14,000-Year-Old Human Poop Found in Oregon Cave

For archaeologists, ancient bones and stone tools are important lines of evidence, but sometimes the answers to our past can be found in piles of human poop, as an important new analysis shows.

From 2002 to 2010, archaeologists collected dozens of coprolites, or dried-out poop, from Oregon’s Paisley Caves, the oldest of which were dated to 14,000 years ago. A genetic analysis of the coprolites suggested they came from humans, but some researchers questioned this result, citing possible contamination of the samples. The progeny of the poop remained unresolved for years, but new research is providing a fresh look at these stale but incredibly important piles of dung.

Humans first entered into North America around the end of the last ice age, sometime between 20,000 and 15,000 years ago. Further confirmation of exactly when and how this migration took place would be a big deal, even if the evidence in question is literally full of crap. Read the free article.