Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It's a really big deal when fossilized feces survive the ravages of time. These hardened pieces of excrement open up a window into what animals ate thousands of years ago and even what may have made them sick . Humans are not exempt from this, with dried human feces indicating we have always loved cheese and beer and that our microbiome has evolved over thousands of years. DNA recovered from 1,000-year-old dried feces indicates that intestinal infections from pinworm or Shingella may have plagued ancient people living in present day northern Mexico's Rio Zape Valley.

Science Biology Evolution Reptile'pee crystals' might help treat kidney stones and gout Researchers studied urate solids from over 20 snake and lizard species. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It may come as a surprise, but not all animals pee . While almost every living organism possesses an excretory system, most reptiles don't eliminate excess nitrogen-containing waste in the form of liquid urine . Instead, they rid themselves of the chemicals by expelling them in the form of crystalline solids called urates.