Paranthropus boisei hominin eating a fruit, artwork. This depiction illustrates research published in 2008 that contradicted previous opinions about the diet of Paranthropus boisei, an ancient hominin that lived between 2.3 and 1.2 million years ago. Examination of wear and tear on fossil teeth indicated that its diet was likely to have been fruit. Previously, the thickness of the enamel had suggested a diet of nuts and seeds. This also illustrates a general principle (Liem's Paradox) that animals don't always utilise the adaptations they have developed.