A parallel genetic survey conducted from 2017 to 2023 analyzed more than 1,000 scat samples and identified 56 unique individuals, resulting in a population estimate of 167 animals. ^[1] The camera trapping survey identified 53 unique snow leopards and produced a nationwide population estimate of 155 individuals with a mean density of 0.16 animals per hundred square kilometres. ^[2] More than 2,100 stone jars, carved from sandstone, granite, conglomerate, or fossilized coral, are located across the hills of northern Laos and date back to the late second millennium BCE. ^[3] A team led by Dr Muhammad Ali of the Snow Leopard Foundation and colleagues at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad conducted a decade-long survey from 2010 to 2019 using 828 motion-sensor cameras. ^[4] The new estimate of 155 to 167 snow leopards is considerably lower than the 400 figures quoted in recent decades, suggesting either a substantial population decline or that earlier estimates were overestimates. ^[5] Jars located beneath heavier tree canopy contained less oxygen and generally more phosphorus due to the decomposition of fallen leaves and organic debris. ^[6] Lars Båstrup-Spohr, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, stated that the jars have effectively functioned as a natural experiment for around 2,000 years. ^[7] Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the National University of Laos sampled 39 water-holding jars at five sites near Phonsavan to study their biological contents. ^[8]