Coprolites - Fossil Feces as a Scientific Study

Coprolite (plural coprolites) is the technical term for preserved human (or animal) feces. Preserved fossil feces are a fascinating study in archaeology, in that they provide direct evidence of what an individual animal or human ate. An archaeologist can find dietary remains in storage pits, midden deposits, and within stone or ceramic vessels, but materials found within human fecal matter are clear and unrefutable evidence that a particular food was consumed. Key Takeaways: Coprolites Coprolites are fossilized or preserved human or animal feces, and the focus of scientific research since the 1950s.  Studied contents include plant and animal remains, intestinal parasites and mites, and DNA.  Depending on the context they are found in, coprolites provide information about the diet and health of an individual mammal or a community.  Two other classes of the scientific study of excrement are sewage or cesspit deposits, and intestinal or gut contents.   Coprolites are a ubiquitous feature of human life, but they preserve best in dry caves and rock shelters and are occasionally discovered in sand dunes, dry soils, and swamp margins. They contain evidence of diet and subsistence, but they also can contain information about disease and pathogens, gender, and ancient DNA, evidence in a manner that is not readily available elsewhere. Three Classes In the study of human excrement, there are generally three classes of preserved fecal remains that are found archaeologically: sewage, coprolites, and intestinal contents. Sewage or Cess, including privy pits or latrines, cesspits, sewers, and drains, contain largely mixed assemblages of human feces together with kitchen and other organic and inorganic wastes. When they are found well-preserved, particularly when water-logged, cess deposits provide valuable information on the community or household diet and living conditions.Coprolites are individual fossil or subfossil feces, preserved through charring, mineralization, or found as desiccated samples in caves and extremely arid places. Each sample provides evidence for foods eaten by an individual, and if found in a latrine area can also reveal community-wide diets.Intestinal or Gut Contents refers to preserved human remains found within the intestines of well-preserved human or animal bodies. These are of the most value of the three for a study of an individual, because they are essentially uncontaminated remains which hold information on at most one or two meals, in fact, the last meal that the indiv idual consumed. Gut contents are relatively rare discoveries, found only when whole humans are preserved, in the case of natural or (if not too extensive) cultural mummification, freezing or freeze-drying (for example, Otzi the Tyrolean Iceman), or waterlogging (such as European Iron Age bog bodies). Content A human or animal coprolite can contain a diverse range of biological and mineral materials. Plant remains found in fossil feces include partly digested seeds, fruits, and fruit parts, pollen, starch grains, phytoliths, diatoms, burned organics (charcoal), and small plant fragments. Animal parts include tissue, bones, and hair. Other types of objects found in fecal matter include intestinal parasites or their eggs, insects, or mites. Mites, in particular, identify how the individual stored food; the presence of grit could be evidence of food processing techniques; and burned food and charcoal is evidence of cooking techniques. Studies on Steroids Coprolite studies are sometimes referred to as microhistology, but they include a wide range of topics: paleo diet, paleo-pharmacology (the study of ancient medicines), paleoenvironment and seasonality; biochemistry, molecular analysis, palynology, paleobotany, paleozoology, and ancient DNA. Those studies require that the feces be rehydrated, using a liquid (typically a water solution of tri-sodium phosphate) to reconstitute the feces, unfortunately also including the odors. Then the reconstituted material is examined under detailed light and electron microscope analysis, as well as subjected to radiocarbon dating, DNA analysis, macro- and micro-fossil analyses and other studies of inorganic content. Coprolite studies have also included the investigations of chemical, immunological protein, steroids (which determine sex), and DNA studies, in addition to phytoliths, pollen, parasites, algae, and viruses. Classic Coprolite Studies Hinds Cave, a dry rock shelter in southwest Texas which had been used as a latrine for hunter-gatherers about six thousand years ago contained several deposits of feces, 100 samples of which were collected by archaeologist Glenna Williams-Dean in the late 1970s. The data Dean collected during her Ph.D. research have been studied and analyzed by generations of scholars since that time. Dean herself ran pioneer experimental archaeology studies using students to provide test fecal matter arising from documented dietary input, an unparalleled data set even today. Foodstuffs recognized in the Hinds Cave included agave, opuntia, and allium; seasonality studies indicated that the feces had been deposited between winter-early spring and summer. One of the earliest discovered pieces of credible evidence for pre-Clovis sites in North America was from coprolites discovered at Paisley 5 Mile Point Caves in Oregon state. The recovery of 14 coprolites was reported in 2008, the oldest individually radiocarbon dated to 12,300 RCYBP (14,000 calendar years ago). Unfortunately, all of them were contaminated by the excavators, but several included ancient DNA and other genetic markers for Paleoindian people. Most recently, biomarkers found in the earliest dated specimen suggest it was not human after all, although Sistiaga and colleagues had no explanation for the presence of Paleoindian mtDNA within it. Other credible pre-Clovis sites have been found since that time. History of the Study The most important proponent of research into coprolites