Join the news democracyWhere your votes decide the Top 100 Reasons for you to sign up to our newsletter here One of the most significant shipwreck finds of recent times was made in an ostensibly unlikely place: a southwest African desert The Bom Jesus (The Good Jesus), a Portuguese ship when it got caught up in a devastating storm its remains were finally discovered along with around $13 million-worth of gold coins It was unearthed by diamond miners in a desert on the coast of Namibia who had drained a man-made lagoon in the area chief archeologist of the Southern Africa Institute of Maritime Archaeological Research said he had expected miners to one day come across a shipwreck who worked for the diamond company De Beers called Dr Noli as soon as they made the find since he had been telling them for more than a decade what to look for "Having first started doing archaeological work [...] for the mine in 1996, I had at that point been preaching to them for a dozen years that ‘one day’ they would find a shipwreck, and to let me know when they do,” he told Fox News back in 2016 “When asked what exactly I was really expecting to find I said ‘a Spanish sword and a bag of gold.’” A Debeers mine worker gazes admiringly at some of the coins found in the treasure chest; right – a cannon and more gold coins(Dieter Noli) it wasn’t until almost a week into the excavation of the ship that a treasure chest packed with gold was found we found the treasure chest on day six,” Dr Noli recounted but once you have literally filled your hat with a 25.5lb mixture of Spanish and Portuguese gold coins (there were indeed swords as well) the value of the site is no longer in doubt.” It was at this point that the ship was confidently identified as the Bom Jesus which records showed had been loaded with tin the copper ingots ended up playing a key role in the wreck’s preservation since according to Dr Noli: “Marine organisms may like wood but copper really puts them off their food – so a lot of stuff survived the 500 years on the bottom of the sea which should really not have done so “All this adds up to an extremely unusual situation which led to truly excellent preservation of an in any event unique site.” the excavation of the ship yielded tousands of Portuguese and Spanish gold coins Dr Noli told news.co.au that more than 2,000 gold coins were uncovered three navigational dividers and part of a ship’s compass But only a small part of the ship's original structure remained having been “extremely badly battered” by the sea The coins were in mint condition which Dr Noli believes is down to the treasure chest being buried under the ship's huge structure(Dieter Noli) It remains unclear exactly how the ship went down and why it ended up on a stretch of coastline notorious for its fierce storms and dense fog However, experts believe that the Bom Jesus sank when it was pulled too close to shore by an especially violent storm, causing its hull to collide with a rock, capsizing the vessel, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in a 2011 report As the coastline waters receded over the subsequent centuries the company didn’t enjoy the spoils of their discovery “The Namibian government [got] every single coin,” Dr Noli confirmed to Fox News “That is the normal procedure when a ship is found on a beach The only exception is when it is a ship of state – then the country under whose flag the ship was sailing gets it and all its contents “And in this case the ship belonged to the King of Portugal making it a ship of state – with the ship and its entire contents belonging to Portugal more than 15 years since the historic find was made the Bom Jesus remains the oldest and most valuable shipwreck ever discovered in Sub-Saharan Africa This article was originally published on 16 July 2024 Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings Guarani people denounce attacks on their way of life in case of overlapping on the coast of Paraná telegram Join our Telegram channel! telegram On the coast of Paraná, indigenous families of the people Guarani Mbya are having their territory and traditional way of life threatened by sectors opposed to the shared management of overlapping areas between Indigenous Lands and Conservation Units Community leaders are the ones reporting the situation Kuaray Haxa Indigenous Land, a land in the process of demarcation by Funai that is overlapped by Bom Jesus Biological Reserve an area of almost 35 thousand hectares between the municipalities of Antonina “The Bom Jesus Biosphere Reserve was created on our traditional territory without us being consulted. We then began to be persecuted by the park managers, treated as invaders on our own land. Treated as threats to the Atlantic Forest where our relatives have always lived and which we have a mission to defend,” the Guarani state in a statement. letter released this Thursday (17/4) the Guarani community and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) celebrated the signing of a Commitment Term that regularizes the traditional presence of indigenous families in the area overlapping the Conservation Unit – after more