Fossil Feces: The scoop on the Poop

Oh, the headline writers are having a field day with this one. With the news that fossilized feces has been found in an Oregon cave dating back 14,000 plus years, the possibilities are endless. Coprolites, the scientists call ‘em.

But one archaeologist, defending the find against some critics who question the significance of the discovery, took top prize with this one:

“Whether the coprolites are human or canine is irrelevant, since for a canine to swallow human hair, people had to be present,” he said. “Any way you cut the poop, people would have been present at the site. The dating and the DNA are what’s important.”

Anyway you cut the poop. Elegant!