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Human fecal matter uncovered from a lake in Guatemala reveals the Maya population living in the ancient city of Itzan declined during four different periods over the course of 3,300 years - and climate change was to blame. A team of scientists led by McGill University found the fecal matter in sediments in Laguna Itzan, which confirmed droughts plagued the area from 90 to 280 AD, 730 to 900 AD and 1350 to 950 BC, all of which saw the Maya population drop. The team also determined there was a very wet period from 400 to 210 BC, 'something which...

Human poop can reveal more than you might think, even when it's really, really old. In a new study of a Central American Maya civilization, samples of ancient feces have shown how the size of this community varied significantly in response to contemporary climate change. Researchers identified four distinct periods of population size shift as a reaction to particularly dry or particularly wet periods, which haven't all been documented before: 1350-950 BCE, 400-210 BCE, 90-280 CE, and 730-900 CE. In addition, the flattened poop piles show that the city of Itzan – which in the modern day would be in...