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Indian Express
6 days ago
- Indian Express
The unsolved mystery of a Boeing 727 that disappeared into Angolan skies 22 years ago
On May 25, 2003, a Boeing 727 aircraft sat idle at Luanda International Airport in Angola. Leased to Air Angola, it hadn't flown in 14 months, grounded by unpaid bills and poor maintenance. That evening, it suddenly started, taxied without clearance, and took off into the dusk over the Atlantic, lights off, transponder silent. The 46.5-metre, 90,718-kilogram jet, carrying 53,000 litres of fuel, disappeared with two men aboard, triggering one of aviation's enduring mysteries. The disappearance of N844AA, just 21 months after 9/11, raised alarms. 'It was never [clear] whether it was stolen for insurance purposes…by the owners, or whether it was stolen with the intent to make it available to unsavory characters, or whether it was a deliberate concerted terrorist attempt,' retired US Marine General Mastin Robeson, then commanding US forces in the Horn of Africa, told the Smithsonian Magazine. The focus fell on Ben Padilla, a 51-year-old Miami cargo pilot known for tackling tough jobs. 'A guy who'll do anything,' a colleague of his told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'He sorts out the money problems, cuts through the paperwork, and brings your plane home.' His sister, Benita, called him a 'John Wayne type—intimidating. Like he's bulletproof.' But Padilla wasn't certified to fly a 727, which needs three trained crew. A Smithsonian investigation confirmed he boarded that day with John Mikel Mutantu, a mechanic from the Republic of the Congo, who also couldn't fly the jet. A month later, Canadian pilot Bob Strothers spotted a 727 in Conakry, Guinea, with N844AA's tail number visible under new paint. 'There's absolutely no doubt it's the same aircraft,' he told the Associated Press. Re-registered in two days—a process that normally takes months—he added, 'whoever owns it must have some important friends.' The trail ended there and speculation ran wild: was it theft, insurance fraud, or something darker? The plane's ownership was murky, tied to Miami companies, Nigerian airlines, and Angolan cargo firms, with $4 million in unpaid fees. Africa's vast, unmonitored spaces—empty runways, remote scrublands—offered cover. 'Africa is one of the few places where something like this can still happen,' a former intelligence official said. But a 727 is hard to hide. It's useless without pilots, and no mystery Boeings have been reported flying in Africa since. Most now believe it crashed, likely in the Atlantic or a remote African expanse, its wreckage lost to poor tracking and limited search efforts. 22 years later, N844AA's fate remains unknown, a lingering puzzle in aviation history.
Time of India
7 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Could a newly identified wreck lead to lost pirate treasure?
Could a newly identified wreck lead to lost pirate treasure? A vital piece of a 300-year-old mystery surrounding a pirate's treasure in the Indian Ocean may have been discovered. Archaeologists believe that they have identified the wreck of the Nossa Senhora do Cabo (Our Lady of the Cape), a Portuguese warship that was captured off the island of Reunion in 1721. The ship had been en route to Lisbon, fully laden with treasures from Goa and the Portuguese colonies on the west coast of India. On the way, the warship, weighing more than 700 tons, was badly damaged in a storm. To avoid capsizing, the crew jettisoned some of the ship's cannons, making the ship easy prey for the French pirate Olivier Levasseur, known as La Buse (The Buzzard). Wreck found near Nosy Boraha Huge quantities of gold, silver, pearls, diamonds and other valuables such as fine textiles and spices are said to have been on board. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the trove would be worth an estimated $138 million (€119 million) today. The high value of these items was likely representative of the ship's important passengers: Portuguese Viceroy Luis Carlos Inacio Xavier de Meneses, and the Archbishop of Goa, Sebastiao de Andrade Pessanha, who were taken hostage. The viceroy was later released for ransom, while around 200 slaves from Mozambique and the crew were presumably released on the island of Reunion. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Book Now And Save up to ₹23.71L on Luxury Homes in Whitefield Sumadhura Group Learn More Undo The pirates then made off with their magnificent booty towards Madagascar, off the southeastern coast of Africa. They are thought to have hidden on the small island of Nosy Boraha, called Ile Sainte-Marie at the time. The island was an ideal hideout for pirates. Around 60 kilometers long and five wide, and with a natural harbor, it was relatively close to the popular trade route between Europe and Asia, but at a safe remove from colonial control. And Nosy Boraha is exactly where Brandon Clifford and Mark Agostini from the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation in Massachusetts believe they found the wreck of the Nossa Senhora do Cabo, hidden