Shoutout to Charles Mann’s 1493, which contains a remarkably insightful survey of potato biology and indigenous Andean cultivation. Highly recommend for anyone interested in the topic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1493:_Uncovering_the_New_World_Columbus_Created
Your Rogan-bro ancient-alien conspiracy content is unwelcome here.
Samples of every form of biological matter we encountered were ingested, and the results were recorded in a logbook. Most of the leaves and twigs were unpalatable, chewy and inert, while the animals universally avoided analysis because they were too fast to catch.
This is a banger. RIP to our boy George.
I got back yesterday from working on this dig. It was my first field school experience — but despite the fuckery that is tent-camping in central Texas midsummer, I can safely say I’ll be back every chance I get.
If anyone reading this needs a push to get involved with their local org: do it! Best decision I’ve ever made, and the best pool of people I’ve ever met.
The project was a beautiful reminder that even in rural Texas, there are plenty of unsung heroes out in the wild who dedicate their entire lives to building community and looking out for others.
How we supposed to read this one?