A 1533 Portuguese carrack vanishes near the Cape of Storms and resurfaces centuries later in Namibia’s desert—spilling coins, copper, and a secret history written in ivory. We trace the voyage from Lisbon’s docks to the Skeleton Coast, the diamond-mine discovery, and the science hidden inside those tusks.

What you’ll hear:

• How the India Route worked (winds, currents, and the volta do mar)
• Inside Namibia’s “Forbidden Zone” excavation
• What the ivory revealed about lost elephant lineages
• The big lessons: trade, tech, ecology, and ethics

Stay tuned after the episode for our original song: “Bones in the Dunes.”

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