Zhongxin Wanghai, May 5 (Reporter Chen Jing) Hu Yaowu, professor of the Institute of Science and Technology Archaeology and Department of Cultural Relics and Museology of Fudan University, introduced on the 12th that his team made a "food map" based on isotopic data of human bones in archaeological sites across Eurasia: the population in China's Yellow River Basin mainly feeds on millet crops; Xinjiang and Central Asia show mixed wheat millet; European populations also ingest millet crops from time to time.
The scholar pointed out that it is clear that the human bone isotope data clearly reflect the continuous westward radiation of millet crops from the Yellow River Basin to Central Asia and Europe. "This is an isotopic path of the western transmission of millet that we have sketched, revealing the important impact of the spread of millet crops on human society in Central Asia and even Europe." Hu Yaowu believes that compared with the Silk Road, millet crops across the entire Eurasian continent are actually the earliest witnesses of cultural exchanges between the East and the West.
Fudan University celebrated its 118th anniversary, and the fourth academic report in the Xianghui University Celebration Series was held on the 12th. Hu Yaowu gave a lecture entitled "Ancient China on the tip of the tongue from an isotopic perspective". The scholar said that stable isotopes in organisms in the biological world can be seen as a hidden language. The interpretation of "isotopic language" can uncover the mysteries of life hidden in living organisms and explore the mystery of their survival.
Hu Yaowu explained that stable isotopes in human bones (teeth) record the code of human life, which can help researchers explore the history of human evolution and civilization evolution. He takes a glimpse of the evolution of food structure in ancient humans from the perspective of stable isotopes, and uses accurate research data to reveal a corner of the evolutionary history of "China on the tip of the tongue" for the audience.
"There are naturally differences between isotopes in natural food, and when these animals and plants are digested and absorbed by humans, they will be transformed into components of bones, and 'I am my food' is exactly this truth." Hu Yaowu said. To illustrate the problem, he brought samples of limb bones, ribs and teeth from the laboratory and collagen and hydroxyapatite extracted from them to the site.
The scientist said stable isotopes are passed along the food chain to these tissues. In particular, teeth, like tree rings, faithfully record the food intake of living organisms throughout their lives. Through chemical analysis of bones and teeth, the study of stable isotope ratios in these components can trace the source of food eaten by humans and infer the dietary habits of individuals at that time.
Hu Yaowu used isotopes to analyze the stable isotopes of C, N and S on Beijing Tianyuan Dong people (late modern humans about 4,<> years ago), which scientifically proved for the first time in the world that modern humans in the later period had ingested a large amount of fresh water resources, providing new scientific evidence for understanding the "broad-spectrum revolution" of the food structure of late Homo sapiens living in China. He pointed out that the intake of a large number of aquatic foods (including fresh water and seawater) provided a large number of unsaturated fatty acids for late Homo sapiens, which is of great significance for promoting the development and evolution of the human brain. "Can eat" is an important reason for the spread of late Homo sapiens around the world.
Hu Yaowu told reporters that since the beginning of the Neolithic period, the analysis of human bone isotopes at multiple archaeological sites in many historical periods shows that millet agriculture is not only the material basis for the formation of Chinese civilization, but also the food culture gene of the Chinese nation, which plays an important role in promoting the integration between ethnic groups. It closely links the destinies of ancient nomads and farming peoples, and is the "glue" for the exchange and integration of ancient Chinese ethnic groups. (End)