ANONYMOUS - OUR VOICE

White House announces vaccine “strike forces” will go door-to-door, targeting unvaccinated in their homes, forcing Americans to take the Covid-19 vacc...

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/WHITE-HOUSE.jpg" /></div>
<a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/category/breaking-news/" class="post-lead-category">Breaking News</a>
<section class="entry" readability="64.976375598086">
<p><strong>The White House has announced “strike forces” will be deployed across the USA to go door-to-door and target unvaccinated people in their homes.</strong></p>
<p>The goal of the program; which has already been denounced by numerous state governors and U.S. senators, is to coerce people into taking the experimental Covid-19 vaccines.</p>
<p>The strike force programme was announced by Jen Psaki who said –</p>
<p><em>“Our work doesn’t stop there and we are going to continue to press to get 12-18-year olds vaccinated… that’s one of the reasons why we initiated these strike forces to go into communities…”</em></p>
<p>“Strike force” is a military term that refers to armed squads who intend to destroy their target. Deployed domestically, these militarised “strike forces” will consist of FEMA enforcers and armed federal agents.</p>
<p>It should come as no surprise that so many Americans are refusing to take the experimental Covid-19 vaccines when you consider the amount of deaths and adverse reactions that have been reported to VAERS.</p>
<p><a href="https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/rfk-jr-david-kessler-covid-vaccine-vaers/">VAERS</a> is the primary US government-funded system for reporting adverse vaccine reactions.</p>
<p>Every Friday, <a href="https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/rfk-jr-david-kessler-covid-vaccine-vaers/">VAERS</a> makes public all vaccine injury reports received as of a specified date, usually about a week prior to the release date.</p>
<p>Data released on the 9th July 2021 shows that between Dec. 14, 2020 and July 2, 2021, a total of <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/findfield.php?TABLE=ON&GROUP1=CAT&EVENTS=ON&VAX=COVID19" target="_blank">438,441 total adverse events</a> were reported to VAERS, including <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/findfield.php?TABLE=ON&GROUP1=AGE&EVENTS=ON&VAX=COVID19&DIED=Yes" target="_blank">9,048 deaths</a> — an increase of 2,063 over the previous week. There were also <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/findfield.php?TABLE=ON&GROUP1=AGE&EVENTS=ON&VAX=COVID19&SERIOUS=ON" target="_blank">41,015 serious injuries reported </a>during the same time period — up 6,950 compared with the previous week.</p>
<h3 class="jp-relatedposts-headline"><em>Related</em></h3>
</section>
<br />
<br />
source <a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/11/white-house-announces-vaccine-strike-forces-will-go-door-to-door-targeting-unvaccinated-in-their-homes-forcing-americans-to-take-the-covid-19-vaccine/">https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/11/white-house-announces-vaccine-strike-forces-will-go-door-to-door-targeting-unvaccinated-in-their-homes-forcing-americans-to-take-the-covid-19-vaccine/</a>

revolution White House announces vaccine “strike forces” will go door-to-door, targeting unvaccinated in their homes, forcing Americans to take the Covid-19 vacc...

Breaking News The White House has announced “strike forces” will be deployed across the USA to go door-to-door and target unvaccinated pe...

The real pandemic – Covid-19 or Graphene Oxide? Poisonous Nano-Material found in Covid Vaccines and Face Masks

