Resins on Wallaby Teeth Studied

WINDMILL WAY, AUSTRALIA—A dozen wallaby teeth, each bearing a ball of glue-like resin, were discovered in a rock shelter in northeastern Australia, according to a Phys.org report. Ornaments made with teeth are usually found in burials in southeastern Australia, however. Using clues provided by Elders and Rangers from the local Laura community, researchers including Lynley Wallis and Carney Matheson of Griffith University analyzed the 1,000-year-old resins with infrared light and mass spectrometry. They determined that each of the teeth had been mounted on resin gum from grass trees, which grow on the slopes of the rock shelter. One of the teeth also had traces of gum from ironwoods that grow near waterways. Plant fibers and animal hide in the resin suggest that the teeth could have been part of a headband or necklace, making it the first of its kind to be identified in the region, the researchers concluded. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Australian Archaeology. To read about a 1,000-year-old burial of a canine in southeastern Australia, go to "Dearly Beloved Dingo."