than 10 years of legal disputes. Recognized as guardians of the Atlantic Forest the Guarani communities invested in dialogue with the environmental agency's technical staff to build shared management solutions for the area seeking to reconcile the territorial and cultural rights of their people with the conservation of biodiversity in one of the most threatened biomes in the world After signing the term, however, a sector of environmental organizations Civil society began to question the agreement suggesting that the Guarani way of life would put biodiversity in the Bom Jesus Biosphere Reserve at risk and that the indigenous people were not historically native to this region having supposedly been “allocated” to the area. The demonstrations against the agreement evoke the anti-indigenous thesis of the “temporal framework”, ignoring the traditional nature of the Guarani occupation in this region of the Atlantic Forest. According to a technical note attached to the process by Guarani Yvyrupa Commission (CGY) the Kuaray Haxa community has traditionally inhabited the area even before the creation of the Bom Jesus Rebio Opponents of the agreement also ignore the historical debates on the most appropriate ways to guarantee environmental preservation between indigenous communities and environmental agencies in areas of overlap between Conservation Units and Indigenous Lands – in addition to recent studies which document the Guarani's contributions to the conservation of biodiversity and to mitigating illegal hunting in the area as indicated in ICMBio's own documents. an organization representing the Guarani people points out that Brazilian legislation recognizes the compatibility between environmental protection and the rights of indigenous peoples to their territories guaranteeing the exercise of traditional activities “In addition to the scientific evidence that indigenous peoples protect the forests we have a guarantee from the Federal Supreme Court (STF) The position of preservationist organizations is also criticized by the Forum of Traditional Peoples and Communities of Guaraqueçaba (PR), which brings together caiçara, quilombola and indigenous communities from the region. In April, the forum launched a Letter in defense of the traditional occupation of the Kuaray Haxa IT which garnered support from several community and socio-environmental associations including the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA) and Terra de Direitos In this agreement between the indigenous community and the environmental agency two zones of use were established for the Guarani: of the total 34.179,74 hectares of the Reserve): intended for the construction of housing and infrastructure for the community such as farms and raising of domestic animals of the total 34.179,74 hectares of the Reserve): intended for use that respects the traditional way of life (nhandereko) in accordance with the rules of the Term of Commitment ICMBio – which created the Commitment Agreement with the involvement of the Federal Public Ministry and Funai – emphasizes that since the indigenous occupation there has been no evidence of significant environmental impact on fauna and that the hunting rules, signed in the agreement, are respected. Check out the full document. The National Biodiversity Monitoring Program – Monitora Program will be one of those responsible for this type of monitoring even though the signed term grants legal security to the parties assisting in the management of the Conservation Unit and in environmental monitoring that establishes limits on the use of natural resources More information: comissao@yvyrupa.org.br The most relevant news for you to form your opinion on the socio-environmental agenda LAST ISSUE is more than just a stretch of barren land archaeologists in Namibia discovered a 500-year-old Portuguese shipwreck from the 16th century—with real treasure still on board The Namib Desert looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. Located in southwestern Namibia, along the Atlantic coast, it’s full of surprises. One of the most remarkable discoveries was… a ship a massive wooden hull lay hidden in this remote The wreck was discovered in 2008 by Namibian miners and is believed to be the Bom Jesus (“Good Jesus”) a Portuguese ship that sank in the 16th century On board was a treasure trove of historical artifacts typical of European merchant ships from the Renaissance This unexpected discovery has sparked many questions about how the ship sank diamond mining operations led to the draining of seawater from a 200-meter area near the coast It quickly became known as the “Oranjemund Wreck.” archaeologists retrieved various artifacts there were 2,000 gold coins and hundreds of kilos of copper ingots Researchers also found silver coins and rare items like elephant tusks These findings helped experts determine the type of ship the Oranjemund wreck was. Archaeologists identified it as a high-quality vessel known as a nau or carrack. The Bom Jesus was originally bound for the Indies during an era of rapid maritime exploration and expanding trade routes the ship’s mission was to bring