Scientists determine age of marine mammal bones thawed out on Wilczek Land

TASS · 🇷🇺 public Russia · Aug 11, 2026 · 368 words

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What to know about Scientists determine age of marine mammal bones thawed out on Wilczek Land

Scientists from the Laverov Federal Research Center have dated marine mammal bones found on Wilczek Land Island to approximately 11,000 years old. The findings were part of the Arctic Floating University expeditions in 2025 and 2026, which aim to study ancient DNA and paleomicrobial genes.

Propaganda risk 0%

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Scientists determined the age of marine mammal bones that thawed out from beneath a glacier on the Wilczek Land Island of the Franz Josef Land Archipelago.

Why it matters

They are at least 10,000 years old, Yevgeny Yakovlev, leading the Laverov Federal Research Center for Integrated Arctic Studies' Environmental Radiology Laboratory (the Russian Academy of Sciences' Urals Branch), told TASS.

Common ground

The remains were first discovered during an expedition in 2025, he added.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Scientists determine age of marine mammal bones thawed out on Wilczek Land?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The bones of cetaceans and pinnipeds, which thawed out on the Wilczek Land Island?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/economy/2171413

analyticsAnalysis

Propaganda Score

confidence: 100%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 3

info Single Source 3

verified Verified 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

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Claim 1: “The bones of cetaceans and pinnipeds, which thawed out on the Wilczek Land Island”

CORROBORATED

TASS explicitly mentions 'bones of cetaceans and pinnipeds' on Wilczek Land Island, and another source mentions 'bones of whales' (cetaceans) on Wilczek Island.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Franz Josef Land (Russian: Земля́ Фра́нца-Ио́сифа, romanized: Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa) is a Russian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. It is inhabited only by military personnel, and has never had a perma…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Josef_Land

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wilczek Island, (Остров Вильчека; Ostrov Vil'cheka) is located in the southeastern end of Franz Josef Land, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilczek_Island

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wilczek Land (Russian: Земля Вильчека; Zemlya Vil'cheka, German: Wilczek-Land), is an island in the Arctic Ocean at 80.58°N 60.5°E / 80.58; 60.5. At 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi) it is the second-largest isl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilczek_Land

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Scientists determined the age of marine mammal bones that thawed out from beneath a glacier on the Wilczek Land Island of the Franz Josef Land Archipelago.”

CORROBORATED

The claim is reported by TASS and another web source ('Trove of ancient whale bones discovered...'), both confirming that marine mammal bones thawed from a glacier on Wilczek Land/Island in the Franz Josef Land Archipelago.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Geography of Franz Josef Land refers to an island group belonging to Arkhangelsk Oblast of Russia. It is situated in the Barents Sea of the Arctic, north of Novaya Zemlya and east of Svalbard. At …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Franz_Josef_Land

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hayes Island, also known as Heiss Island (Russian: Остров Хейса, romanized: Ostrov Kheysa) is an island in Franz Josef Land, Russia. It is located in the central area of the archipelago, north of Hal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayes_Island

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 3: “The project's official sponsors and partners are: the Russian Federation's Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Russian Geographical Society, general sponsor - VTB, the Norilsk Nickel Company, and the Floating University Coordination Center based at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT).”

VERIFIED

The claim is confirmed by a cross-reference to TASS, listing the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Russian Geographical Society, VTB, Norilsk Nickel, and MIPT as sponsors/partners.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — The project's official sponsors and partners are: the Russian Federation's Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Russian Geographical Society, general sponsor - VTB, the Norilsk Nickel Company…
https://tass.com/science/2169329

verified

Claim 4: “The expedition organizers are: the Lomonosov Northern Arctic Federal University and the Northern Department for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Sevhydromet).”

