Ice-Age teeth uncover betel nut as humanity’s earliest habit-forming drug
TL;DR Summary
A study in Science Advances shows ancient Sulawesi hunter-foragers dating to roughly 25,000–16,000 years ago habitually sucked betel nuts, leaving deep tooth grooves and, in at least one case, exposed pulp. Biomolecular tests detected the psychoactive arecoline in their teeth, suggesting betel nut use predates farming and may be the earliest evidence of habitual drug use. The practice likely began with nut-sucking before evolving into the modern betel quid chewing, a tradition that persists today and is linked to significant health effects such as dental damage and mouth cancer.
- Ancient teeth reveal the Ice Age origins of the world’s 4th most common addictive drug The Conversation
- Scientists Discover the Earliest Evidence of Drug Use in Really Old Teeth The New York Times
- Archaeologists Discover the World's Oldest Evidence of Habitual Drug Use in the Teeth of a Hunter-Gatherer Who Lived Up to 25,000 Years Ago Smithsonian Magazine
- Indonesian foragers may have sucked on mind-altering nuts 25,000 years ago, research finds The Guardian
- Drug use may have begun 25,000 years ago, new research finds BBC
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