Overview

• Beasley’s team conducted two years of cadaver decomposition experiments and measured nitrogen-15 levels in nearly 400 fly larvae.
• Nitrogen-15 concentrations in maggots surpassed those in decomposed flesh and all other analyzed tissues, mirroring Neandertal bone data.
• Maggots converted putrid meat into fat-rich biomass, suggesting they could have balanced Neandertals’ need for dietary fat and protein.
• These results provide experimental backing for John Speth’s 2017 proposal that rotting, maggot-infested meat accounted for heavy nitrogen signatures.
• Researchers concede that no direct archaeological evidence of maggot-eating exists yet and are pursuing field studies for tangible proof.