚是最和缓的放射性同位素之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

4 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。