Petrifed poop is yielding look at diet of ancient Americans

Petrified poop is yielding look at diet of ancient Americans

The petrified poop found in an Oregon cave is yielding a look at the diet of the ancient Americans.

WASHINGTON (AP) -

New evidence shows humans lived in North America more than 14,000 years ago, 1,000 years earlier than had previously been known.

This is in a report in Thursday’s online edition of the journal Science.

While the analysis is not yet complete, University of Oregon archaeologist Dennis Jenkins says there are bones of squirrels, bison hair, fish scales, protein from birds and dogs and the remains of plants such as grass and sunflowers.

Jenkins said it isn't clear exactly who these people living in the Oregon caves were, since there were few artifacts found. He says there was one stone tool, a hand tool used perhaps to polish or grind or mash bones or fat.