When officials from Brazil’s Indigenous (原住民) protection agency approached the hut in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, their fears were confirmed: They were witnessing the first recorded dying out of an uncontacted tribe in the country’s history.

The man lying there, the last member of his tribe, had died, and with him an entire culture and answers to a thousand questions.

Even his name was a mystery. He was known only as “the Man of the Hole” because of the dozens of holes he had dug over the years in his territory. His age, too, could only be guessed at. He appeared to be about 60, officials said.

It was a sad milestone for a country that in recent years has seen protections for Indigenous groups undermined by an administration that has prioritized development of the Amazon over conservation.

In Rondônia, the only resident of the 8,000-hectare (公顷) area lived in complete isolation for at least 26 years after the rest of his group was killed by ranchers (农场主) advancing the agricultural frontier.

Brazil’s Indigenous protection agency, Funai made direct contact with the last surviving man only in 1996. Marcelo dos Santos, an Indigenous expert, who led the Funai exploit that met the man, said he was found hiding in his hut. “We tried to establish a conversation and offered corn and arrows, but he was terrified and very aggressive. From this moment on, we had to respect his isolation.”

Even with protections in place, the territory suffered widespread deforestation up until about 13 years ago. Attacks on the last surviving man continued, as well, including one by armed gunmen in 2009, according to local news reports.

“For me, he was somehow a miracle: to be able to survive on his own, not speak to anybody and avoid all contact maybe out of grief or determination,” said Fiona Watson, a research director at Survival International, a London-based rights organization.

At one time, about 300 native languages were spoken on the Australian continent. Only about 90 of them are still spoken today.

European settlers arrived in Australia in the late 1700s. Experts say that colonization had a harmful effect on native languages. Now, only about 60 of them are considered “alive” and in daily use. As older members of tribes die, other languages are likely to pass away.

In the central Australian desert, only 20 people are fluent in Pertame, a language native to the area. But now, children are being taught its ancient words in hope that it won't die out.

Bradshaw and Swan are among the native elders working to keep Pertame alive. Swan has published language books on Pertame. She is one of the last remaining fluent speakers of the language and founder of the Pertame School, opened two years ago.

Bradshaw is a teacher at the school. Children at the school not only learn the language, they also cook traditional food and learn history. “Our old people have all passed away. There are only a few of us left to teach our kids how our old people used to live. ” said Bradshaw.

According to community leaders, for many years, they were forbidden to speak their native language. Bradshaw recalls one of her experiences as a child, “The teacher walked past saying, ‘Don’t speak that language at school.’ We promised ourselves we would talk it in secret to keep it going. People don’t understand how important it is for Aboriginal (土著人的) people.”

In some schools in northern Australia, students learn in both English and an Aboriginal language. Many communities speak what is called “Aboriginal English”. It keeps some structures of Standard English and includes words from Aboriginal languages.

Imagine a dog you don’t need to train. Instead, you can program it to do whatever you want. Now, you don’t need to imagine it. Meet Spot, a dog-like robot from US company Boston Dynamics.

In March, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii (庞贝考古公园) in Italy gave Spot a new job. Pompeii is a famous “time capsule (胶囊)” from the ancient world. Thousands of years ago, a nearby volcano covered the city in ash. Many people died, but the ash kept buildings safe until someone found it in 1748.

So, what is Spot doing in Pompeii? It walks around the site with a 3D scanner (扫描仪). There are many narrow, underground tunnels in Pompeii. Thieves used the tunnels to steal things. The tunnels bring safety problems to the ancient buildings. Robot dogs are small enough to go through these tunnels and find any changes to the buildings.

According to Gabriel Zuchtriegel, new director of the site, this is the first time anyone has used a robot to help protect an archaeological site. “It’s a breakthrough and it would allow us to protect the ruins with greater speed and in total safety,” said Zuchtriegel.

Spot will also work with a 3D-scanning drone (无人机). The two tools will check the site regularly. They will look for any damage that may need a repair. As art magazine ART news said, Pompeii is turning into a “Smart Archaeological Park”.