Shells from mollusks presented to the dead during ancient funeral ceremonies are keys to helping a geologist gauge ocean movements near the Peruvian coast from as much as 13,000 years ago.
No, really.
These unlikely sources serve almost as historical calendars filled with data about the conditions of the portions of the ocean in which they lived – conditions which may well have been vital to the well being of ancient Peruvian cultures, including the Moche, according to Dr. Fred Andrus, an assistant professor in UA's geological sciences department.