back spices and rare materials from the Asian continent Such voyages lasted for months and were fraught with danger as entire fleets of ships often lost one or more vessels during their journeys it wasn’t pirates that sealed its fate after days at sea but the harsh conditions of the Atlantic Ocean While navigating near the coast of Namibia Several theories have been proposed to explain the wreck—one suggests that a violent storm pushed the vessel too close to shore the ship’s hull remains remarkably well-preserved and many of the recovered artifacts are in near-pristine condition yet no human remains have been found near the wreck Did they sink with the ship into the depths of the Atlantic Historians believe it’s possible that some survived and made it ashore on Namibia’s coast The Bom Jesus remains a fascinating archaeological mystery thanks to the Portuguese government—but many of the ship’s secrets have yet to be uncovered… this individual developed a passion for science—particularly astronomy—and began writing about it while also practicing sky observation After an internship at Ciel & Espace during journalism studies they decided to focus on writing scientific articles Marie Pireddu is a French-English translator specializing in digital marketing She is also a business English trainer for professional adults helping clients master English for international business with a focus on American culture and corporate communication - 15 scientific journalists and 450 experts contribute to Futura - We advocate for science as a source of learning and daily wonder ©2001-2025 Futura - All rights reserved Portuguese nau or Carrack. Image credit: WikiCommons In one of the most unlikely places on Earth to uncover a shipwreck—the blazing sands of the Namib Desert—miners unearthed a veritable time capsule from the Age of Discovery What they found buried beneath centuries of sand in 2008 was not just any old wreck It was the remains of the Bom Jesus ("The Good Jesus") a Portuguese trading vessel lost at sea nearly 500 years ago but not in the waters off the coast of Africa The Bom Jesus was a Portuguese nau (also called a Carrack) that departed Lisbon on Friday bound for the lucrative trade routes of the East The ship’s fate remained a mystery for centuries—until 2008 when diamond miners uncovered its wreck near Oranjemund on Namibia’s Atlantic coast Its discovery marked a milestone in maritime archaeology: the Bom Jesus is now considered the oldest and most significant shipwreck ever found along the western edge of Sub-Saharan Africa Built in the early 16th century during Portugal’s golden age of exploration the Bom Jesus likely belonged to a new generation of ships designed to endure the long and perilous voyages between Europe and Asia These naus were built larger and sturdier than earlier vessels engineered to withstand the treacherous passage around the Cape of Good Hope and back Although little documentation of the ship survives experts believe the Bom Jesus was headed for the Indian subcontinent The archaeologists called to the site uncovered a staggering hoard Approximately 2,000 gold coins were recovered from the site predominantly Spanish excellentes featuring the likenesses of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon including cruzados from the reigns of Kings Manuel I and João III indicative of the extensive trade connections of the period The inscriptions and designs on these coins were instrumental in dating the shipwreck to the early 1530s Another surprise came in bulk. The find included 1,845 copper ingots, each stamped with a trident mark linked to the powerful Fugger banking family of Germany had originally been shipped from Central Europe and were headed for India The Fuggers’ mark turned the find into a historian’s dream offering substantial proof of copper’s role in global commerce and the Fugger family’s significant role in supplying copper for trade during the Renaissance Although only a small part of the wreck’s original structure was preserved the ship’s contents were found in relatively good condition Namibia’s dry climate and heavy copper cargo helped create a sealed environment protecting not just the metal but also elephant tusks weapons (including a 500-year-old musket and cannons) and personal effects—all eerily well-preserved Dr. Dieter Noli, the lead archaeologist at the South African Institute for Maritime Archaeological Research maintains that the copper ingots were responsible for the remarkable preservation of the ship’s cargo but copper really repels them from their food – so a lot of things survived 500 years at the bottom of the sea that really shouldn’t have,” he said The find is the stuff of legend for treasure hunters and history buffs alike it’s a windfall of study materials and historical significance the exact fate of the Bom Jesus and how it came to rest in Namibia is still uncertain The prevailing theory is that a violent storm pushed the ship toward the coast plans are to exhibit the Bom Jesus artifacts to the public eventually the find continues to offer new clues about a time when ships like the Bom Jesus helped stitch