Updated

Analysis of microscopic plant remains in Australia's Cloggs Cave is revealing how the GunaiKurnai ancestors used the site for ritual practices spanning thousands of years. Researchers found evidence that people deliberately gathered whole grasses, carried them into the dark cave, and burned them in thin layers, leaving traces that may date back as far as 25,000 years. A standing stone erected around 2,000 years ago, along with other ritual objects found at the site, strengthens evidence that the cave served as a long-lived spiritual and ceremonial location for Aboriginal communities.