a guest on the Joe Rogan podcast claimed a boxcar of valuable prehistoric mammoth bones was dumped in the East River in New York City in the 1940s.

It all started when an Alaskan gold miner with a passion for fossils, appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience on 30 December to talk about his land, where he has uncovered bones and tusks and where, in the early 20th century, digging for gold unearthed prehistoric mammal remains. 

Some of that material was brought to New York, to be given to the American Museum of Natural History. Reeves cited a draft of a report by three men, including one who worked at the museum, that included a reference to some fossils and bones deemed unsuitable for the museum being dumped in the river.

The American Museum of Natural History said: “We do not have any record of the disposal of these fossils in the East River, nor have we been able to find any record of this report in the museum’s archives or other scientific sources.” 

Reeves told a reporter to read his social media that identify Richard Osborne, an anthropologist; Robert Evander, who worked in the museum paleontology department; and Robert Sattler, an archeologist with a consortium of Alaska Native tribes.

Despite a lack of evidence, treasure hunters have used boats, diving gear and remote-operated cameras to search.

“I think the chances are just as good as the lottery. And people buy those tickets every day,” said Don Gann, 35, of North Arlington, New Jersey, a commercial diver who has been out on the water since early last week.

Gann said he had seen about two dozen other sets of fossil hunters out searching for mammoth remains.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/15/treasure-hunters-dive-mammoth-bones-new-york-east-river-joe-rogan