was Eric O. Callen (1912–1970), a maverick Scottish botanist interested in plant pathologies. Callen, with a Ph.D. in botany from Edinburgh, worked as a plant pathologist at McGill University and in the early 1950s, one of his colleagues was Thomas Cameron (1894–1980), a member of the parasitology faculty. In 1951, archaeologist Junius Bird (1907–1982) visited McGill. A few years prior to his visit, Bird had discovered coprolites at the site of Huaca Prieta de Chicama in Peru and collected a few fecal samples from the intestines of a mummy found at the site. Bird gave the samples to Cameron and asked him to search for evidence of human parasites. Callen learned of the samples and asked for a few samples of his own to study, to look for traces of fungi that infect and destroy maize. In their article recounting Callans importance to the microhistology, American archaeologists Vaughn Bryant and Glenna Dean point out how remarkable it is that this very first study of ancient human coprolites was conducted by two scholars with no formal training in anthropology. Callans role in the pioneering study included the identification of a suitable rehydration process, still used today: a weak solution of trisodium phosphate used by zoologists in similar studies. His research was necessarily restricted to macroscopic studies of the remains, but the specimens did contain a wide variety of macrofossils that reflected the ancient diet. Callan, who died conducting research at Pikimachay, Peru in 1970, is credited with inventing techniques and promoting the study at a time when microhistology was disparaged as bizarre research. Selected Sources Bryant, Vaughn M., and Glenna W. Dean. Archaeological Coprolite Science: The Legacy of Eric O. Callen (1912–1970). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 237.1 (2006): 51–66. Print.Camacho, Morgana, et al. Recovering Parasites from Mummies and Coprolites: An Epidemiological Approach. Parasites Vectors 11.1 (2018): 248. Print.Chaves, Sà ©rgio Augusto de Miranda, and Karl J. Reinhard. Critical Analysis of Coprolite Evidence of Medicinal Plant Use, Piauà ­, Brazil. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 237.1 (2006): 110–18. Print.Dean, Glenna W. The Science of Coprolite Analysis: The View from Hinds Cave. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 237.1 (2006): 67–79. Print.Reinhard, Karl J., et al. Understanding the Pathoecological Relationship between Ancient Diet and Modern Diabetes through Coprolite Analysis: A Case Example from Antelope Cave, Mojave County, Arizona. Current Anthropology 53.4 (2012): 506–12. Print.W ood, Jamie R., and Janet M. Wilmshurst. A Protocol for Subsampling Late Quaternary Coprolites for Multi-Proxy Analysis. Quaternary Science Reviews 138 (2016): 1–5. Print.

Thesis in Filipino - 3948 Words

â€Å"EPEKTO NG MGA MAKABAGONG TEKNOLOHIYANG GINAGAMIT SA MGA PASYENTENG MAY MALALANG SAKIT† ISANG PANANALIKSIK NG MGA MAG-AARAL SA UNANG TAON NG KALAHATANG EDUKASYON NG IKALAWANG SEMESTRE. TAONG-AKADEMIKO 2010-2011. Isang Pamanahong Papel na iniharap sa mga Dalubguro ng Departamento ng Filipino Our Lady of Fatima University Lungsod ng Valenzuela Bilang Pagtupad sa isa sa mga Pangangailangan Ng Asignaturang Filipino 2 Ng BSN1y2-7 – Filipino Marso, 2011 DAHON NG PAGPAPATIBAY Bilang pagtupad sa isa sa mga pangangailangan ng asignatuang Filipino 2, Pagbasa at Pagsulat sa Iba’t Ibang Disiplina Tungo sa Pnanaliksik, ang pamanahong-papel na ito na pinamagatang â€Å"Epekto ng mga†¦show more content†¦Nalalaman natin ang mga pinagmumulan nito, ang maaring lunas sa mga ito at kung paano ang tamang pangangalaga sa taong maysakit. Lingid sa ating kaalaman na napakalaki na ng naitulong ng mga makabagong teknolohiya sa larangan ng panggagamot. Sa paglipas ng panahon kapansin-pansin ang napakaraming pagbabago, lalo na sa larangan ng medisina. Makikita natin sa panahon ngayon ang mabilis na pagbabago ng mga teknolohiya na ginagamit sa panggagamot, mapapribado man o pampublikong ospital. Dahil sa pagbabagong ito umunlad, gumaling, at bumuti ang kalagayan ng maraming pasyente. Marami na ring naisalbang buhay sa tulong ng mga â€Å"hig h-tech† na kagamitan sa panggagamot. Ngunit ang paggamit ng mga makabagong teknolohiyang ito para sa mga pasyente ay may katapat na malaking halaga. Oo nga’t masasabi nating mabisang paraan ang paggamit ng mga makabagong teknolohiya sa panggagamot ngunit hindi lahat ay may sapat na kakayahang pampinansyal para matugunan ang tulad ng ganitong pangangailangan. Bagamat may kaakibat na napakalaking halaga, marami pa rin kung tutuusin ang mas gugustohing gumastos ng malaking halaga makasiguro lang na mapapabilis ang paggaling at makasisigurong gagaling ang kanilang mahal sa buhay, kaysa namanShow MoreRelatedFilipino Thesis4803 Words   |  20 PagesFar Eastern University Sampaloc, Manila Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance Epekto paggamit ng cellphone Sa Mga PilingMag-aaral Isang Proyekto Bilang Pangangailangan sa Filipino Ipinasa kay Professor Alicia  M. 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National Push for Accountability in Schools Free Essays

