Latest news with #SahraTalamo
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
Ancient boomerang found in Poland challenges beliefs on early human settlement
New technology has revealed that an ancient mammoth tusk boomerang discovered in Poland in 1985 is significantly older than archaeologists initially believed. The artifact, discovered in Podhale Obłazowa Cave, was estimated to be between 30,000 and 23,000 years old and believed to originate from Pavlovian culture, according to a June 28 news release from Science in Poland. Thanks to DNA and isotopic analyses, researchers have confirmed the artifact may be up to 42,000 years old, predating the oldest known Aboriginal boomerang by tens of thousands of years, according to a study published June 25 in the journal PLOS One and Australian archaeological records. The new finding makes the mammoth ivory boomerang the oldest ever discovered in Europe and possibly the world, according to the study. 'While today the boomerang is commonly associated with Aboriginal culture in Australia, historical evidence suggests its use across different continents,' researchers said. The boomerang, measuring about 28 inches long, flies but does not return to the thrower, similar to some Aboriginal boomerang designs, experts said. It bears 'notable wear and polish' indicating frequent handling. The artifact was found alongside a bone from a human thumb, a Conus shell, pendants made from arctic fox teeth, stone artifacts and boulders intentionally moved into the cave, suggesting it may have been used in a 'shamanistic ritual,' according to experts. Researchers said no ivory fragments were found at the site, so the boomerang must have been carved somewhere else and taken to Obłazowa Cave, 'underscoring its special status.' The age of the ivory boomerang and other artifacts also challenges beliefs that no one permanently lived in what is now Central Europe during that time, according to researchers. Until now, many experts believed Homo sapiens did not settle in the region until after 35,000 B.C., leaving it 'uninhabited for millennia following Neanderthal extinction.' The new findings provide evidence of sustained human settlement during the Early Aurignacian — a culture associated with the first modern humans, according to the study. The research team included Sahra Talamo, Nicole Casaccia, Michael P. Richards, Lukas Wacker, Laura Tassoni, Adam Nadachowski, Anna Kraszewska, Magda Kowal, Jakub Skłucki, Christopher Barrington, Monica Kelly, Frankie Tait, Mia Williams, Carla Figus, Antonino Vazzana, Ginevra Di Bernardo, Matteo Romandini, Giovanni Di Domenico, Stefano Benazzi, Cristina Malegori, Giorgia Sciutto, Paolo Oliveri, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Mateja Hajdinjak, Pontus Skoglund, Andrea Picin and Paweł Valde‑Nowak. Obłazowa Cave is about a 60-mile drive south from Krakow. Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Science in Poland.
MTV Lebanon
7 days ago
- Science
- MTV Lebanon
World's Oldest Boomerang Doesn't Actually Come Back
The world's oldest boomerang is older than previously thought, casting new light on the ingenuity of humans living at the time. The tool, which was found in a cave in Poland in 1985, is now thought to be 40,000 years old. Archaeologists say it was fashioned from a mammoth's tusk with an astonishing level of skill. Researchers worked out from its shape that it would have flown when thrown, but would not have come back to the thrower. It was probably used in hunting, though it might have had cultural or artistic value, perhaps being used in some kind of ritual. The mammoth ivory boomerang was unearthed in Oblazowa Cave in southern Poland. It was originally thought to be about 30,000 years old. But new, more reliable radiocarbon dating of human and animal bones found at the site puts the age at between 39,000 and 42,000 years old. "It's the oldest boomerang in the world, and the only one in the world made of this shape and this long to be found in Poland," said Dr Sahra Talamo of the University of Bologna, Italy. It gives a "remarkable insight" into human behaviour, she said, particularly how Homo sapiens living as long as 42,000 years ago could shape "such a perfect object" with the knowledge it could be used to hunt animals. The boomerang is exceptionally well preserved, with score marks suggesting it had been polished and carved for use by a right-handed individual. Boomerangs are generally associated with Aboriginal culture in Australia. However, rare finds in the historical record outside Australia suggest they were used across different continents. The oldest known boomerang from Australia dates to about 10,500 years ago, made from wood. But the oldest images of boomerangs in Australia are rock art paintings 20,000 years old, according to National Museum Australia. A wooden boomerang dating back 7,000 years has been found in Jutland, a peninsula between Denmark and Germany, while fragments of a 2,000-year-old oak boomerang – which does come back – has been found in The Netherlands. The research by a team of scientists from Poland, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland and the UK is published in the journal PLOS One.
