How Soil Is Telling Us a New Story About Ourselves!

What can soil tell us about the lives of our ancestors? When one of the greatest archaeological finds of our time was unearthed right in the middle of New York City,  history opened up. By studying soil samples extracted from hundreds of people previously lost to history this scientist is piecing together an ancestry that was nearly lost!

What stories are hiding in the ground beneath your feet? In 1991, the construction of a skyscraper unearthed an estimated 15,000 human remains in a burial ground spanning over 6.6 acres of Manhattan. At that moment, a new window into the history of New York City opened up! Now, by looking closer at the soil around the remains, researchers are able to see an entirely new history of New York from 400 years ago. Turns out, soil can tell quite a story!

By Sam Burns

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