The pace of change dictates that schools should provide high quality learning standards to students. It requires that the school system should improve their learning approaches to enhance academic achievements of students. In this connection policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels have worked to increase accountability of the school system on the premise that the same plays a vital role in improving learning standards of students and society as well. We will write a custom essay sample on National Push for Accountability in Schools or any similar topic only for you Order Now This then pave the way to the recognition of evaluation of school performance to improve standards of learning and achievements of students. The system of accountability requires schools to define what students should know and be able to do and to measure progress and gaps in students’ achievement. It facilitates the attainment of the desired education standards anchored on quality content and high learning standards. Developing appropriate content and student achievement standards are accordingly important part of showing policymakers and the public a return on their educational investment. However, accountability of schools for students learning and achievement is impossible without a clear, focused road map on the achievement standards and what and how well students are to learn from kindergarten through graduation. Many states have developed content and achievement standards without involving stakeholders and teachers. They also have not considered how their standards are to be implemented, measured and tied to accountability. Developing content and student achievement standards without considerable contribution and input from a variety of sources is fatal as there is no sense of ownership as well as responsibility from the stakeholders and agencies not represented. The standards set are then viewed as bias and one-sided thereby defeating its purpose and rendering weak implementation of the system. Accountability system utilizes results from standardized tests to evaluate performance of students and schools, and provide sanctions, rewards or interventions for schools, educators or students. This system involves consistent monitoring and evaluation of the students’ and schools’ performance that it requires active participation of the educators, parents, stakeholders, and policy makers. The ripple effect of the system requires that these concerned people and stakeholders should be consistently committed to the purpose, implementation, and evaluation in order to keep track of students and schools’ performance and eventually facilitate desired continuous improvement of schools’ performance standards. According to Kate Nolan (2002), â€Å"it is not enough to believe that all children can learn. All elements of the system must be held accountable for the success of all children†.   The effect of the accountability system in school is all encompassing that Kate Nolan further noted that, â€Å"the improvement in school performance requires improvement in all stakeholders’ performance†. Thus change in the system should not be an isolated case for the school sector but also on the part of the stakeholders as accountability requires their active participation and commitment for the system to work. It is noted that the accountability system is designed to be a tool for instituting changes in schools that would positively benefit the students, parents, community and the country in general. This system provides opportunities and avenues for joint effort of all people and agencies concerned to raise the standards of the education system thereby improving school performance and learning of the students. The intention of the program is indeed noble and reflects an effort to bring education system to respond to the fast changing demands of the learning community, yet a lot of areas need thorough consideration and re-evaluation. According to Chuch Poochigian, â€Å"the education system reforms undertaken in the past years have greatly enhanced the ability of the parents to monitor the performance of their children as well as of the school where they are enrolled, however, the only way that the drive for accountability in education will be truly successful is if parents utilize the new tools offered to them to ensure that their children receive quality education.† This statement should give one an idea that accountability should not be limited to the school sector only. According to Douglas B. Reeves (2002), â€Å"accountability must be viewed in a different way. It must consider and address the issues in congruence of the objectives and the strategies, specificity, relevance, respect for diversity, continuous improvement, and focus on achievement, not norms.† Accountability system is highly complex and involves a range of interconnected issues and design as well as technical issues on the implementation and evaluation aspect that needs further thorough study and reconsideration. Also it must be noted that no matter how enlightened or elegant the assessment devices, if the focus is limited to gathering and reporting data rather than skillful use of those data for learning and achievement enhancement of students, little improvement to school performance will result. Thus, the best way to know whether an accountability system is working is to see whether the school system it accounts for is moving from where it was to where it wants to be. From its first implementation, an accountability system requires not only internal implementation but also external monitoring. Indeed the national push for accountability dignifies the need to improve standards of school performance and would greatly benefit the students but the approach is insufficient and has undesirable side effects. Schools do not per se reject accountability as the same is an intrinsic responsibility, but an authentic approach to accountability must be formulated. A new set of principles must be created to guide the reconstruction of accountability systems to better meet the needs of education and students, and to avoid the dangers often associated with current accountability systems. Further, collaboration and supportive effort of the school, stakeholders and policymakers must be promoted. Reference List Nolan, K. (2002). Excerpts from using accountability to build strong schools. Education Commission of States. Retrieved February 20, 2007 from http://www.ecs.org Poochigian, C. School accountability reforms. Retrieved February 23, 2007 from http://www.reasons.org/pb34.pdf. Reeves, D. (2002). Accountability based-reforms should lead to a better teaching and learning-period. Harvard Education System. Retrieved February 20, 2007 from http://www.edletter.org/past/issues2002-ma/reeves.shtml. How to cite National Push for Accountability in Schools, Essay examples