VERIFIED

The claim is confirmed by a cross-reference to TASS, identifying the organizers as Lomonosov Northern Arctic Federal University and Sevhydromet.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — The expedition organizers are: the Lomonosov Northern Arctic Federal University and the Northern Department for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Sevhydromet).
https://tass.com/science/2169329

verified

Claim 5: “We have managed to date the remains to 11,000 years.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results for YouTube and general history of Franz Josef Land; no mention of 11,000-year radiocarbon dating is present in the evidence block.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Franz Josef Land, an uninhabited archipelago located in the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, and Kara Sea, may have been discovered by the 1865 expedition of the Norwegian sealing vessel Spidsbergen captain…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Franz_Josef_Land

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web search NEUTRAL — YouTube fue fundada el 14 de febrero de 2005 por Steve Chen, Chad Hurley y Jawed Karim, tres antiguos empleados de PayPal. 1 Con sede en San Bruno, California, es el segundo sitio web más visitado del…
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “The remains were first discovered during an expedition in 2025”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result explicitly quotes that samples were collected during an expedition in 2025. No other independent source confirms this specific date.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 7: “They recorded thirty-nine sites containing remains of various animals”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result explicitly states that they 'recorded thirty-nine sites containing remains of various animals'. No other source corroborates this specific number.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Wilczek Land, is an island in the Arctic Ocean at.Wilczek Land is the second largest island of the Franz Josef Archipelago, at 2203 km2. It is almost completely glacierized except for two narrow areas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilczek_Land

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web search NEUTRAL — They recorded thirty-nine sites containing remains of various animals, and their age also will be determined further on. The scientists took samples from the remains to study ancient DNA. The research…
https://tass.com/economy/2171413

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — When 11 year old Juliet stubs her toe on a loose floorboard, she unwittingly sets off a series of mysterious events. THE LITTLES — a 7 minute animated horror short. Now being adapted into a feature fi…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1VNlS39me0

verified

Claim 8: “They are at least 10,000 years old”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the bones are mentioned as 'ancient' and 'thousands of years old', the specific threshold of 'at least 10,000 years old' is not explicitly stated in the provided evidence. The evidence for this claim contains irrelevant information about the US Marine Corps.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “The bones were found approximately one kilometer from the shoreline.”

SINGLE SOURCE

TASS explicitly states 'The bones were found approximately one kilometer from the shoreline.' No other source corroborates this specific distance.

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web search NEUTRAL — Wilczek Land, is an island in the Arctic Ocean at.Off Wilczek Land's southern bay lies a small island called Klagenfurt Island (Остров Клагенфурт) about 9 kilometres (6 miles) from the shore. This isl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilczek_Land

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web search NEUTRAL — The bones of cetaceans and pinnipeds, which thawed out on the Wilczek Land Island, may be significantly older, the expert continued.The bones were found approximately one kilometer from the shoreline.
https://tass.com/economy/2171413

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web search NEUTRAL — Wilczek Island is a small uninhabited island located in the southeastern part of the Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, administratively part of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Discovered o…
https://grokipedia.com/page/wilczek_island

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Claim 10: “The 20th voyage of the Arctic Floating University scientific and educational expedition continued from July 1 to July 22, 2026 on board the Professor Molchanov scientific research vessel.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (TASS, Sputnik Mediabank, and another web search) confirm the 20th voyage of the Arctic Floating University took place from July 1 to July 22, 2026, on the Professor Molchanov.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The expedition on the research vessel "Professor Molchanov" starts on July 1. During the 2026 expedition, the Arctic Floating University will for the first time conduct comprehensive measurements of w…
https://www1.ru/en/news/2026/06/25/arkticeskii-plavucii-univ…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The 20th voyage of the Arctic Floating University scientific and educational expedition explored the northeastern Barents Sea, northern Novaya Zemlya and the islands of Franz Josef Land aboard the Pro…
https://sputnikmediabank.com/story/list_423601513/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The 20th voyage of the Arctic Floating University scientific and educational expedition continued from July 1 to July 22, 2026 on board the Professor Molchanov scientific research vessel.
https://tass.com/economy/2164209

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.