A study published in Science Advances has revealed that ancient Europeans consumed insects infrequently, primarily by accident, contrasting with the dietary habits of Neanderthals and certain great apes. Researchers analyzed dental plaque from 745 anatomically modern humans, 18 Neanderthals, and 96 great apes, finding that insect DNA was present in minimal amounts in ancient European samples. This aligns with genetic evidence showing that European populations have carried variants linked to reduced chitin digestion for at least 9,000 years. Neanderthals, however, exhibited higher levels of insect DNA, suggesting they incorporated insects more regularly into their diets. These findings may shed light on the contemporary reluctance of Western consumers to embrace edible insects as a sustainable protein source. Despite modern processing techniques that can mitigate chitin's digestive challenges, the historical scarcity of insects in the European diet may have contributed to a long-standing aversion to consuming them.