Ancient squirrel feces offer 'time capsule' of environment thousands of years ago
Scientists have extracted ancient DNA from 17,000 to 700,000-year-old squirrel feces preserved in permafrost. The study provides a detailed snapshot of the Pleistocene ecosystem, including evidence of extinct species like woolly mammoths.
Why it matters
This research demonstrates how biological waste can serve as a high-quality genetic archive for understanding prehistoric environments.
The scent of ancient squirrel feces filled the laboratory where researcher Tyler Murchie was working to extract the genetic material it contained, revealing the scat can still smell just as fresh today as it did some 700,000 years ago.
Scientific reporting based on a peer-reviewed study.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in