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The Independent
26-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Archaeologists discover what could be world's oldest boomerang in Europe
A mammoth tusk artefact discovered in a Polish cave could be Europe's earliest example of a boomerang and even the oldest tool of its kind in the world, archaeologists said. The tusk was found along with what seemed like a human little finger or toe bone fossil at the Obłazowa cave in Poland, and it could be nearly 40,000 years old, according to a study published in the journal PLoS One. The previously oldest-known wooden boomerang came from the Wyrie Swamp in South Australia. It was dated to about 10,000 years ago, researchers, including from Jagiellonian University in Poland, said. One of Europe's earliest wooden throwing sticks was discovered at Schöningen in northern Germany and dated back about 300,000 years. In southeastern Australia, prehistoric Aboriginal people employed several kinds of such curved sticks for hunting birds, fish and small mammals. Several types of 'non-returning boomerangs' have been found in central Australia as well. These were used for various tasks like 'butchering animals, digging wells or cooking pits, scraping hot ashes from cooking carcasses, retouching stone weapons, and even producing musical sounds'. This shows the significance of boomerangs as versatile tools across diverse cultural and economic contexts. While most ancient boomerangs found so far, mostly in Australia, are typically made of wood, the new find made of ivory highlights the resourcefulness of our early Homo sapiens ancestors. Researchers found it to resemble 'Queensland type of Australian boomerangs' with experiments hinting it could fly as a 'non-returning boomerang'. Markings on the boomerang provide cultural context critical for understanding the emergence and variability of symbolic behaviors among early Homo sapiens groups in Europe. The discovery of the boomerang along with artefacts like a pendant also underlines 'an emerging regional artistic identity' 40,000 years ago. 'This parallels the distinct regional traditions observed in Europe such as the ivory figurines and flutes of the Swabian Jura,' researchers said. Archaeologists suspect the human digit fossil discovered along with the boomerang in the Obłazowa cave may be indicative of a shamanistic ritual. 'This interpretation draws parallels with rock art evidence of portrayed human hands with missing digits found in the Iberian Peninsula and France,' they said. The findings offer insights into early human technological innovation, highlighting the creative solutions societies developed to suit their needs across time. 'The findings not only deepen our understanding of Homo sapiens ' adaptive strategies but highlight the nuanced interplay of technology, symbolism, and environmental interaction during the earliest phases of human dispersals in Central Europe,' the study concluded.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Stone Age boomerang is oldest in Europe — and possibly the world
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An unusual mammoth tusk boomerang discovered in a cave in Poland is 40,000 years old — making it Europe's first example of this complex tool and possibly the oldest boomerang in the world, a new study finds. "The ivory object has all the features of boomerangs used by Aborigines in Queensland today," study co-author Paweł Valde-Nowak, an archaeologist at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, told Live Science in an email. "Its arched shape, flat-convex cross-section and dimensions match the Queensland boomerangs that do not return to the thrower," he said. The new study, published Wednesday (June 25) in the journal PLOS One, shows that curved throwing tools were invented in Europe far earlier than expected. The crescent-shaped artifact — which is about 28 inches (72 centimeters) long — was found in Obłazowa Cave in southern Poland 40 years ago along with human bones, pendants made from fox fangs, and stone blade tools, all covered with red ocher. Valde-Nowak and colleagues published their original findings in the journal Nature in 1987, suggesting the cave was used off and on by Neanderthals and early humans during the Middle to Upper Paleolithic periods (300,000 to 12,000 years ago). The Upper Paleolithic (50,000 to 12,000 years ago) is a key period in human history, as humans invented new forms of tools, cave art and personal decoration. And at Obłazowa Cave, Valde-Nowak saw a clear difference between the ocher-covered finds and earlier artifacts at the same site. "In my opinion, this is absolutely clear evidence of behaviors unknown to us, practices of early Homo sapiens, which contrast sharply with everything we found in the deeper cultural layers in Obłazowa, layers left by Neanderthals," Valde-Nowak said. Related: This man was killed by brutal boomerang blow 800 years ago To better understand the chronology of the Obłazowa Cave, in 1996 the researchers performed a carbon-14 analysis on organic remains discovered in the cave, including the ivory boomerang. However, at 18,000 years old, the boomerang was "unexpectedly young," raising concerns that the results had been skewed by contamination from adhesives or conservation material, the researchers wrote in the new study. Evidence of classic Aboriginal boomerangs and throwing sticks dates back at least 20,000 years, according to the National Museum of Australia. These boomerangs are multi-use tools, often used for hunting, fighting or digging. But people around the world have fashioned throwing sticks, including one very early example from northern Germany