under silt and sand. Painstaking salvage work Clifford and Angostini described their findings in the June issue of Wreckwatch magazine. It took 16 years for their team to identify the wreck. They analyzed the ship's construction and historical records to compare parts of the wreck and artifacts that were uncovered. Clifford's social media channels offer impressions of this painstaking work, such as the example below, showing the team's exploration of the slave ship Whydah Gally, which was captured by pirates in 1717. In all, the archaeologists lifted around 3,300 artifacts from the seafloor, including gold coins and valuable porcelain, as well as sacred objects made of ivory and wood, such as a statue of the Virgin Mary and a crucifix. According to the team, there are between 7 and 10 wrecks near the island of Ile Sainte-Marie, which suggests the treasure hunt will continue. A cryptic message before execution La Buse's booty, however, remains the biggest mystery. It is known that the pirate sailed from Ile Sainte-Marie towards the Seychelles, where he hid for around eight years. After turning down an offer of amnesty because he didn't want to return the treasure, he was finally found, handed over to the French, and taken in chains to the island of Bourbon, now called Reunion. Shortly before his execution, La Buse is said to have told his guards: "With what I have hidden here, I could buy this whole island." Legend has it that the pirate threw a note with a cryptogram into the crowd, saying: "My treasure to the one who understands this!" As is so often the case with pirate stories, many legends surround the actual events. The only thing that is certain is that adventurers have searched in vain for the fabled treasure for some 300 years. Whether the cryptogram was actually written by La Buse also remains unclear. Although it has now been more or less deciphered, no one has yet been able to correctly interpret the enigmatic content. Does the text describe a kind of star compass? Does it describe prominent landmarks? The guesswork continues. With the treasure of La Buse still lost to this day, somewhere between the Seychelles, Reunion Island, Mauritius, Mayotte, Rodrigues and Sainte-Marie, the pirate's mystery is likely to live on.
Indian Express
21-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Meet the largest living wild dogs in the world
If you've ever stayed in a cabin in the forest, you'd know there's nothing more haunting than a wolf's howl echoing through you in the middle of the night. And if it were a grey wolf you were up against, your chances would be slimmer than your dream body. Grey wolves (aka Canis lupus) are the largest wild dogs in the world, and have roamed the northern hemisphere for thousands of years. But behind the folklore and fear lies a surprisingly misunderstood species, one whose intelligence, loyalty, and endurance deserve a second look. Grey wolves are the biggest living members of the dog family. As Encyclopaedia Britannica notes, they're the 'largest nondomestic member of the dog family.' Adult males can weigh anywhere from 30 to 80 kilograms (66–175 pounds) and stretch over 6 feet in length, including their thick, bushy tail. Their large paws and double coat of fur allow them to survive everything from arctic chills to mountain winds. But wolves aren't just built for the cold. They're also made for motion. According to Smithsonian Magazine, wolves can travel more than 20 miles a day looking for food, often working in tight-knit packs that operate with remarkable strategy and discipline. Grey wolves are the wild ancestors of every dog we know and love today, from a pampered pug to a fearless German shepherd. As Britannica points out, domestication began in northern Eurasia over 15,000 years ago, with early humans and wolves forming a bond that changed the course of both species. But unlike the dogs lying under our desks or curled up on couches, wolves still live by the rules of the wild. They are territorial, cautious of humans, and intensely loyal to their packs. Their howls are a form of long-distance communication, rallying cries, and territorial warnings. In the 20th century, wolves were nearly wiped out in many regions. Seen as a threat to livestock and safety, they were hunted relentlessly. But in 1995, something remarkable happened: wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. These wolves then began to reshape the entire ecosystem, helping control overgrown elk populations. The ripple effect, known as a trophic cascade, even changed the flow of rivers. Yes, wolves can do that. Even now, grey wolves walk a fine line between protection and persecution. Their population status and legal rights often change, depending on political climates and public opinion. While Britannica notes that about 65,000–78,000 wolves live in North America, their future remains uncertain in many regions. Still, wildlife experts continue to remind us: wolves aren't villains. They're keystone species, vital to the balance of nature, and not just the survivors but also the engineers of our ecosystems, and the very root of our bond with dogs.
