Latest news with #University of Michigan
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Neanderthals were not ‘hypercarnivores' and feasted on maggots, scientists say
For hungry Neanderthals, there was more on the menu than wild mammals, roasted pigeon, seafood and plants. Chemical signatures in the ancient bones point to a nutritious and somewhat inevitable side dish: handfuls of fresh maggots. The theory from US researchers undermines previous thinking that Neanderthals were 'hypercarnivores' who stood at the top of the food chain with cave lions, sabre-toothed tigers and other beasts that consumed impressive quantities of meat. Rather than feasting on endless mammoth steaks, they stored their kills for months, the scientists believe, favouring the fatty parts over lean meat, and the maggots that riddled the putrefying carcasses. 'Neanderthals were not hypercarnivores, their diet was different,' said John Speth, professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Michigan. 'It's likely maggots were a major food.' Neanderthals were thought to be top of the food chain because of the high levels of heavy nitrogen in their bones. Nitrogen builds up in living organisms when they metabolise protein in their food. A lighter form of the element, nitrogen-14, is excreted more readily than the heavier form, nitrogen-15. As a result, heavy nitrogen builds up in organisms with each step up the food chain, from plants to herbivores to carnivores. While the levels of heavy nitrogen in Neanderthal bones place them at the top of the food chain, they would not have been able to handle the amount of meat needed to reach those levels, the researchers say. 'Humans can only tolerate up to about 4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, whereas animals like lions can tolerate anywhere from two to four times that much protein safely,' said Speth. Since many Indigenous groups around the world routinely consume maggots in putrefied meat, the researchers decided to explore their potential role. The experiments were not for the squeamish. Dr Melanie Beasley, a member of the team at Purdue University in Indiana, was formerly at the Forensic Anthropology Center, or Body Farm, at the University of Tennessee. There, researchers study donated human corpses that are left to decompose. The work helps forensic scientists hone their techniques, for example, to ascertain for how long people have been dead. Beasley measured heavy nitrogen in putrefying muscle and the maggots that infested the corpses. Heavy nitrogen rose slightly as muscle putrefied, but was far higher in the maggots. The same process would have occurred in carcasses the Neanderthals stored, Beasley said. The finding, reported in Science Advances, suggests that rather than consuming meat as ravenously as lions and other hypercarnivores, Neanderthals acquired high levels of heavy nitrogen by eating maggots, which themselves were enriched with heavy nitrogen. 'The only reason this is surprising is that it contradicts what we westerners think of as food,' said Karen Hardy, professor of prehistoric archaeology at the University of Glasgow. 'Elsewhere in the world, a very wide range of things are eaten, and maggots are a great source of protein, fat and essential amino acids.' 'It is a no brainer for Neanderthals,' she added. 'Put out a bit of meat, leave it for a few days then go back and harvest your maggots, its a very easy way to get good nutritious food.' 'How does it shift our thinking? The Neanderthals as top carnivores was nonsense, it was physiologically impossible. So this makes sense, but also explains these high nitrogen signals in a way that nothing else has done so clearly,' Hardy said.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
July preliminary consumer sentiment: What it means for the Fed
Preliminary consumer sentiment ticked up in July, beating expectations with a reading of 61.8, according to data from the University of Michigan. Brian Jacobsen, chief economist and strategist at Annex Wealth Management, explains how this shift in sentiment could influence the Federal Reserve. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Catalysts here. Brian, we did just get some numbers on consumer confidence from the University of Michigan. This was the July preliminary numbers. So the the first look here at July and it came in a little stronger than economists had forecast and stronger than June. 61.8 was the reading here. Um so seeing and seeing the sort of expectations for inflation ticking a little bit lower than they had been, what do you make of of that consumer sentiment? We also, of course, had retail sales this week. So what's that picture looking like? Sure. So if you think about the June data for industrial production and retail sales, stronger than expected, but some of that was just a bounce back. Now, the sentiment data, I think is really important, especially the inflation expectations component, because I think that's one of the things that Chair Powell has been hanging his hat on in terms of justifying a pause, is that inflation expectations had been moving up, they're kind of high, and he wants to fight against that. And so if those are now drifting lower, uh really the argument for the Fed staying on pause kind of goes to the side and maybe they should get to more of a neutral stance instead of a restrictive stance. And it's understandable why sentiment would have improved because really, I think we've become a little numb to the tariff talk, realizing that this is going to play out. Maybe it's not going to be as bad as what it was originally presented back on April 2nd in the Rose Garden. If we settle somewhere between 10 and 15%, it's not great, but it could be worse. So Brian, as you look at all of these various elements, what do you think is the the biggest risk for the market right now? Yeah, well, I think that the biggest risk right now is the valuations. When we look at the fundamentals, think that those will be improving, but how much are you paying for those fundamentals? So, as we go through earning season, I expect that we're going to be seeing a lot of volatility in terms of the companies that are meeting expectations, probably fine, but the misses are probably going to get punished a lot more than usual. I don't think investors have the patience to really deal with companies that are missing with any of those estimates. Um, really interesting. Good to watch if companies are are missing and what happens then. Brian, good to see you. Thanks so much. Thank you. Related Videos US Consumer Sentiment Rises to a Five-Month High Netflix Q2 earnings are 'really solid' but not 'spectacular' Waller Explains Why Fed Should Cut Rates Now Markets signal that firing Powell is one line Trump can't cross Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US consumer sentiment improves in July
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. consumer sentiment improved in July, and while inflation expectations continued to decline, households still saw substantial risk of price pressures increasing in the future. The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers on Friday said its Consumer Sentiment Index rose to 61.8 this month from a final reading of 60.7 in June. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index would increase to 61.5. "Consumers are unlikely to regain their confidence in the economy unless they feel assured that inflation is unlikely to worsen, for example if trade policy stabilizes for the foreseeable future," Joanne Hsu, the director of the Surveys of Consumers, said in a statement. "At this time, the interviews reveal little evidence that other policy developments, including the recent passage of the tax and spending bill, moved the needle much on consumer sentiment." Consumers' 12-month inflation expectations dropped to 4.4% from 5.0% in June. Long-run inflation expectations fell to 3.6% from 4.0% last month. "Both readings are the lowest since February 2025 but remain above December 2024, indicating that consumers still perceive substantial risk that inflation will increase in the future," Hsu said.
Reuters
18-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US consumer sentiment improves in July
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - U.S. consumer sentiment improved in July, and while inflation expectations continued to decline, households still saw substantial risk of price pressures increasing in the future. The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers on Friday said its Consumer Sentiment Index rose to 61.8 this month from a final reading of 60.7 in June. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index would increase to 61.5. "Consumers are unlikely to regain their confidence in the economy unless they feel assured that inflation is unlikely to worsen, for example if trade policy stabilizes for the foreseeable future," Joanne Hsu, the director of the Surveys of Consumers, said in a statement. "At this time, the interviews reveal little evidence that other policy developments, including the recent passage of the tax and spending bill, moved the needle much on consumer sentiment." Consumers' 12-month inflation expectations dropped to 4.4% from 5.0% in June. Long-run inflation expectations fell to 3.6% from 4.0% last month. "Both readings are the lowest since February 2025 but remain above December 2024, indicating that consumers still perceive substantial risk that inflation will increase in the future," Hsu said.
Bloomberg
18-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
US Consumer Sentiment Rises as Inflation Expectations Improve
US consumer sentiment rose to a five-month high in early July as expectations about the economy and inflation continued to improve. The preliminary July sentiment index rose to 61.8 from 60.7 a month earlier, according to University of Michigan data released Friday. The figure still remains below levels seen throughout last year.
