Julie Lesnik didn’t set out to change the world using paleoanthropological research, but with her recent book, Edible Insects and Human Evolution, penchant for public talks, and recent fellowship for public engagement from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she is well on her way to doing just that. The Department of Anthropology, in partnership with INFACT, were lucky enough to hear about this groundbreaking work first-hand when Dr. Lesnik visited the department on November 2, 2018.

Dr. Lesnik’s work on entomophagy sheds new light on the importance of insects as a food source both in the past and present. In our nearest primate relatives, chimpanzees and gorillas, she sees a gendered pattern of entomophagy that may well have been present in human ancestors as well. While male chimpanzees hunt for smaller primates high in the trees, females can often be found fishing for termites using tools fashioned from grasses or twigs. While individually small, when eaten in larger quantities these insects pack a nutritional punch, supplying many of the nutrients reproductive females need such as folate and vitamin B12, along with fat and protein.

Paleoanthropological research has long overlooked the potential importance of this small-but-mighty resource in favor of meat-centric explanations for human evolutionary nutrition. Animal prey, along with the tools needed to hunt and process kills, present a much more obvious addition to the archaeological record than do tools for insect foraging, which may be easily overlooked. Dr. Lesnik’s research is helping to change this by highlighting the evidence for hominin insect usage in the past.

Her dissertation work illustrated that wear marks on tools from Swartkrans matched patterns created when such tools are used for opening termite mounds. More recently, and working with colleagues, she uncovered evidence of a 1.8 million year-old termite mound at Olduvai Gorge. Using an analysis of the hydrocarbon signature preserved within the nest, she ascertain that this mound was created by members of the genus Macrotermes – a favorite food of primates in the present as well.

Beyond her interest in the role of insects in our evolutionary past, Dr. Lesnik is also interested in understanding why some living people take advantage of insect resources and how to encourage their use by others. In this endeavor she has discovered that latitude successfully predicts entomophagy 80% of the time. This explains why most Europeans have no cultural tradition of entomophagy and why it can be jarring to see others consuming bugs. However, as the impact of large-scale meat farming continue to wreak havoc on the environment, Dr. Lesnik sees insects as a viable, low-impact food source for Earth’s growing population.

Not one to shy away from putting her money where her mouth is, Dr. Lesnik explained how she uses cricket powder in smoothies and even baked goods, encouraging those gathered at the reception to sample the chili-lime flavored crickets she brought to share. And so, channeling my ancient ancestors, I did.

Blog entry written by Adelaide Cary, OSU, Department of Anthropology