Scientists found very old animal poop in the frozen ground of Canada. They found DNA from many different animals in it.

科學家在加拿大的凍土中發現了非常古老的動物糞便，並在其中發現了許多不同動物的 DNA。

The scientists looked at poop from small ground squirrels. This poop is very old. Some of it is 700,000 years old. The cold ice kept the DNA safe.

科學家研究了地松鼠的糞便。這些糞便非常古老，有些甚至有 70 萬年的歷史。寒冷的冰層保護了 DNA 的完整性。

Ground squirrels eat many things. They eat plants and other animals. Because of this, their poop has DNA from many animals. Scientists found DNA from mammoths, bison, horses, and wolves.

地松鼠雜食，牠們吃植物和其他動物。因此，牠們的糞便中含有許多動物的 DNA。科學家發現了猛犸象、野牛、馬和狼的 DNA。

New technology helped the scientists. They can now see the DNA clearly. They used volcanic ash to find the exact age of the samples. This is better than looking at old bones.

新技術為科學家提供了幫助。他們現在可以清晰地觀察 DNA。他們利用火山灰來確定樣本的準確年代，這比研究古老骨骼的方法更有效。

This study shows that squirrel poop is a great way to learn about old animals.

這項研究表明，研究松鼠糞便是一種了解古代動物的絕佳方式。

Researchers have successfully recovered a wide variety of prehistoric DNA from frozen Arctic ground squirrel droppings found in the Yukon permafrost.

研究人員成功地從育空地區永久凍土層中發現的冷凍北極地松鼠糞便中，提取出多種史前 DNA。

The study focused on fossilized droppings, known as coprolites, collected from thirteen burrows in the Klondike River valley. These samples date back between 17,000 and 700,000 years. Because they were trapped in permafrost, the genetic material remained well-preserved. To extract this DNA, the team developed special molecular tools to remove chemical barriers in the organic matter, which allowed them to identify the genetic codes of many different species.

這項研究聚焦於從克朗代克河谷 13 個洞穴中收集的糞便化石（稱為 Coprolites）。這些樣本的年代介於 1 萬 7 千年至 70 萬年之間。由於它們被困在永久凍土中，遺傳物質得以良好保存。為了提取這些 DNA，團隊開發了特殊的分子工具以去除有機物質中的化學屏障，使其能夠識別許多不同物種的基因碼。

Experts emphasized that the Arctic ground squirrel acted as a 'natural archivist.' Because these animals eat almost anything after waking up from hibernation, they consumed various plants and animals, including the remains of large prehistoric creatures. Consequently, their droppings provided a clear genetic record of the entire ecosystem. The researchers identified DNA from woolly mammoths, steppe bison, horses, grey wolves, and either cheetahs or cougars, as well as over 200 types of plants.

專家強調，北極地松鼠扮演了「天然檔案館」的角色。由於這些動物在冬眠醒來後幾乎什麼都吃，因此牠們攝入了各種植物與動物，包括大型史前生物的殘骸。因此，牠們的糞便提供了整個生態系統清晰的遺傳記錄。研究人員識別出猛瑪象、草原野牛、馬、灰狼，以及可能是獵豹或美洲獅的 DNA，此外還有 200 多種植物。

Furthermore, new technology in paleogenomics allowed the team to reconstruct several genomes, including those of twelve squirrel lineages and six mammoths. The timing of these finds was made more accurate because the samples were found near volcanic ash layers of a known age. This method provides a more detailed picture of the Beringian ice-age environment than is usually possible when using broken bone fragments.

此外，古基因組學的新技術使團隊能夠重建數個基因組，包括 12 個松鼠譜系和 6 隻猛瑪象。由於樣本是在已知年份的火山灰層附近發現的，使得這些發現的時間點更加準確。與通常使用破碎骨碎片的方法相比，此方法能提供更詳細的白令陸橋冰河時代環境圖景。

The study proves that ground squirrel coprolites are highly reliable sources for recovering ancient environmental DNA.

研究證明地松鼠糞便化石是恢復古環境 DNA 極其可靠的來源。

Researchers have successfully extracted diverse prehistoric DNA from frozen Arctic ground squirrel feces discovered in the Yukon permafrost.

研究人員成功從育空地區永凍層發現的冷凍北極地松鼠糞便中，提取出多種史前 DNA。

The investigation centered on coprolites recovered from thirteen burrows in the Klondike River valley, with temporal origins ranging from 17,000 to 700,000 years before present. These samples were sequestered within permafrost, which facilitated the preservation of genetic material. The methodology involved the development of specialized molecular baits to circumvent chemical inhibitors present in the organic matter, allowing for the isolation of mitochondrial genomes from a wide array of taxa.

此次研究重點在於從克朗代克河谷 13 個洞穴中回收的糞便化石，其時間跨度從現在起計 17,000 年到 700,000 年不等。這些樣本被封存在永凍層中，有利於遺傳物質的保存。研究方法涉及開發專門的分子誘餌，以避開有機物質中存在的化學抑制劑，從而能夠分離出多種分類群的線粒體基因組。

Stakeholder analysis indicates that the Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) functioned as an unintentional biological archivist. Due to their omnivorous scavenging behavior upon emerging from hibernation, these rodents consumed a variety of flora and fauna, including megafauna carcasses. Consequently, the resulting coprolites provided a synchronized genetic snapshot of the ecosystem. Identified taxa include woolly mammoths, steppe bison, horses, grey wolves, and either American cheetahs or cougars, alongside over 200 plant groups and various invertebrates.

相關分析指出，北極地松鼠 (Urocitellus parryii) 扮演了不自覺的生物檔案管理員角色。由於這些齧齒類動物在冬眠甦醒後具有雜食清除行為，會攝取多種植物與動物，包括大型動物的屍體。因此，產生的糞便化石提供了該生態系統同步的遺傳快照。識別出的分類群包括長毛猛 mammoth、草原野牛、馬、灰狼，以及美洲獵豹或美洲獅，此外還包括 200 多組植物和各種無脊椎動物。

Technological advancements in paleogenomics enabled the reconstruction of multiple genomes, including twelve ground squirrel lineages and six woolly mammoth sequences. The chronological precision of these findings was enhanced by the proximity of the samples to volcanic ash layers of known age. This approach allows for a more accurate reconstruction of the Beringian ice-age environment than is typically possible through the analysis of fragmented skeletal remains.

古基因組學的技術進步使得重建多個基因組成為可能，包括 12 個地松鼠譜系和 6 條長毛猛 mammoth 序列。由於樣本與已知年代的火山灰層接近，提升了這些發現的時間精準度。與通常分析碎片化骨骼遺骸的方法相比，此方法能更準確地重建白令海峽冰河時代的環境。

The study demonstrates that ground squirrel coprolites serve as high-fidelity repositories for ancient environmental DNA.

研究證明地松鼠的糞便化石是保存古環境 DNA 的高保真儲存庫。