For most of the twentieth century, archaeologists viewed early human diet as primarily plant-based and only sporadically supplemented with meat. Isotopic analyses of skeletal remains since the 1990s have revised that picture, showing that hunting and meat consumption played a more central role in many populations than previously assumed. The revisions extend to long-debated questions about brain evolution.
Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the text?
- A
It supports the twentieth-century view introduced in the first sentence.
- B
It defines the term 'isotope'.
- C
It introduces a different archaeological method.
- Dcheck_circle
It introduces newer evidence that revises the prior view and motivates the third sentence.
Explanation
Isotopic findings revise the earlier picture and prepare the brain-evolution implications in sentence three. B captures this transitional function.