dating back 300,000 years. In the new analysis of finds from Obłazowa Cave, the researchers undertook DNA and radiocarbon analyses of a human finger bone from the boomerang layer and determined that the person was a modern human who lived at least 31,000 years ago. The researchers also analyzed a dozen animal bones, but not the boomerang itself, "to avoid further damage to this highly significant artifact," they wrote in the study. RELATED STORIES —5 non-returning Aboriginal boomerangs discovered in dried-up riverbed —Ancient Indigenous weapons from Australia can deliver 'devastating blows,' 1st-ever biomechanics study of its kind reveals —12,000-year-old Aboriginal sticks may be evidence of the oldest known culturally transmitted ritual in the world A cluster of animal bones found in the same layer as the boomerang all dated to around 41,500 years ago. Given this series of radiocarbon dates and the depths of the bones within the layer, the researchers created a statistical model for the date of the boomerang, finding that it was definitely made more than 35,000 years ago and that it was most likely carved between 42,365 and 39,355 years ago. "Our analysis on the boomerang found at the Obłazowa site has yielded groundbreaking insights into its age," the researchers wrote, positioning the boomerang "as potentially one of the oldest specimens in Europe, and possibly globally, thereby shedding light on both technical skills and cognitive advancements of Homo sapiens in crafting these complex tools."
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The boomerang is European, not Australian, study suggests
They are the quintessential hunting weapons of the Australian Outback, long thought to be a unique product of Aboriginal ingenuity. But now archaeologists have found that boomerangs were being wielded in prehistoric Europe thousands of years earlier than the Antipodean examples. A mammoth tusk boomerang dating from about 40,000 years ago has been discovered in Oblazowa Cave in southern Poland, the oldest ever found. The earliest Australian boomerangs found in Wyrie Swamp, South Australia, in 1973 date to about 10,000 years ago. Rock art paintings from Kimberley in Western Australia suggest the weapons were being used 20,000 years ago, but there is no evidence for their earlier use. Prof Pawel Valde-Nowak, of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, said: 'The Oblazowa specimen meets all the parameters of a Queensland-type boomerang used by the Aborigines. 'It is currently the oldest boomerang in the world. It can be cautiously assumed that the boomerang was known in different parts of the world in the past.' The researchers say the find is unusual because it was widely believed that Aboriginal hunter-gatherers invented the first boomerangs thousands of years ago as toys and weapons for survival in the challenging Australian environment For Aboriginal communities, boomerangs are as old as time itself, featuring in their 'Dreaming' creation myths when ancestral spirits roamed the Earth. According to legend, during the Dreamtime, rivers, rock formations and mountains were created when ancestral spirits threw boomerangs and spears into the ground. The boomerang's ability to return was believed to be a powerful symbol that represented the cyclical nature of time, and they were used to hunt birds, small mammals and fish. The mammoth tusk boomerang was found in a cave in the western Carpathian Mountains above the Białka river, and radiocarbon dating shows it was made about 42,290 to 39,380 years ago. No ivory fragments were found at the site, suggesting the boomerang must have been crafted elsewhere and carried to Obłazowa Cave, underscoring its special status, the researchers said. Experimental work has demonstrated its capability to fly. Prehistoric boomerangs have been found in Europe including a wooden example from Jutland dating from about 7,000 years ago, while in North Africa, hunters are depicted in rock art wielding boomerangs from about 8,500 years ago. Ivory boomerangs were also found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, which dates from 1,323BC. Boomerangs are thought to have developed from throwing sticks, the earliest examples of which date from about 300,000 years ago and were found in Germany. Over time, it is likely that craftsmen realised making the stick curved creates greater lift as it moves through the air, allowing it to fly for longer. Not all boomerangs are designed to return to the thrower. Although the boomerangs were developed for hunting, over time they became multi-purpose tools, used for butchering animals, digging and scraping hot ashes, and even producing music when struck together. The authors conclude: 'The dispersed nature of the evidence suggests that while the boomerang was not a ubiquitous tool, its presence across various cultures likely reflects independent innovations rather than direct transmission, demonstrating its adaptability to different environmental and cultural contexts. 'These findings offer valuable insights into early human technological innovation, revealing the creative solutions societies developed to address their needs across time and space.' The research was published in the journal Plos One. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
The boomerang is European, not Australian, study suggests
