Intestine examine: Fossil finds give us a historical past of life—and what it ate

Enlarge (credit score: Cheung Chung-Tat)

It is irritating and gross, however we’ve all accomplished it. We’ve all stepped in poop.

Most of us wish to neglect the expertise. However 33 million years in the past, now-extinct life varieties stepped in it, and fossilization has ensured that these occasions won’t be forgotten.

For archeologists, what was as soon as repellent is now an absolute marvel, because it gives perception into extinct animals and their environments that we could not in any other case receive. Equally, different byproducts of life we’d discover disgusting—regurgitated remnants of meals, inside organs and their contents—are vital clues into creatures we solely find out about from the fossil file.