Published April 1, 2021
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This month on Litty Committee: the new batshit chapter in
2000 Years of Moth Meals
According to Monash University Archaeologist Professor Bruno David in a University article, the conditions inside the limestone cave helped preserve the Bogong moth remains. He told the Independent that the cool ambient temperature made the soils more alkaline and less acidic, and this means they re perfectly suited to preserve organic materials. Applying a seldom used analysis technique known as “biochemical staining” the grinding stone tool and the moth remains were set on a microscope slide and stained with a special dye that makes collagen and proteins [crushed-up insect remains] within rock fluorescent, therefore, easier to identify.
Study Detects Traces of Ancient Australian Food Source
BUCHAN, AUSTRALIA The
Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that microscopic remains of Bogong moths were detected on a grindstone recovered from Cloggs Cave, which is located in southeastern Australia. “We have oral histories about eating the Bogong moth in our culture, but since early settlement a lot of that knowledge has been lost, so it’s exciting to use new technologies to connect with old traditions and customs,” said GunaiKurnai Elder Russell Mullett of the GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC), which initiated the project in partnership with Monash University s Indigenous Studies Centre. Using residue analysis, independent archaeologist and pharmacologist Birgitta Stephenson identified ground moth wings and legs that were processed for food some 2,000 years ago. Ancient GunaiKurnai people traveled to the region each summer to harvest the billions of high-fat moths that migrate