Researchers at the University of Sydney have revealed how our oyster reefs can provide lessons on reef restoration projects. More than 85% of naturally occurring oyster reefs have been lost in recent decades due to disease, overharvesting, global warming and pollution. Three reefs that have maintained their oyster populations naturally are in New South Wales, Australia: Gamay (Botany Bay), Port Hacking and Crookhaven (on the Shoalhaven).
A hawksbill turtle’s protective shell is in some ways its greatest weakness. Exquisitely patterned and thick enough to sculpt, hawksbill shells are the most popular type of tortoiseshell, a material coveted for centuries to make all manner of objects, from jewelry and trinkets, to spectacle frames and an entire genre of Japanese handicrafts called bekko. […]