Before dinosaurs, many new animals appeared, and they made a lot of poo.

A new study looks at how the study of poo fossils helps us understand Earth's early ecosystems.

The study used fecal fossils from the Cambrian period, which started 540 million years ago.

Feces from early worms and other animals helped make deep water ecosystems more habitable.

The study's findings are important for understanding where today's ocean ecosystems came from.

A researcher said that poo is important for keeping the modern marine ecosystem alive.

We should always think about what drives modern and past ecosystems.

The research shows how fecal matter preserved in rock can help us learn about the past.

Two researchers analyzed many coprolites from around the world.

The feces came from worms, arthropods, and other animals, and they got bigger over time.

Studying coprolites helps us understand Earth's ecology and the Cambrian Radiation.

Ecology is where paleontology is most relevant to modern society.

It's essential to understand what animals lived in the past and how they affected their environments.

We can learn from the past to predict what the future might look like.

The study of feces adds another dimension to understanding the Cambrian period.

Before the Cambrian, the Ediacaran period had fossils that were very different from modern animals.

Those animals were strange and hard to assign to any modern group.

Squirrel poop from the last ice age had DNA from mammoths and horses.

A new fossil species found on Cape Breton Island might be one of the earliest plant-eating animals.

The Cambrian Radiation produced fossils of relatives to modern animals, like shrimp and mollusks.

The Cambrian period is crucial for understanding where the oceans of today came from.

The study showed that the Cambrian Radiation also saw a significant expansion in feces.

Looking at waste and nutrient cycles can help us understand modern and future ecosystems.

By looking back, we can understand environments that are similar to ones we might experience in the future.

For some paleontologists, poo has become a central part of their research.

A researcher thought fossilized feces were crazy when she first learned about them.

Now, she is a curator and professor, and she has written kids' books about coprolites.

Coprolites are rare and don't always provide clear clues about what organism produced them.

They are challenging to study and don't have the same appeal as dinosaur bones.

A researcher's work focuses on the Mesozoic period, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Coprolites can indicate who ate who and provide clues about carbon cycles.

Ancient mammals had mostly dark brown coats during the dinosaur era.

The oldest fossil footprints from a reptile were found in Australia.

It's exciting to learn unexpected things from fecal fossils, like what some herbivores ate.

There's a lot we don't know about the ancient world.

A researcher looks forward to seeing more data on coprolites soon.

We should show more interest in these often-overlooked fossils.