together a truly global economy Buried Treasure: The Le Câtillon II Hoard and the Mystery of Jersey’s Celtic Riches Ancient Trade Route Survey Yields Coins Lost Treasure Unearthed: 15th-Century Coin Hoard Discovered in Scottish Border Land Her captivation with collectibles began at a young age while dusting her mother’s McCoy pottery collection She admits to a fondness for mid-century ceramics Kele has a degree in archaeology and has been researching and editing in the collectibles field for many years © 2025 Active Interest Media All rights reserved Diamond miners in Namibia have discovered the wreckage of a Portuguese ship with treasure worth $13 million making it one of the most incredible shipwreck recoveries in Sub-Saharan Africa The ship Bom Jesus (The Good Jesus) went missing in 1533 after being trapped in a strong storm Miners working for the diamond company De Beers recovered it During a regular mining operation on Namibia’s coast workers drained a man-made lagoon and discovered the wreck preserved in the desert sands Among the items retrieved were thousands of gold coins chief archaeologist at the Southern Africa Institute of Maritime Archaeological Research Noli had advised miners for over a decade to keep an eye out for shipwrecks in the area believing that one would eventually resurface with the treasure chest filled with gold coins found on the sixth day Experts believe the ship’s copper ingots were essential in preserving numerous artefacts because they resisted marine creatures that usually consume shipwrecks this enabled the extraordinary preservation of objects that would otherwise have deteriorated over 500 years The treasure contained nearly 2,000 Spanish and Portuguese gold coins The discovery has gathered a lot of attention with reports stating that the copper and other materials played an important part in keeping the ship intact for centuries only a small portion of its structure remained due to extensive damage from the ocean While the final journey of the Bom Jesus remains unknown experts believe it capsized after being pulled too close to shore by a violent storm The coastline where the ship was discovered is known for its extreme weather conditions De Beers and its mining team found the treasure but did not claim ownership of it The Namibian government kept all of the recovered items as is standard procedure when a wreck is discovered on national grounds Portugal might have legally seized the ship which was classified as a “ship of state” since it belonged to the King of Portugal the Portuguese government gave up its rights allowing Namibia to keep the entire discovery Disclaimer : The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only While we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct we make no representations or warranties of any kind suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of Do you have info to share with us ? Suggest a correction Marine Insight News Network is a premier source for up-to-date and insightful coverage of the maritime industry Marine Insight News Network prides itself on delivering accurate Signup today and get maritime ebooks submitted to your inbox directly. © 2010 - 2025 Marine Insight — All Rights Reserved We respect your privacy and take protecting it very seriously The page you are looking for might have been removed This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The supports of the Bom Jesus Bridge are unstable due to the intensity of the wind and the weight of the campaign posters where inspectors and an engineer from Funchal City Council analysed the instability of the supports and warnings have already been placed to prevent people from walking near them the force of the wind hitting the political posters has been so intense that the railings have partially come loose The local authority should contact the parties that it will remove the posters for safety reasons bridge Campo Barco This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email A mean-spirited vandal broke into a church in São Paulo, Brazil and destroyed two statues, surveillance video shows. The man approached a worshipper in between masses at the Bom Jesus das Oliveiras Parish on Sunday morning. He spoke with the churchgoer for about 20 seconds before he walked over to a statue of Bom Jesus that was covered with a purple cloth. The suspect grabbed the holy sculpture and slammed it to the ground. He subsequently made his way to a statuette of Saint Hedwig and tossed it to the floor. The deranged man stepped out of the church as the stunned worshipper went to inspect the damages. The man then walked back into the church and picked up the Bom Jesus figure and dropped it to the ground. He then removed the cloth off the Saint Hedwig statue and slammed it head-first to the floor and abandoned the church. Father Genaldo Laurindo said in a video statement posted on the church's Instagram account that man flew into a rage because he was not present to speak with him. 'We deeply regret this. We ask for your prayers and at the same time for the understanding of the parishioners that, in the coming days,' Laurindo said. 