Dairy Cultures: the Science of Mongolian Heritage

Exhibit opens today at the Natural History Museum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Researchers from Mongolia, Germany, Korea and the United States have teamed up to study the long and amazing history of dairying in Mongolia – from its beginnnings more than 5,000 years ago to the lives of nomadic herders today. The exhibit "Dairy Cultures: The Science of Mongolian Heritage" showcases the collaborative research of the ERC DAIRYCULTURES project that is based at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) in Leipzig, Germany, and connects archaeology, anthropology, microbiology, nutrition science, and medicine.

Visitors of the exhibit Dairy Cultures at the Natural History Museum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, will discover the unique and ancient history of milk and dairy in Mongolia, and learn how scientists today are discovering the amazing story of Mongolia's dairy heritage. The exhibit is divided into six sections that each explore a different aspect of dairy history and heritage. Visitors learn about how dairy products are made, nutrition and health, beneficial bacteria in milk and in the human gut, and much more.

Led by Christina Warinner, a research group leader in the Department of Archaeogenetics at MPI-EVA, the ERC-funded project DAIRYCULTURES focuses on the prehistoric rise of dairy pastoralism in the Eastern steppe and its lasting legacy on human populations today. It looks into the characterization of dairy livestock herds, the tracking of dairy pastoralists and milk consumption, and the documentation of dairy nomadic pastoralism today and the effects of dairy products on nutrition and health.

In partnership with the University of Colorado the team will launch an online version of the museum exhibit in the Fall of 2023. Check here for a sneak peek!