Researchers have made an unlikely paleontological discovery: ancient squirrel droppings preserved in Arctic permafrost contain DNA from Ice Age megafauna, according to Live Science. The preserved feces yielded genetic traces of mammoths, bison, horses, and big cats, along with DNA from plants, microbes, and fungi. The findings highlight how unexpected sources—even prehistoric rodent waste—can unlock crucial insights into lost ecosystems and the animals that roamed the ice ages.

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