Ice Age Fossils Found During L.A. Subway Expansion

The expansion of the subway system in Los Angeles, California, has an unexpected commonality with Rome's tortured endeavors to build a new line through the historic center: the ground under these cities is crammed full of the remains of the current residents' predecessors. In Rome's case it's ancient archaeological materials, while Los Angeles' specialty is Ice Age fossils. The company that has LA' contract for digging the new tunnels keeps a paleontologist on call at all times so that whenever they find something, which is often, it can be properly handled and recovered by a professional. It's a state regulatory requirement that has ensured the protection of cultural and natural historic patrimony since subway construction first began the 1990s, an attempt to right the many wrongs done to Los Angeles' history and prehistory during its earlier spurts of rapid growth.