'I would say even in the coming months, we will not have the two images back in their place,' he said. The priest revealed that the statues were beyond repair and that new figures would be put in their place. In a separate the statement, the church called for 'faith and hope for more peace, counting on the support of our parish community.' São Paulo Civil has been reviewing the video footage in hopes of identifying the suspect. Major terror attack 'was just HOURS away' before it was foiled by the special forces and police:... Victim of acid attack 'plotted by his ex-partner who teamed up with a gang' dies in hospital six... 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No one seems to have shared their thoughts on this topic yetLeave a comment so your voice will be heard first. {{message}} A multinational team led by the University of Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum is revealing a previously unknown story about elephant ecology in West Africa by analyzing ivory from a 500-year-old shipwreck discovered on Namibia’s coastline The Portuguese vessel Bom Jesus sank in 1533 while en route to India loaded with valuable cargo that included copper from Central Europe and more than 100 West African forest elephant tusks the largest ivory cargo ever found in a shipwreck Genetic analysis of the tusks showed that the elephants were from 17 distinct herds in West Africa some from areas not traditionally associated with the ivory trade made up of descendants of those who were hunted to fill Bom Jesus’ hull In addition to helping ecologists understand the history of West African elephant populations information gained from the shipwreck is providing fresh insight into elephant behavior While nearly all modern forest elephant herds spend their whole lives in thick jungle likely pushed there by confrontations with humans isotope analysis of the wreck’s ivory has demonstrated for the first time that herds in the past often thrived in open savanna as well as forested areas we have an important role to play in sharing our data and connecting its relevance to modern people and habitats,” says project codirector Ashley Coutu of the Pitt Rivers Museum “Archaeological data not only tells us about the long-term histories of endangered or extinct species but also informs us about how animals and humans coexisted in the past which is directly relevant to managing human-wildlife conflict.” a 500-year-old Portuguese ship loaded with millions in gold coins was found We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, or tap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentHistorians are all but sure the wreck is the Bom Jesus, Portuguese for the “Good Jesus.” It left Lisbon in 1533, bound for India, but never made it. Instead, a violent storm beached the ship off the coast of Namibia, on the southwestern edge of Africa. Over centuries, the coast receded and dunes from the adjacent desert covered the wreck for almost half a millennium. But in 1908, a German prospector found a diamond in the area, which was soon dubbed “the forbidden territory.” The region was tightly controlled and, eventually, the DeBeers diamond company got involved, and still is today. In, 2008, a DeBeers prospector looking for gems struck gold instead when he stumbled across ship debris. Since he wasn’t sure what he was dealing with, he called in archaeologist Dieter Noli. “It just looked like a disturbed beach,” Noli said, “but lying on it were bits and pieces.” Then he uncovered a 500-year-old musket and some elephant tusks, and knew right away he was dealing with a shipwreck. Soon after, an international effort got underway to recover and catalogue 40 tonnes of cargo, including 2,000 gold and silver coins from several nations, worth $13 million; 1,800 copper ingots; and 105 elephant tusks weighing almost two tonnes, which were used to pay for goods in Asia. Portugal waived rights to the coins, which went to Namibia. But researchers say the copper ingots were the most precious commodity of all. That’s because — ordinarily — marine organisms would’ve destroyed wood and other materials aboard the ship when the vessel went down. But the copper acted like a poison and killed the appetite of the microbes, so almost everything stayed in excellent condition, further protected by the sand. Today, work is still underway to preserve the vessel and its cargo, but both are mostly off-limits to the public. A small museum in Namibia houses a room full of items, and there are plans to build a museum in Lisbon. But the ship is still in the desert, except for its hull and most of the cargo, which are in saltwater tanks for preservation until they can be safely moved. I see in this story a metaphor for renewal among the many who lose their faith, in God and/or the church. More than ever, people are walking away, because of personal struggles, philosophical differences, or the seemingly endless scandals that plague Christianity. But whatever the eventual problem, most believers begin their spiritual journey with the best of intentions, anxious to reach a place that will bring inner prosperity, meaning, and a sense