Here is a better summary from Nature: http://www.nature.com/news/amazon-rainforest-was-shaped-by-an-ancient-hunger-for-fruits-and-nuts-1.21576#/ref-link-2 http:

Here is a better summary from Nature: http://www.nature.com/news/amazon-rainforest-was-shaped-by-an-ancient-hunger-for-fruits-and-nuts-1.21576#/ref-link-2 http://www.nature.com/news/amazon-rainforest-was-shaped-by-a... Here is the actual article (published on March 2nd): http://science.sciencemag.org/content/355/6324/466 http://science.sciencemag.org/content/355/6324/466 My takeaway: yes, humans may have aided in the dispersal of useful plants across the Amazon in pre-Columbian times, but other factors were more important. The authors also did a poor job (as they acknowledge) separating pre-Columbian effects from those in more recent times.