Earlier research had already established that humans first domesticated tobacco in North America. But the new findings push back the earliest use of tobacco by over 9,000 years and suggest huntergatherers there used wild tobacco species long before they cultivated tobacco alongside food crops. The site, named Wishbone, is also rich in bones of animals, mainly waterfowl, including several duck species that the researchers believe were cooked at the site. Archaeological and historical accounts have long established that European settlers learnt about tobacco use across South and North America and carried tobacco to the rest of the world. The research suggests that tobacco grew naturally in the region but no nearer than 13km from the Wishbone site.

Source: The Telegraph October 11, 2021 20:37 UTC