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10,000 year Old Surprise

Hi All,

Very interesting article in the San Francisco Chronicle today!

To make a very long article brief, scientist digging in a Indian cave dated
to be 10,000 year old in Oaxaca Mexico discovered what is reported as the
earliest of the domesticated squash seeds which are 9,975 years old - give
or take 60 years based on linear accelerator tests.

"And what is more remarkable, he found, is the fact that younger seeds and
rinds from squash found in the cave's upper layers show that inhabitants
had learned to plant the seeds selectively to yield better and better
crops."

"Seeds grew larger, Smith Said. And one sample of squash rind about 8,000
years old still retained the bright orange color of modern
pumpkins--Curcurbita pepo--of which the ancient squash plants were the wild
ancestor."

Chris A.
Moraga, Calif.
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