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Date: | Mon, 31 Mar 1997 11:28:31 -0500 |
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Dean writes:
>As for my experimenting with eating raw grains and beans and reporting the
>results: Doctor Cordain, I am inspired by your suggestion, and in the
>interests of science am starting immediately. I will be saving all my
>post-prandially produced materials for the next two weeks in tightly
>sealed thermos containers. However, I suspect I would lack sufficient
>objectivity in the area of gas spectrum analysis; after all, like most
>people, I am quite convinced that my natural output has no particularly
>redolent effluvium. Knowing your own keen interest in this subject
>area, I will dispatch my un-fossilized coprolite on a daily basis to the
>Colorado State University for your (I am sure) assiduous and fully objective
>evaluation. Perhaps we can then co-publish a paper on the results.
Although I have had a singular experience with this kind of work
(Cordain L. et al. The effects of an aerobic running program on bowel
transit time. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 1986;26:101-04) , I will forego
Dean's generous offer for analysis of his un-fossilized specimens and
suggest that he submit the evidence to Dr. Kristin Sobolik at Texas A&M,
who is generally considered to be the -Dean- of coprolite analysis.
Although we are having a good laugh with this topic, it is indeed a
valuable source of evidence for prehistoric diets and should be
considered a serious topic. I refer our subscribers to: Sobolik KD.
Direct evidence for the importance of small animals to prehistoric
diets: A review of coprolite studies. North Am Archaeologist 1993 14:
227-44. Dr Sobolik has a Web page and perhaps Dean could convince her
to join this august group!
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