These are tiny, burned fragments of corn found in samples of the soil in the cabin area. The pieces on top are cob fragments known as cupules (the "cups in the cob that once held the corn kernels). The burned fragments in the capsule, below, are kernel fragments. The fragments were identified by a scientist known as a paleobotanist. She washed the soil on top of a screen and then examined the pieces left behind after the soil had rinsed away. She used a stereoscopic microscope to look at the tiny fragments and then identified them, based on her knowledge of many types of plants.
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University of Texas at Austin
College of Liberal Arts
