Today, you’ll learn about the demand for a compound called squalene that is decimating deepwater shark populations, an amazing effort to create an eco-friendly lubricant using green chemistry, and the surprising connection between shepherds, women, and wildfires.

Shark Oil

• “Deepwater Sharks Are Threatened by Demand for Liver Oil.” by David Shiffman. 2024.
• “100 Million Sharks Killed Every Year, Study Show On Eve of International Conference on Shark Protection.” National Geographic. 2013.
• “Fishing for oil and meat drives irreversible defaunation of deepwater sharks and rays.” by Brittany Finucci, et al. 2024.

Eco-Friendly Lubricant

• “New eco-friendly lubricant additives protect turbine equipment, waterways.” EurekAlert! 2024.
• “Minimizing Toxicity and Optimizing Lubricity of Ionic Liquids for Eco-Friendly Lubrication.” by Xin He, et al. 2024.

Historic Land Management

• “Anthropologist documents how women and shepherds historically reduced wildfire risk in Central Italy.” EurekAlert! 2024.
• “Wildfires as legacies of agropastoral abandonment: Gendered litter raking and managed burning as historic fire prevention practices in the Monte Pisano of Italy.” by Andrew S. Mathews & Fabio Malfatti. 2024.

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