of purpose. Each of us is a vessel containing the treasure of God. The apostle Paul says so when he tells believers, “Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die, He’ll give you life because you’ve been made right with God. “And just as God raised Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” (Romans 8, 9, 10). We embody the Good Jesus. But the emotional and spiritual storms of life are many — the ones that rise up from within, and those that shatter us from the outside. Many of us have shipwrecked our faith by our own sin and selfishness, or by disappointment and discouragement, or by any number of factors that almost always have little to do with Jesus, and everything to do with how some of his followers behave. But the treasure is never lost. It’s just buried, covered first by the waters of apathy, pain, or distraction. Spiritually, we stay in the same place for a very long time, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t changing. Slowly but relentlessly, life and experience erode many our false assumptions, attitudes, values, and priorities. We learn, and we grow. Whether we recognize it or not, the Spirit of God continues to work, as much as we’ll let Him. We’re transformed, little by little. But even then, faith often stays buried beneath the sands of secularism and self-interest. Yet all we need for spiritual rediscovery is for someone to see something on the surface of our lives and care enough to dig deeper. Maybe it’s a devout friend, family member, or coworker — someone whose loving example challenges us to look deep inside and see the true value of treasures we’ve allowed to stay hidden for too long. Thanks to the love of God, those riches remain preserved and reserved for our benefit. The truth is, sometimes we need the storms and the deserts of life to show us what’s truly important and what’s not. Buried treasure does nobody any good. We need to recover and release the power of love, faith, joy, peace, and purpose. So if you’re feeling entombed by trauma or the trivialities of life, take heart. The Good Jesus can still get you where you need to be. Share your thoughts with Rick at www.followers.ca A former TV reporter and journalism prof, he pastors an independent, nondenominational church in Brantford, ON called Followers of Christ (www.followers.ca) transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Copyright © 2025 Sakal Media Group – Gomantak Private Limited - All Rights Reserved a Portuguese trading ship dubbed the Bom Jesus went missing its recovered ivory cargo is answering questions about African elephants (one pictured) By Maria Temming miners off the coast of Namibia stumbled upon buried treasure: a sunken Portuguese ship known as the Bom Jesus which went missing on its way to India in 1533 The trading ship bore a trove of gold and silver coins and other valuable materials But to a team of archaeologists and biologists the Bom Jesus’ most precious cargo was a haul of more than 100 elephant tusks — the largest archaeological cargo of African ivory ever discovered. Genetic and chemical analyses have now traced those tusks back to several distinct herds of forest elephants that once roamed West Africa “It is by far the most detailed and comprehensive attempt to source [archaeological] elephant ivory,” says Paul Lane an archaeologist at the University of Cambridge not involved in the work give insight into historical African elephant populations and ivory trade networks. For having been lost at sea for nearly 500 years the Bom Jesus’ ivory is incredibly well-preserved a molecular biologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the copper and lead ingots [stored above the tusks] kind of pushed the ivory down into the seabed,” protecting the tusks from scattering and erosion A frigid ocean current also runs through this region of the Atlantic “That really cold current probably helped preserve the DNA that was in the tusks,” de Flamingh says We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday By subscribing, you agree to our Terms & Privacy Policy. You must be 13 or older to sign up For full digital access, consider a $2.99 per month subscription of carbon and nitrogen in the tusks provided more detail about where these elephants lived Carbon and nitrogen accumulate in tusks over an elephant’s lifetime through the food the animal eats and the water it drinks Relative amounts of different carbon and nitrogen isotopes depend on whether an elephant spent most of its time in The isotopes in the Bom Jesus tusks revealed that these elephants lived in a mix of forests and savannas “We were quite surprised,” says study coauthor Ashley Coutu an archaeologist at the University of Oxford Modern African forest elephants are known to roam forests as well as savannas But researchers thought that forest elephants first ventured out into grasslands only in the 20th century as many savanna elephants were wiped out by poachers and the forest elephants’ original habitats were destroyed by human development The new results suggest that African forest elephants were amenable to both forest and savanna habitats all along