<p><strong><em>“The [European] Graphene Flagship projects seem to be in the process of developing a solution that’s in search of a problem.” —Terrance Barkan, The Graphene Council, June 2019</em></strong></p>
<p><strong>In October 2013 the European Union launched two flagship projects: the <a href="https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/en/">Human Brain Project (“HBP”)</a>; and, the <a href="https://graphene-flagship.eu/">Graphene Flagship (“GF”)</a>.</strong></p>
<p>HBP aims to provide researchers worldwide with information & communications technology tools and mathematical models for sharing and analysing large brain data.</p>
<p>GF aims to make Europe the “Graphene Valley” of the world. <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/nanotechnology/europe-has-invested-1-billion-into-graphenebut-for-what">In total Europe will invest €1 billion into GF as a ten-year push to get graphene innovation out of the laboratory and into commercial applications</a>. </p>
<hr class="wp-block-separator" />
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dailyexpose"><img alt="Buy us a coffee! " data-recalc-dims="1" height="188" loading="lazy" src="https://eatingexeter.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/like-what-we-do_.jpg?w=640&resize=225%2C188" width="225" /></a></figure>
</div>
<hr class="wp-block-separator" />
<p class="has-custom-font"><em>By Rhoda Wilson</em></p>
<p>However, more than halfway through its 10-year funding cycle, the commercialisation of graphene was proving a challenge.  So, in 2019, to help graphene break into commercial markets, a project – <a href="http://www.graphenecluster.com/">Graphene & 2D Materials EUREKA Cluster</a> – sought EU funding to coordinate nanotechnology innovation. </p>
<p>GF also funds so-called ‘Spearhead Projects’. There were six introductory Spearhead Projects coming to the end of their research and development stage. One was <a href="https://graphene-flagship.eu/innovation/spearheads/c2-sh01-5g/">Graphene photonics for the 5G era</a> which was deemed to be “in a good stead to develop this technology successfully.” New Spearhead Projects were launched, eleven of them, which began their work in April 2020. One of the eleven is: <a href="https://graphene-flagship.eu/innovation/spearheads/c3-sh01-graphil/">GRAPHIL: Purifying water with graphene filtration</a>.</p>
<p>Graphene is a nanomaterial made up of a single layer of carbon atoms.  It’s light, transparent, flexible, incredibly strong, an excellent conductor of heat and electricity and has interesting light absorption abilities. Another of it’s characteristics is it’s <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2018.00012/full">highly integrative with neuron cells in the brain</a> giving some indication how Europe’s HBP and GF could converge. </p>
<p>By tracking the <a href="https://www.graphene-info.com/graphene-infos-top-10-graphene-applications-2020">top 10 graphene applications</a> through the years one can see how ‘medicine’ rises to become the most popular application of graphene in 2020, ranked by the number of posts written.  Beginning with 2015 where medicine was 4<sup>th</sup>; 2016, 3<sup>rd</sup>; 2018, 3<sup>rd</sup>; 2019, 2<sup>nd</sup>; and finally, 2020,1<sup>st</sup> on the list.</p>
<p>Covid-19 is cited as the obvious reason graphene’s use in medicine was the most popular discussion on the Graphene-info website.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369702112701013?via%3Dihub">Is graphene safe?</a> The short answer is, no.  Some face masks contain graphene and, in April, Canadian health authorities issued a <a href="https://www.ntd.com/canada-issues-recall-for-graphene-masks-amid-health-concerns_592221.html">recall of masks containing graphene or biomass graphene</a><a>. Since then Belgium has found masks contaminated with graphene and</a> <a href="https://amp.rfi.fr/en/science-and-technology/20210608-french-hospitals-told-to-suspend-use-of-facemasks-containing-graphene">hospitals in France</a> have suspended the use of face masks containing graphene.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img alt="" class="wp-image-10258" data-attachment-id="10258" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="image-93" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-93.png?fit=639%2C240&ssl=1" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-93.png?fit=300%2C113&ssl=1" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-93.png?fit=658%2C247&ssl=1" data-orig-size="658,247" data-permalink="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/10/the-real-pandemic-covid-19-or-graphene-oxide-poisonous-nano-material-found-in-covid-vaccines-and-face-masks/image-93-6/" data-recalc-dims="1" height="240" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-93.png?resize=639%2C240&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-93.png?w=658&ssl=1 658w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-93.png?resize=300%2C113&ssl=1 300w" width="639" /></figure>
</div>
<p>It’s no surprise that what one country finds in face masks, will also be found by other countries- <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9426499/Scientists-evidence-toxic-chemicals-face-masks.html">85% of face masks used worldwide come from China.</a>  Perhaps the only surprise is why ALL countries are not examining face masks for toxic chemicals and banning their use, in ALL settings.</p>
<p>Now, according to preliminary results of a study done by the University of Almería in Spain, graphene has been found in the Covid-19 “vaccines”. By examining the contents of a Pfizer / BioNTech vial researchers discovered, there is mRNA but, graphene oxide makes up between 98% and 99% of its contents: <a href="https://www.orwell.city/2021/07/graphene-oxide.html">‘this is not a vaccine but a dose of pure graphene oxide into the vein.’</a></p>
<p>Referring to this study, Dr. John B. comments on his twitter –</p>
<p>“Worrying <a href="https://www.docdroid.net/TOPBZJY/microscopia-de-vial-corminaty-dr-campra-firma-e-1-horizontal-pdf">analysis results from Prof. Dr. Pablo Campra Madrid</a> … Detection of graphene oxide in the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty).”  </p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/DrJohnB2/status/1411044202826326023?s=20">Dr. John’s twitter thread</a> continues with images from Dr. Campra’s report and then concludes with –</p>
