1,300-year-old piece of human faeces found in 'Cave of Dead Children' leaves scientists baffled

Analysis of 1,300 year-old human faeces in Mexico has changed the way scientists are viewing an ancient civilisation after multiple new bacteria were discovered View 2 Images Scientists found a surprisingly high number of bacteria in the faeces (Image: Image credit: Johnica Winter; CC-BY 4.0)

Scientists studying 1,300-year-old human faeces from the Cave of the Dead Children in Mexico have discovered that people dealt with nasty infections more than a millennium ago - changing how scientists view the ancient civilisation. ‌

Lead boffin Drew Capone and colleagues used molecular analysis to examine 10 ancient desiccated faeces samples, or paleofaeces, discovered in a cave in Mexico’s Rio Zape Valley near Durango. The samples date from A.D. 725 to 920, with the team’s findi