Time travelers from the Neolithic would probably not understand our world: If they had to choose between cow's milk and the alternative made of oats - what question!?

– they hardly reached for the corn broth.

Although 9,000 years ago few, if any, adults were able to tolerate the sugar it contains, lactose, dairy products were obviously valued from the start.

The fat residues found on thousands of potsherds from archaeological sites leave no doubt: our dairy farming practically started with the taming of the aurochs in Anatolia, not just the love for goulash, beef sausages and steak.

Sonya Kastilan

Editor in the "Science" department of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper.

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Since mankind came to the cows in the Neolithic Age and devoted themselves to agriculture and animal husbandry, cattle have not only been used as meat producers.

With their milk, they provided a much sought-after liquid that might cause some discomfort when eaten raw, but was a valuable source of protein and nutrients when fermented.

A new study recently published in the journal Nature by an international research group led by British scientist Richard Evershed from the University of Bristol confirms earlier studies on milk consumption.

"We've known for a while that their lactose intolerance didn't stop early farmers from consuming dairy products, but we're now backing this up with a larger body of data,"

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On the other hand, their results undermine the previous main thesis as to why so-called lactase persistence is so widespread in Europe today.

It was not only the advantages of milk consumption that led to the genetic predisposition to continue to form the enzyme active in childhood as an adult.

So why are around 95 percent of Europeans today genetically lactase-persistent, or to put it another way, only around five percent are lactose-intolerant?

If high levels of important protein, calcium, or vitamin D weren't the key reason, what was the driving force?

Better flatulence than abstinence from milk

Flatulence, diarrhea or even cramps apparently did not stop people from consuming dairy products.

It still hasn't, as can be seen from British population data or current consumer behavior in China.

Why is a strong natural selection of lactase persistence observed over thousands of years in genetic analyses?

This ability has emerged several times in human evolution, along with the breeding and keeping of dairy cattle, more than once in Africa, in Southeast Asia and in Eurasia.

The first farmers reached Central Europe via the Balkan route and the Mediterranean coast, brought their beloved cattle with them along with grain and thus heralded the Neolithic revolution here too, with enormous consequences for people and the environment.

For the current study, the fat residues from almost 7000 sherds from more than 550 archaeological sites from all over Europe were examined.

In addition to the human remains of 1700 prehistoric individuals, the ratios of farmed and wild animals on the menu were analyzed, and the genome data of around 500,000 modern people and their statements on milk consumption were used.

“It is the most comprehensive study on lactase persistence to date.

The analyzes, in the laboratory and on the computer, are among the most sophisticated I have seen in a long time and they help research," says paleogeneticist Joachim Burger from the University of Mainz, praising the work of his colleagues.