(image source: www.scoopwhoop.com)

Dr Nirmal Jivan Shah, The People Newspaper, 5/7/2009: Just when you thought it was safe to drink bottled water, new research shows that plastic mineral water bottles contaminate drinking water with man made compounds that act like human hormones. The study by German researchers published in the journal Environment Science and Pollution Research provides evidence of estrogen compounds leaching out of the plastic packaging of several commercially available mineral waters into the water.

Nature Seychelles' Science Coordinator Cheryl Sanchez releasing a white / fairy tern photo by Mark Brown

“In the span of only a day, I went from never touching a bird, to knowing how to catch, hold, ring and measure them. It was a wonderful feeling, really, the first few birds that I got to ring - my hands shaking and I was nervously laughing the whole time.”

One of the giant clams donated to Nature Seychelles by Black Pearl Seychelles Ltd (file photo)

The results of Nature Seychelles’ Reef Rescuers study on the survival of captive-bred giant clams in the wild, was recently published in Frontiers in Marine Science, an open-access academic publisher. The scientific study authored by Dr Sarah Frias-Torres, Reef Rescuers Research Associate, is an offshoot of and deemed an added approach in Nature Seychelles’ coral reef restoration work.

Nelanie Zimmerman speaking to Nature Seychelles staff during the launching event

Nature Seychelles’ new Centre for Ocean Restoration Awareness and Learning (CORAL) on Praslin Island, was officially opened on Monday, 24th April by Melanie Zimmerman the new US Embassy Charge d'Affaires responsible for Mauritius and Seychelles. She was accompanied by Paul Gormley, the Embassy’s Economic / Political Officer to the event.