A newly published study of Neanderthals has provided what is thought to be the first direct evidence that they ate cooked plants and vegetables.
American researchers found grains of cooked plant material, including beans, grains and palm dates, in Neanderthal teeth discovered in caves in Iraq and Belgium.
The study is the first to confirm that the Neanderthal diet was not confined to meat and was more sophisticated than previously thought.
Dr Amanda Henry, lead researcher on the project, says Neanderthals had a varied diet.
