From Matthew Stevens, Sydney, Australia
The discovery of wallaby and bandicoot bones on islands near New Guinea and in Indonesia is fascinating. The fact that ancient humans took them there alive implies that seeds of the animals’ food plants could have survived in their guts and been deposited on arrival to colonise new land. The presence of disconnected populations of non-crop plant species beyond their endemic ranges could offer clues to the past movements of humans whose remains haven’t yet been found(5 July, p 19).