They are the quintessential hunting weapons of the Australian Outback, long thought to be a unique product of Aboriginal ingenuity. But now archaeologists have found that boomerangs were being wielded in prehistoric Europe thousands of years earlier than the Antipodean examples. A mammoth tusk boomerang dating from about 40,000 years ago has been discovered in Oblazowa Cave in southern Poland, the oldest ever found. The earliest Australian boomerangs found in Wyrie Swamp, South Australia, in 1973 date to about 10,000 years ago. Rock art paintings from Kimberley in Western Australia suggest the weapons were being used 20,000 years ago, but there is no evidence for their earlier use. Prof Pawel Valde-Nowak, of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, said: 'The Oblazowa specimen meets all the parameters of a Queensland-type boomerang used by the Aborigines. 'It is currently the oldest boomerang in the world. It can be cautiously assumed that the boomerang was known in different parts of the world in the past.' The researchers say the find is unusual because it was widely believed that Aboriginal hunter-gatherers invented the first boomerangs thousands of years ago as toys and weapons for survival in the challenging Australian environment For Aboriginal communities, boomerangs are as old as time itself, featuring in their 'Dreaming' creation myths when ancestral spirits roamed the Earth. According to legend, during the Dreamtime, rivers, rock formations and mountains were created when ancestral spirits threw boomerangs and spears into the ground. The boomerang's ability to return was believed to be a powerful symbol that represented the cyclical nature of time, and they were used to hunt birds, small mammals and fish. The mammoth tusk boomerang was found in a cave in the western Carpathian Mountains above the Białka river, and radiocarbon dating shows it was made about 42,290 to 39,380 years ago. No ivory fragments were found at the site, suggesting the boomerang must have been crafted elsewhere and carried to Obłazowa Cave, underscoring its special status, the researchers said. Experimental work has demonstrated its capability to fly. Prehistoric boomerangs have been found in Europe including a wooden example from Jutland dating from about 7,000 years ago, while in North Africa, hunters are depicted in rock art wielding boomerangs from about 8,500 years ago. 'Not a ubiquitous tool' Ivory boomerangs were also found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, which dates from 1,323BC. Boomerangs are thought to have developed from throwing sticks, the earliest examples of which date from about 300,000 years ago and were found in Germany. Over time, it is likely that craftsmen realised making the stick curved creates greater lift as it moves through the air, allowing it to fly for longer. Not all boomerangs are designed to return to the thrower. Although the boomerangs were developed for hunting, over time they became multi-purpose tools, used for butchering animals, digging and scraping hot ashes, and even producing music when struck together. The authors conclude: 'The dispersed nature of the evidence suggests that while the boomerang was not a ubiquitous tool, its presence across various cultures likely reflects independent innovations rather than direct transmission, demonstrating its adaptability to different environmental and cultural contexts. 'These findings offer valuable insights into early human technological innovation, revealing the creative solutions societies developed to address their needs across time and space.' The research was published in the journal Plos One.
Time Business News
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
Milad Mahanrad Wins Global Gold Medal and Special Award for Innovation
The Global Inventors Competition, held under the banner of the E-NNOVATE 2025 International Innovation Expo, is recognized as one of the world's most prestigious events in the field of innovation and invention. This year's edition took place from June 10 to 12, 2025 in Kraków, Poland. Organized by IBS GLOBAL, and supported by institutions such as the Polish Ministry of Development and Technology, Jagiellonian University, the Polish Patent Office, and multiple international innovation associations, the event aimed to highlight cutting-edge technological achievements and promote global scientific and commercial collaboration. More than 530 inventions from 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, Japan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, Qatar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Iran, and Poland, were showcased at the event. Among the standout participants was Milad Mahan Rad, who presented his invention titled:'A Real-Time Feedback System for Evaluating Musical Works Using Audio Signal Processing and Machine Learning Models.' He was awarded both the Gold Medal of the competition and the Special Award from the United Kingdom. This invention, situated at the intersection of music technology and artificial intelligence, captured the attention of the jury and participants for its innovative approach and practical applications in the creative industries. It is noteworthy that Milad Mahan Rad had previously participated in this same competition approximately a decade ago, when he also earned a Gold Medal—making this his second prestigious win at E-NNOVATE. In addition to his achievements as an inventor, Milad Mahan Rad is a well-known figure in the Iranian music industry, serving as producer and manager to some of the most celebrated Iranian artists. He has organized and produced numerous large-scale international concert tours in various countries, playing a significant role in advancing Iran's cultural diplomacy on the global stage. This remarkable achievement once again highlights the multidimensional talents of Iranian innovators, demonstrating the powerful synergy of art, technology, and innovation in shaping the future. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