Better understanding the habitats historically preferred by African forest elephants could inform efforts to conserve this vulnerable species (SN: 9/9/16). More than 60 percent of these elephants have been poached within the last decade and the ones that remain inhabit only about a quarter of their historical range according to the African Wildlife Foundation. The origins of the Bom Jesus’ ivory also paint a clearer picture of the 16th century ivory trade on the African continent The fact that the tusks originated from many different herds hints that multiple communities in West Africa were involved in supplying the ivory But it’s unclear whether Portuguese traders gathered this diverse ivory from several locally sourced ports along the coast or from a single port that was linked to extensive trading networks within the continent Future analyses of ivory uncovered at historical port sites could help solve the mystery Questions or comments on this article? E-mail us at feedback@sciencenews.org | Reprints FAQ A version of this article appears in the January 30, 2021 issue of Science News A. de Flamingh et al. Sourcing elephant ivory from a sixteenth-century Portuguese shipwreck Previously the staff writer for physical sciences at Science News Maria Temming is the assistant managing editor at Science News Explores She has bachelor's degrees in physics and English poaching pressure during the country’s civil war led to an increase of naturally tuskless elephants An African elephant’s skeleton and muscles are projected onto a life-size model in an exhibit that highlights new science on proboscideans Some farmers in Africa view elephants as “pests” and set up electric fences to keep them from crops But elephants are smart enough to break down these defenses with logs or their tusks A member of New Mexico’s Picuris Pueblo Tribal Nation stands in front of a Round House used for rituals and meetings A DNA study initiated and directed by Picuris officials now supports their oral histories describing more than 1,000-year-old ancestral ties to ancient Chaco Canyon society Communal hunting of horses in Europe 300,000 years ago required sophisticated planning and coordination The Arabian Desert is today a vast and barren landscapes But humid periods over the last 8 million years may have brought ephemeral rivers and grasslands to the region The ancient cave site of Latnija on the island of Malta contains evidence of hunter-gatherer seafaring prowess from the Stone Age A pair of Bronze Age cymbals unearthed in southeastern Arabia including this one shown during excavations point to long-distance sharing of ritual and musical traditions around 4,000 years ago found at a 60,000- to 50,000-year-old Chinese site closely resemble implements made by European and western Asian Neandertals These oddly expressive figurines from the ancient Maya world were probably puppets for ritual scenes — and perhaps used for portraying people long dead A researcher examines edge damage on a 1.5-million-year-old bone tool found in Africa part of the oldest known set of such implements Science News was founded in 1921 as an independent nonprofit source of accurate information on the latest news of science our mission remains the same: to empower people to evaluate the news and the world around them It is published by the Society for Science a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education (EIN 53-0196483) enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions The North Goa District Magistrate has announced a temporary ban on entry to the Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Catedral for tourists and the general public from November 18 to 20 The decision has been made to facilitate preparations for the upcoming exposition of the Sacred Relics of St These preparations are deemed urgent and necessary to ensure smooth arrangements for the event The restriction will remain in effect until November 20 postdoctoral researcher Alida de Flamingh and anthropology professor Ripan Malhi led a team that analyzed DNA extracted from elephant tusks recovered from a 16th century shipwreck in compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols. Photo by L the Bom Jesus – a Portuguese trading vessel carrying 40 tons of cargo including gold copper and more than 100 elephant tusks – sank off the coast of Africa near present-day Namibia and scientists say they now have determined the source of much of the ivory recovered from the ship Elephant tusks recovered from the shipwreck were unusually well-preserved including a genomic analysis of DNA extracted from the well-preserved tusks their geographic origins and the types of landscapes they lived in before they were killed for their tusks Four of 17 matrilineal elephant lineages discovered from the shipwrecked tusks still exist today Lead author Alida de Flamingh processed shipwrecked ivory in the Malhi Molecular Anthropology Laboratory at the Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the U the ingots compressed the tusks into the seabed preventing a lot of physical erosion by sea currents that can lead to the destruction and scattering