(Image credit: Credit: Eric Tournere)

(Image credit: Credit: Eric Tournere)

Researchers have found evidence that humans have been gathering bee products, such as honey and honeycomb, for at least 9,000 years. The researchers examined residues preserved on thousands of pottery vessels from across Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The earliest evidence was found in pots from Neolithic sites in Anatolia, where Europe and Asia join, dating back to the seventh millennium BC.

Original research paper published in Nature on November 11, 2015.

Names and affiliations of selected author

Mélanie Roffet-Salque, Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, United Kingdom