Calgary Herald
20-07-2025
- Science
- Calgary Herald
Glow-in-the-dark animal captured on camera for first time
Article content It's a bird! It's a plane! Wait, no, it's a glow-in-the-dark animal? Article content A photographer from Down Under has become the first person to capture a photo of a glowing marsupial in the wild. Article content Article content Aussie photographer Ben Alldridge submitted a photo as part of the 2025 Beaker Street Science Photography Prize. The photo was of a wild Eastern quoll, which is carnivorous marsupial that's native to Tasmania and exhibits biofluorescence. Article content Article content Using invisible ultraviolet light, Alldridge captured the mammal glowing in the dark, and his photo is considered the first photographic evidence of a quoll exhibiting biofluorescence in its natural habitat, reported. Article content Article content Smithsonian Magazine reported that several mammals across the globe, many of them nocturnal, are known to exhibit this phenomenon, including polar bears, moles, zebras, wombats, armadillo and more. Non-mammals such as corals, insects, spiders, fish, amphibians, reptiles and birds also exhibit the phenomenon, although the exact biological purpose of biofluorescence is still unknown. Article content Article content 'I'd say it's likely a messaging or identifying system similar to our fingerprints, but that is wild speculation at best,' he said, per the Daily Mail. 'For now, we will just say they like to party.' Article content Alldridge's photography will be considered as part of the ongoing research. Article content 'The amount of light we waste illuminating space — both physical and now literal — is ridiculous, and in many cases is counterproductive to why the lights are installed to begin with,' Alldridge said. Article content
DW
20-07-2025
- DW
Could a newly identified wreck lead to lost pirate treasure? – DW – 07/20/2025
Archaeologists believe that they have found the 300-year-old wreck of the last ship captured by a notorious pirate known as La Buse. But the whereabouts of its treasures remain a mystery. A vital piece of a 300-year-old mystery surrounding a pirate's treasure in the Indian Ocean may have been discovered. Archaeologists believe that they have identified the wreck of the (), a Portuguese warship that was captured off the island of Reunion in 1721. The ship had been en route to Lisbon, fully laden with treasures from Goa and the Portuguese colonies on the west coast of India. On the way, the warship, weighing more than 700 tons, was badly damaged in a storm. To avoid capsizing, the crew jettisoned some of the ship's cannons, making the ship easy prey for the French pirate Olivier Levasseur, known as La Buse (The Buzzard). Huge quantities of gold, silver, pearls, diamonds and other valuables such as fine textiles and spices are said to have been on board. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the trove would be worth an estimated $138 million (€119 million) today. The high value of these items was likely representative of the ship's important passengers: Portuguese Viceroy Luis Carlos Inacio Xavier de Meneses, and the Archbishop of Goa, Sebastiao de Andrade Pessanha, who were taken hostage. The viceroy was later released for ransom, while around 200 slaves from Mozambique and the crew were presumably released on the island of Reunion. The pirates then made off with their magnificent booty towards Madagascar, off the southeastern coast of Africa. They are thought to have hidden on the small island of Nosy Boraha, called Ile Sainte-Marie at the time. The island was an ideal hideout for pirates. Around 60 kilometers long and five wide, and with a natural harbor, it was relatively close to the popular trade route between Europe and Asia, but at a safe remove from colonial control. And Nosy Boraha is exactly where Brandon Clifford and Mark Agostini from the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation in Massachusetts believe they found the wreck of the Nossa Senhora do Cabo, hidden under silt and sand. Clifford and Angostini described their findings in the June issue of magazine. It took 16 years for their team to identify the wreck. They analyzed the ship's construction and historical records to compare parts of the wreck and artifacts that were uncovered. Clifford's social media channels offer impressions of this painstaking work, such as the example below, showing the team's exploration of the slave ship , which was captured by pirates in 1717. In all, the archaeologists lifted around 3,300 artifacts from the seafloor, including gold coins and valuable porcelain, as well as sacred objects made of ivory and wood, such as a statue of the Virgin Mary and a crucifix. According to the team, there are between 7 and 10 wrecks near the island of Ile Sainte-Marie, which suggests the treasure hunt will continue. La Buse's booty, however, remains the biggest mystery. It is known that the pirate sailed from Ile Sainte-Marie towards the Seychelles, where he hid for around eight years. After turning down an offer of amnesty because he didn't want to return the treasure, he was finally found, handed over to the French, and taken in chains to the island of Bourbon, now called Reunion. Shortly before his execution, La Buse is said to have told his guards: "With what I have hidden here, I could buy this whole island." Legend has it that the pirate threw a note with a cryptogram into the crowd, saying: "My treasure to the one who understands this!" As is so often the case with pirate stories, many legends surround the actual events. The only thing that is certain is that adventurers have searched in vain for the fabled treasure for some 300 years. Whether the cryptogram was actually written by La Buse also remains unclear. Although it has now been more or less deciphered, no one has yet been able to correctly interpret the enigmatic content. Does the text describe a kind of star compass? Does it describe prominent landmarks? The guesswork continues. With the treasure of La Buse still lost to this day, somewhere between the Seychelles, Reunion Island, Mauritius, Mayotte, Rodrigues and Sainte-Marie, the pirate's mystery is likely to live on.