of shipwreck artifacts,” de Flamingh said “There is also an extremely cold sea current in that region of coastal Namibia which likely also helped preserve the DNA in the shipwrecked tusks.” The Bom Jesus shipwreck was discovered on the grounds of a diamond mine in Oranjemund The elephant ivory cargo was kept in a storeroom of the mine By analyzing genetic sequences known to differ between African forest and savanna elephants the scientists determined that all of the tusks they analyzed belonged to forest elephants A further examination of mitochondrial DNA which is passed only from mothers to their offspring offered a more precise geographic origin of the elephant tusks than is otherwise available A new study analyzed the largest archaeological cargo of African ivory ever found All of the elephant tusks were from African forest elephants “Elephants live in matriarchal family groups and they tend to stay in the same geographic area throughout their lives,” de Flamingh said “By comparing the shipwrecked ivory mitochondrial DNA with that from elephants with known origins across Africa we were able to pinpoint specific regions and species of elephants whose tusks were found in the shipwreck.” All 44 tusks were from elephants residing in West Africa “This is consistent with the establishment of Portuguese trading centers along the West African coast during this period of history,” de Flamingh said The team used DNA to trace the elephants to 17 family lineages only four of which are known to persist in Africa The research team included technicians and curators from the National Museum of Namibia and archaeologists from the University of Cape Town All of the elephants whose tusks were found in the shipwreck were from West Africa “The other lineages disappeared because West Africa has lost more than 95% of its elephants in subsequent centuries due to hunting and habitat destruction,” Roca said The team is adding the new DNA sequences to the Loxodonta Localizer that allows users to compare mitochondrial DNA sequences collected from poached elephant tusks with those in an online database collected from elephants across the African continent To learn more about the environments the elephants inhabited Oxford University Pitt Rivers Museum research fellow and study co-author Ashley Coutu analyzed the stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes of 97 tusks The ratios of these isotopes differ depending on the types of plants the elephants consumed and the amount of rainfall in the environment That analysis revealed that the elephants lived in mixed habitats switching from forested areas to savannas in different seasons most likely in response to water availability “Our data help us to understand the ecology of the West African forest elephant in its historic landscape which has relevance to modern wildlife conservation,” Coutu said One of more than 100 ivory tusks recovered from the 16th century Bom Jesus shipwreck “Our study analyzed the largest archaeological cargo of African ivory ever found,” de Flamingh said “By combining complementary analytical approaches from multiple scientific fields we were able to pinpoint the origin of the ivory with a resolution that is not possible using any single approach The research provides a framework for examining the vast collections of historic and archaeological ivories in museums across the world.” de Flamingh conducted the DNA analysis in the Malhi Molecular Anthropology Laboratory at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the U This project was a multi-institutional effort involving collaborators in Namibia Fish and Wildlife Service African Elephant Conservation Fund National Research Foundation of South Africa Department of Science and Technology of South Africa and Claude Leon Foundation supported this research To reach Alida de Flamingh, email deflami2@illinois.edu. To reach Alfred Roca, email roca@illinois.edu.To reach Ripan Malhi, email malhi@illinois.edu.To reach Ashley Coutu, email ashley.coutu@prm.ox.ac.uk The paper “Sourcing elephant ivory from a 16th century Portuguese shipwreck” is available online and from the U. of I. News Bureau. — Four faculty members from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been newly elected as members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences one of the oldest honorary societies in the United States physics professor Aida El-Khadra and chemistry professor Jonathan Sweedler are […] — Educators and researchers have had longstanding concerns about the quality of computer science instruction in U.S A recent study exploring student learning and computer science teachers’ qualifications in one state suggests that these teachers may be better qualified than those teaching other subjects — A novel research project has shown that areas with greater amounts of green space have a lower prevalence of police violence The study is the first to find a significant relationship between greenness levels and fatal police shootings and it showed that the most socially and economically disadvantaged areas seemed to benefit […] Email: stratcom@illinois.edu Phone (217) 333-5010