Researchers have discovered a set of feathers from tropical parrots in an ancient tomb at Pachacamac, Peru, which were likely to have been transported from their native Amazonian feathers. The team sequenced the feather DNA, which indicated that these parrots lived in captivity near the coast, and reconstructed their diets using isotope chemistry to reveal high carbon content common to corn. The findings were published in Nature Communications. They also shed light on the complex economy and long-distance trade in the Yschma culture, which predated the Incan empire. The study's lead author, George Olah, concluded that understanding the ancient world was far more interconnected than we often imagine.