Scatological science: oldest human poop fossils no laughing matter

[riky]

Scatological science: oldest human poop fossils no laughing matter

<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/scatological-science-oldest-human-poop-fossils-no-laughing-213217821.html"><img src="http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/_gsG_.3py.gHvzr0Wj5UXw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-06-26T003032Z_1_LYNXMPEA5P00N_RTROPTP_2_SCIENCE-NEANDERTHALS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="The El Salt archeological site -- a known site of Neanderthal occupation in southern Spain that dates back 50,000 years -- is pictured in this handout photo" align="left" title="The El Salt archeological site -- a known site of Neanderthal occupation in southern Spain that dates back 50,000 years -- is pictured in this handout photo" border="0" /></a>By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Don't laugh, but the discovery of the oldest known human poop is offering valuable scientific insight into the life of Neanderthals who lived in Spain some 50,000 years ago. Analysis of the samples provided a new understanding of the diet of this extinct human species, offering the first evidence that Neanderthals were omnivores who also ate vegetables as part of their meat-heavy diet, they said. &quot;So far, it is the only fossil evidence that gives us information of the ingestion and the regular meals of our ancestors,&quot; said Ainara Sistiaga, a geoarchaeologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of La Laguna who was one of the researchers. &quot;Understanding the diet of past human species closely related to our own will help us gain perspective on our evolutionary constraints and adaptability,&quot; Sistiaga added.</p><br clear="all"/>

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