Indian Express
26-06-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Oldest boomerang ever found doesn't come back — so what was it used for 42,000 years ago?
A boomerang discovered decades ago in a cave in southern Poland has now been dated to between 39,000 and 42,000 years ago, making it the oldest known example of such a tool in the world — and it doesn't come back when thrown. Unearthed in 1985 in the Oblazowa Cave, the artefact was originally thought to be around 30,000 years old. Now, new and more precise radiocarbon dating of bones found at the same site has pushed its age back by nearly 10,000 years, according to researchers cited by the BBC. The boomerang is unlike any other: it was carved with exceptional skill from a mammoth tusk. Scientists say the craftsmanship reflects a high level of sophistication among Homo sapiens living in Europe at the time. Dr Sahra Talamo of the University of Bologna said: 'It's the oldest boomerang in the world, and the only one in the world made of this shape and this long to be found in Poland.' The discovery provides 'remarkable insight' into early human behaviour, she told the BBC. While the tool was clearly shaped to fly when thrown, its aerodynamic design indicates it was not meant to return to the thrower. This suggests it was likely used for hunting or possibly for ceremonial purposes. The boomerang is exceptionally well preserved. Marks along its surface suggest it had been polished and carved to be used by a right-handed individual. Though boomerangs are typically associated with Aboriginal Australian culture, similar tools have been found across Europe and beyond. The oldest known Australian boomerang — made from wood — dates back about 10,500 years. In Europe, a 7,000-year-old wooden boomerang was found in Jutland, Denmark, while a 2,000-year-old oak version that does return was discovered in the Netherlands. (With inputs from BBC)
Saudi Gazette
26-06-2025
- Science
- Saudi Gazette
World's oldest boomerang doesn't actually come back
WARSAW — The world's oldest boomerang is older than previously thought, casting new light on the ingenuity of humans living at the time. The tool, which was found in a cave in Poland in 1985, is now thought to be 40,000 years old. Archaeologists say it was fashioned from a mammoth's tusk with an astonishing level of skill. Researchers worked out from its shape that it would have flown when thrown, but would not have come back to the thrower. It was probably used in hunting, though it might have had cultural or artistic value, perhaps being used in some kind of ritual. The mammoth ivory boomerang was unearthed in Oblazowa Cave in southern Poland. It was originally thought to be about 30,000 years old. But new, more reliable radiocarbon dating of human and animal bones found at the site puts the age at between 39,000 and 42,000 years old. "It's the oldest boomerang in the world, and the only one in the world made of this shape and this long to be found in Poland," said Dr Sahra Talamo of the University of Bologna, Italy. It gives a "remarkable insight" into human behaviour, she said, particularly how Homo sapiens living as long as 42,000 years ago could shape "such a perfect object" with the knowledge it could be used to hunt animals. The boomerang is exceptionally well preserved, with score marks suggesting it had been polished and carved for use by a right-handed individual. Boomerangs are generally associated with Aboriginal culture in Australia. However, rare finds in the historical record outside Australia suggest they were used across different continents. The oldest known boomerang from Australia dates to about 10,500 years ago, made from wood. But the oldest images of boomerangs in Australia are rock art paintings 20,000 years old, according to National Museum Australia. A wooden boomerang dating back 7,000 years has been found in Jutland, a peninsula between Denmark and Germany, while fragments of a 2,000-year-old oak boomerang – which does come back – has been found in The Netherlands. The research by a team of scientists from Poland, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland and the UK is published in the journal PLOS One. — BBC
