Scientists Discover Vast Ancient Trade Network That Rewrites History with Parrot DNA

Colorful feathers found in an ancient tomb on Peru’s coast once belonged to parrots captured deep in the Amazon rainforest, reports a study published on Tuesday in Nature Communications. The discovery provides direct evidence of long-distance trade networks that flourished across the Andes centuries before the expansion of the Inca Empire in 1470, proving that these cultures developed sophisticated economic systems capable of transporting live tropical birds across treacherous environments.