Archaeologists “step in” an ancient discovery

By Matt Christenson, Writer-Editor
Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Office

Bureau of Land Management' archaeologist Bill Cannon, right, talks with UO archaeologist recently at the Paisley Caves

(Photo by Jim Barlow)

University of Oregon archeologists have a brand new checklist for their field trips. Fedora? Check. Bullwhip? Got it. Poop stick? Yep.

Wait, what…?

It’s true. Our most learned academics and scientists are now carrying a little something extra to clean off the bottom of their shoes.

Dennis Jenkins, archaeological field school director for the University of Oregon’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History, announced this April that his team discovered coprolites containing human DNA dated over 14,000 years old.

The team of archeologists made this historic finding during field research at the Paisley Caves -- an area administered by the Bureau of Land Management located within the Summer Lake Basin near Paisley, Ore.

And thanks to Federal Antiquities permits provided in partnership by the BLM Lakeview District, Jenkins’ discovery now makes this site home to the earliest known residents of North America -- over one thousand years older than the Clovis culture previously established in New Mexico.

Go ahead and congratulate Jenkins. Just be sure to wash your hands afterwards.

Poop? This ain’t Poop. This here’s Coprolite

Coprolite is a fancy word for fossilized feces. So maybe the next time your dog poops on the neighbors’ lawn, you can tell them you’re just turning their hedgerow into a famous future archeological dig. And gosh, you’d sure love to pick up your dog’s poop -- “ahem,” your dog’s “coprolites” -- but you’d hate to deny scientists in the next millennia all that wonderful research.

Researchers are realizing that coprolites are jam-packed with information and offer science more than just their basic age. (Yes, someone has to carbon date them. Makes your job look pretty sweet right now, eh?) These fossils also provide a fascinating look into the DNA and genetic make-up of the earliest humans.

Jenkins has been able to identify DNA characteristics which indicate that the Paisley Caves coprolites came from early Native Americans. And this genetic code shares many similarities with ancient groups from Eastern Asia -- thus giving a level of credence to the premise that prehistoric humans traveled to the Americas via a land bridge from Asia across the Bering Sea.

Honey, I’m tired of Squirrel. Can we send out for Chipmunk?

In addition to our American ancestors’ genetic material, we can also study their diet in the coprolites. From their now famous samples, Jenkins’ team has identified remnants of grouse, chipmunk, lizards, and fish. And they’ve also detected a number of wild greens that grew outside the Paisley Caves.

Not exactly haute cuisine, but you have to remember they couldn’t get good cell phone coverage back in those days when they wanted to order a pizza.

Instead Jenkins’ dietary findings suggest these early humans were likely hunter-gatherers who traveled frequently, eating small animals they could more easily capture along with local grains and grasses.

Then they took shelter in caves -- to, um, “take a break.”

Land of the People for Over 14,000 Years – and Counting

Because the Paisley Caves are located on public lands, these fossils have received the protection and oversight of BLM management. This land was freely used by its inhabitants 14,000 years ago, and it continues to be used and studied by the public today.

Who knows what future discoveries may bring. Indigenousness toenail clippings? A prehistoric sneezed-in leaf fossil? The possibilities are endless!

“It is thrilling that America’s public lands have revealed such a significant link to our past,” said Shirley Gammon, BLM Lakeview district manager. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Jenkins and the University of Oregon in further research and protection of this once in a lifetime discovery.”

Thrilling? A Once in a Lifetime Discovery? Oh, yes. Never have coprolites been so newsworthy -- but don’t expect to see them on display in your local museum any time soon.