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Nearly 40 years of phytolith research at the Australian National University

  • February 19, 2026
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Molly Turnbull – IPS Student Envoy for Australia & Aotearoa (New Zealand) My first blog post explored Australia’s first formal phytolith research group at CSIRO: the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. In this second blog post, I examine another leading Australian institute of phytolith research: the Australian National University (ANU) on unceded Ngambri/Ngunnawal Land, […]

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Tracing Vegetation & Climate Through Soil Silica: Phytolith Assemblages Across the Nilgiris

Understanding how vegetation responds to climate change begins with knowing how today’s ecosystems imprint themselves in the soil. In the Nilgiri Biogeographical Region of the Western Ghats a global biodiversity hotspot phytoliths serve as durable markers of plant communities, climate gradients, and ecological history. This recent study, Surface soil phytolith assemblages in different vegetational zones […]

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15th International Meeting on Phytolith Research (IMPR) / III Brazilian Symposium of Archaeobotany

FIRST CIRCULAR The International Phytolith Society and the Brazilian Archaeobotany Network, together with the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at the University of São Paulo, are glad to welcome you to the 15th IMPR / III SBA! This joint event aims to promote scientific exchanges and present the latest discussions in phytolith research and Brazilian […]

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Detecting ‘flavour’ in past cuisines: phytolith reference collections for Mediterranean herbs.

An article by Carlos G. Santiago-Marrero, Cristina N. Patús, Costanza Dal Cin d’Agata, Teresa Garnatje and Juan José García-Granero Herb use in the Mediterranean Antiquity Herbs, aromatic plants belonging to specific families, have had a long and continuous history in many human societies. In the Mediterranean region, numerous factors have rendered herb use particularly culturally […]

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Phytoliths as Silent Witnesses of Ancient Fires: Decoding Palaeo-Fire Signatures

An experimental study by Nidhi Vastrad, Gayathri Rajendiran, Vivek Pandi Manipal Centre for Natural Sciences, Centre of Excellence, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576 104, Karnataka, India Fire has shaped landscapes for millennia, influencing vegetation patterns, and long-term environmental change. But once the flames disappear, how do we trace the history of these ancient […]

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Unraveling the History of Siberia’s Landscapes: Research from the Siberian Branch of RAS

Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry (Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SBRAS) is one of the centers for studying the history of Western Siberian landscapes. The biogeocenology laboratory of this institute has been using phytolith analysis for paleoenvironmental reconstruction for over 10 years. The laboratory’s research focuses on several key areas: Identifying indicators […]

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The first formal Australian institution of phytolith research: CSIRO – the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (1948-1969)

The first Australian publication on plant silica particles arrived in 1903 (Chapman & Grayson), after which early phytolith research efforts took place in the niches of biological and earth sciences (Turnbull et al. 2023). The first formal institution to pioneer Australian phytolith research was the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), which has locations […]

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Using phytolith analysis to assist with soil classification: A report on the 16th Brazilian Meeting on Soil Classification and Correlation – Marcia R Calegari

The LEDA Laboratory, led by Marcia Calegari, provides paleoecological information that contributes to understanding soil genesis and classification in the semi-arid Caatinga biome (Brazil). BAHIA, BRAZIL – From October 26th to November 1st, 2025, the state of Bahia in northeastern Brazil hosted the 16th Brazilian Soil Classification and Correlation Meeting (XVI RCC). Under the theme […]

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