Gary Toranzos, Professor of Microbiology at University of Puerto Rico: Research on Fossilized Poop is Revealing the UnTold Histories of the Ancient People of the Carribean

Our podcast today is with Gary Toranzos a microbiologist from the University of Puerto Rico. Gary’s Paleobiology research has uncovered how ancient human poop, known as coprolites, can reveal intriguing insights about ancient diets, migration and trade among ancient people of the Caribbean, South America and Mesoamerica.

Gary and his research colleagues from Puerto Rico, Minnesota, and California discovered something unexpected when examining a 1500-year-old coprolite sample from Vieques, Puerto Rico. The samples contained remnants of monkey meat, tomato, cotton and tobacco. These discoveries raised questions about the trade and dietary habits of the Huecoid and Saladoid cultures, who inhabited Puerto Rico before Columbus's arrival. Through the analysis of the microbiology of caprolites researchers aim to reconstruct the migration and diets of these ancient cultures. Listen in to HealthCare UnTold as we explore with Gary about the wealth of knowledge that can be gleaned from ancient coprolites and how this knowledge provides a scientific history of our ancestors' lives on a whole new level.