Episode 32 - [Poop Joke Here]: Coprolites and the Value of Fossilized Feces
We all do it. We've done it for millions of years. It's the Poopisode, a Very Special Sponsor pick! Anna and Amber discuss coprolites (archaeological poo), and some of the surprising things we've learned from it. Anna's pun game has rarely been stronger, and Amber...well, Amber survived this episode.
If you want to learn more (and admit it, you do), check out:
To Truly Know an Ancient Society, One Must Analyze Its Feces (Atlas Obscura)
Paleoscatologists dig up stools 'as precious as the crown jewels' (The Guardian)
What is the Maillard Reaction? (Science of Cooking)
Divining Diet and Disease From DNA (Science)
Archaeological coprolite science: The legacy of Eric O. Callen (1912–1970) (Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, via ResearchGate)
Biomolecular and micromorphological analysis of suspected faecal deposits at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey (Journal of Archaeological Science, via ResearchGate)
What Discovery of Oldest Human Poop Reveals About Neanderthals' Diet (National Geographic)
Recovering parasites from mummies and coprolites: an epidemiological approach (Parasites & Vectors)
The control of defecation in humans: an evolutionary advantage? (Techniques in Coloproctology)
Probable human hair found in a fossil hyaena coprolite from Gladysvale cave, South Africa (Journal of Archaeological Science, via ResearchGate)
How the Remnants of Human Poop Could Help Archaeologists Study Ancient Populations (Smithsonian)
Paleomicrobiology: Revealing Fecal Microbiomes of Ancient Indigenous Cultures (PLOS ONE)
Lewis and Clark expedition left a trail of heavy-metal laxatives (Offbeat Oregon)
The Poop on Lewis and Clark (Sarah Albee Books)
How to Reconstruct Lewis and Clark’s Journey: Follow the Mercury-laden Latrine Pits
Archaeologists Test Feces From Roman Latrine, Find Roundworm And Dysentery (Forbes)
'Poop Talk' Cuts to the Evolutionary Roots of Shame With Toilet Humor (Inverse)
Groom of the Stool (Wikipedia)
Nearly a Billion People Still Defecate Outdoors. Here’s Why. (National Geographic)
Life without toilets: the photographer tackling a global taboo (The Guardian)
Farmworker Housing Linked to Consumer Demand for Safe Food (Food Safety News)
Photo credit: Sianto et al. 2012, “Human coprolite found in burial from archaeological site of Furna do Estrago,” licensed via CC BY 2.0.