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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Ian Sample Science editor

Indonesian foragers may have sucked on mind-altering nuts 25,000 years ago, research finds

Adam Brumm
Skeletal remains of a forager, a weathered skull with teeth, lie in dark soil
The researchers examined skeletal remains of two pre-agricultural foragers. Photograph: Pubu Alar_sulsel/

What may be the earliest known evidence for human drug taking has been traced to ancient Indonesian foragers who sucked on mind-altering nuts as long as 25,000 years ago.

Analysis of two exceptionally rare skeletons from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi revealed dramatic tooth wear and traces of a psychoactive substance in the individuals’ remaining teeth, suggesting they routinely sucked on hard, abrasive betel nuts.

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