Spanish Conquest May Have Altered Peru's Shoreline

sciencehabit (1205606) writes "The Spanish conquest of the Inca had a profound effect on Peru's indigenous people, but a new study reveals that it also had an unexpected impact on the land itself. Before the Spaniards arrived, inhabitants of the arid northern Peruvian coast clad massive sand dune-like ridges with an accidental form of 'armor': millions of discarded mollusk shells, which protected the ridges from erosion for nearly 4700 years and produced a vast corrugated landscape that is visible from space. This incidental landscape protection came to a swift end, however, after diseases brought by Spanish colonists decimated the local population and after colonial officials resettled the survivors inland. Without humans to create the protective covering, newly formed beach ridges simply eroded and vanished."

Comments

Slashdotters to the rescue!

[Ol Olsoc]

Of their favorite meme, that is. I went to TFA expecting to see how the evils spanijzz kiled the know bull Perooveens, but it's just an article describing and showing an example of how humans alter their environment, and a change in the particular humans makes for particular effects. No kidding.Let's talk to the dutch about altering the shoreline.

Instead, the intrepid slash dotters apply their personal biases to declare a completely contrary meaning, The stoopid treehuggas, Global warming denial, leeeburuls, and more.

I just know someone is going to bring up the fact that if the Peruvians had a second amendment, they could have protected their families, or that gay marriage was the actual downfall of the Peruvians. Maybe the war on Christmas?

Directly related is "The tide comes in, the tide goes out - You can't explain that!"

Now get crackin' intrepid slash dotters!