For all of you scoffers and nay-sayers out there who kvetch about archaeology never producing anything truly noteworthy and relevant…
Ancient Popcorn Discovered in Peru!
As the tireless geeks and nerdlings at ScienceDaily.com reported earlier this month, “People living along the coast of Peru were eating popcorn 1,000 years earlier than previously reported and before ceramic pottery was used there, according to a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences co-authored by Dolores Piperno, curator of New World archaeology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and emeritus staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
(Ancient maize cobs)
Scientists discovered some of the oldest known corn cobs, husks, stalks and tassels (dating from 6,700 to 3,000 years ago) at Paredones and Huaca Prieta, two mound sites on Peru’s arid northern coast. The researchers say the cobs indicate that the sites’ ancient inhabitants ate corn several ways, including popcorn and flour corn
(Detailed popcorn progression map – 9,000 to 6000 years ago)
ScienceNewsBlog.com quotes Ms. Piperno as saying, “Corn was first domesticated in Mexico nearly 9,000 years ago from a wild grass called teosinte. Our results show that only a few thousand years later corn arrived in South America where its evolution into different varieties that are now common in the Andean region began. This evidence further indicates that in many areas corn arrived before pots did and that early experimentation with corn as a food was not dependent on the presence of pottery.”
How about that, sneerers!? Take your derisive laughter and pop it!
It’s good to strike a blow for archaeology and relevant, practical science knowledge!
Go, Geeks, Go!
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According to WordPress, this is my 111th post! I’m having so much fun writing these articles. I hope you enjoy reading them!
koshersamurai 