Dr Duncan Cook is a Senior Lecturer in Geography at Australian Catholic University, and the joint project leader of the ARC-funded Maya Resilience Project. His research investigates the geochemistry and geochronology of historic Maya settlements in Central America in support of archaeological research on Maya industry, natural resource use, and landscape modification through the Preclassic and Classic Periods (c. 2000 BCE to c. 1000 CE). Mercury use by the ancient Maya, and its persistance in the landscape, is a current focus of his research activity.