Here are some of the most interesting research papers to have appeared in top science journals last week
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Origin of fertile soil in the Amazon
Published in Nature Communications
Amazonian dark earth or Indian black earth is type of very dark and highly fertile soil patches found in the Amazon basin. Since many artefacts have been discovered in such regions, they were thought to have been brought in or created by the indigenous peoples for agricultural purposes. But a new study has now shown that flooding and fire disturbances may have created these soils rich in phosphorus and calcium and the “indigenous peoples used their knowledge to identify and preferentially settle areas of exceptionally high fertility,” writes project leader Lucas Silva, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Oregon in a release.