Russell Mullett

Stories

Microscopic plant traces reveal 25,000 years of ritual burning in Australian cave

As of September 2026: Collaborating researcher with Monash University

Microscopic silica particles left by plant cells show that GunaiKurnai ancestors carried whole grass plants into Cloggs Cave in southeastern Australia and burned them in thin layers. The practice spans at least 25,000 years, covering a thousand generations of ritual use at a single site.

Updated Sep 15