Western Australian Museum

Two shipwrecks found during the hunt for missing flight MH370 in the remote Southern Ocean were identified Thursday as 19th century merchant vessels carrying coal, each crewed by up to 30 people.

Australian scientists said today they have uncovered a "very rare" 2,000-year-old natural sea pearl, the first found on the vast island continent, while excavating a remote coastal Aboriginal site.

Two shipwrecks found during the hunt for missing flight MH370 in the remote Southern Ocean were identified Thursday as 19th century merchant vessels carrying coal, each crewed by up to 30 people.

Australian scientists said today they have uncovered a "very rare" 2,000-year-old natural sea pearl, the first found on the vast island continent, while excavating a remote coastal Aboriginal site.