Scraping Plaque

Dirty teeth lead to preservation of history. From the AP:

"Dental plaque scraped from the teeth of people who lived as much as 9,200 years ago revealed traces of cultivated crops, including squash and beans . . . They studied 39 teeth from six to eight individuals. Found in northern Peru's Nanchoc Valley, the teeth were uncovered in the remains of round house structures in a settlement dated to 9,200 to 5,500 years ago. Some teeth were dirtier than others. We found starch grains on most of the teeth. About a third of the teeth contained large numbers of starch grains."

I have supported the preservation of historical record for a long time. I guess this means that next time I don't feel like brushing my teeth, I have a good excuse.