Science Often Changes History

I wrote this as part of the writing blogging course I am taking.  The assignment was to identify which of the six blogger types you are and then research/write something new as that type of blogger.  I thought it was kind of interesting.

Science Often Changes History

Advances in science impact our understanding and interpretation of history.  In recent years, genetic research has changed some traditional explanations of history.

Native people of South America may have Polynesian roots.

I’m not kidding.  A number of research studies have traced unique Polynesian genetic codes and found them in Peruvian, Chilean and Brazilian populations.  Just four months ago in Nature.com a study was reviewed linking some native tribes in Brazil to Polynesian people.  The link may have originated from slave trading in the 1800s but some researchers and historians believe it is entirely plausible Polynesians traveled to the region thousands of years ago.  There’s enough evidence to support further investigation.

This discovery in no way detracts from the importance of the primary migration of Asiatic people across the "land bridge" between Asia and Alaska.  What it does do is give a clearer picture of what happened.  The excavation of Norse settlements along the islands east of Canada first modified the long held land bridge view and now genetic research is offering another explanation as to how people got to America.

Farmers used cow shit as fertilizer 8000 years ago.  Whoa dude!

A group of European scientists have uncovered (and I mean literally uncovered) evidence that impacts our traditional understanding of history.  They found that European farmers understood the value of manure as a fertilizer 8000 years ago.  Researchers at early farming sites across Europe have studied samples and found high levels of nitrogen-15 a key element found in fields spread with manure and, more importantly, found almost nowhere else..

Historians believe droppings from grazing animals were piled up by farmers.  These early agriculturalists noticed that vegetation on and around these piles was greener and heavier than in the normal field.  The obvious connection was made and thus cow, goat, sheep turds became fertilizer.

Yay!  More food.

The obvious impact was a larger and more reliable food source to feed growing populations and offer stability to the local community.  Historians and anthropologists speculate, with a high level of certainty, this change in the use of land and food supply helped foster a sense of private property ownership in many European regions that developed and grew over time.  This in turn led to the development of the modern social/economic class structure western nations have today.

So blame farmers living 8000 years ago for the evil 1%ers.  LOL. Just kidding.