Neanderthals ran 'fat factories' 125,000 years ago | Hacker News

Archaeologists found Neanderthals repeatedly butchered large herbivores at Neumark-Nord in central Europe about 125,000 years ago.

The evidence points to organized processing of animals for fat-rich resources, not just one-off scavenging or hunting.

Straight-tusked elephants, rhinos, and other large herbivores appear to have been heavily exploited during the Last Interglacial.

The findings suggest Neanderthals had more advanced planning and a larger ecological impact than previously thought.