Australia’s Boomerangs May Have Served as Multipurpose Tools

QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA—According to a statement released by Griffith University, microscopic analysis of the surface of more than 100 hardwood boomerangs held in Sydney’s Australian Museum revealed they may have been used to shape stone tools. Eva Martellotta, Michelle Langley, Adam Brumm, and Jayne Wilkins suggest that hardwood boomerangs served as multipurpose daily tools for Aboriginal people living across Australia. Most boomerangs were used for hunting and fighting, while the ones that return when thrown were often used as children’s toys, games, or as teaching tools, Martellotta added. To read about a thirteenth-century boomerang victim, go to "Death by Boomerang."