A sterol (a type of organic compound) found in human and animal feces, formed when cholesterol is metabolized by gut bacteria.
From 'copro-' meaning feces and 'stanol,' a shortened form of sterol. The compound was identified in the 20th century when scientists studied the chemical composition of fecal matter.
Coprostanol is actually used by archaeologists as a marker to detect ancient human fecal deposits and latrines—it's like a chemical fingerprint that proves humans were pooping in a particular spot thousands of years ago!
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