<p>“There is an urgent need to replicate this analysis! <a href="https://particleandfibretoxicology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12989-016-0168-y">Graphene-family nanomaterials (GFNs), including graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide, are toxic</a>.”</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img alt="" class="wp-image-10260" data-attachment-id="10260" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="image-94" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-94.png?fit=639%2C359&ssl=1" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-94.png?fit=300%2C169&ssl=1" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-94.png?fit=640%2C360&ssl=1" data-orig-size="640,360" data-permalink="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/10/the-real-pandemic-covid-19-or-graphene-oxide-poisonous-nano-material-found-in-covid-vaccines-and-face-masks/image-94-6/" data-recalc-dims="1" height="359" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-94.png?resize=639%2C359&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-94.png?w=640&ssl=1 640w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-94.png?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w" width="639" />
<figcaption><em>Image showing graphene content of the Covid-19 vaccine</em></figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<p>According to a team of Spanish researchers, <a href="https://www.laquintacolumna.net/"><em>La Quinta Columna</em></a>, symptoms of graphene oxide poisoning include: bilateral pneumonias; thrombogenicity; blood clots; post inflammatory syndrome or systemic / multi-organ inflammations; alteration of the immune system; and, ultimately collapse of the immune system and a cytokine storm.</p>
<p>When inhaled graphene causes inflammation of the mucous membranes and possible loss of taste and smell. Sound familiar?</p>
<p>Graphene poisoning.  <a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/06/13/stay-at-home-protect-the-nhs-give-midazolam-to-the-elderly-and-tell-you-they-are-covid-deaths/">Midazolam</a>.  We have to wonder what other non-viral causations the disease known as CoVID-19 covers.</p>
<p><em>La Quinta Columna</em> made a video statement on what the study of the Pfizer vial found and its implications, watch <a href="https://brandnewtube.com/watch/graphene-oxide-in-the-vaccines_UVcRF61lzIheX7r.html">HERE</a> (transcript <a href="https://www.orwell.city/2021/06/covid-19-is-caused-by-graphene-oxide.html">HERE</a>.)</p>
<p>Another effect of graphene is magnetism. People have noticed they become magnetic after having CoVID-19 injections. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-78262-w">Below zero graphene nanoparticles aren’t magnetic but they become so at body temperature.</a> </p>
<p><em>La Quinta Columna</em> claims that before 2020, people had already been magnetised by graphene in chemtrails and influenza vaccines. And now people are being magnetised with graphene in face masks, Covid test swabs and Covid injections.</p>
<p>Graphene causes a magnetic phenomenon on the one hand but on the other it can turn inoculated people’s brains into both senders and receivers of information.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img alt="Health | A magnet in the anti-covid vaccine? The reality behind these videos is much more mundane" data-recalc-dims="1" src="https://i2.wp.com/news.in-24.com/content/uploads/2021/06/04/27281409ac.jpg?w=639&ssl=1" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Once integrated with neuron cells <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42254-020-0202-8">graphene oxide nanoparticles act as nano biosensors</a> which have two functions, namely: collect electrical signals of our impulses and thoughts or <a href="https://www.orwell.city/2021/07/brain-tsunami.html">brain mapping; and, neuromodulate our behaviors, emotions and feelings</a>.</p>
<p>It sounds like science fiction but, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, there seems to be a converging of Europe’s two flagship projects: HBF and GF. <a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/07/are-the-government-its-advisors-and-legacy-media-trying-to-become-the-voices-in-our-heads/">Are the Government, its advisors and legacy media trying to become the voices in our heads?</a></p>
<p>There is some good news. Graphene can be flushed out of the body naturally.  An enzyme found in our blood, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.201500038">myeloperoxidase, degrades graphene oxide</a>. </p>
<p>Alcohol (ethanol) or tobacco (nicotine), for example, can help to increase this enzyme – not that this should be taken as encouragement to consume either but rather to inspire some healthy research to help in the fight against this pandemic of graphene.</p>
<div class="wp-block-group" readability="2.8601981089599">
<div class="wp-block-group__inner-container" readability="3.8135974786132">
<hr class="wp-block-separator" />
<p class="has-text-align-center has-custom-font"><strong><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/01/july-fundraising-campaign/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span class="has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color">We urgently need your help!</span><br /></a></strong><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/01/july-fundraising-campaign/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Censorship has caused support for our</strong><br />
<strong>fundraising campaign to drop drastically.</strong><br />
<strong>If you like what we do then please help us to</strong><br />
<strong>keep doing it by supporting us today.</strong></a></p>
<p class="has-text-align-center has-custom-font"><strong><span class="has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color">Please choose your preferred donation method</span></strong></p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=864RBRS7GH9LA"><img alt="" class="wp-image-9610" data-attachment-id="9610" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="image-159" data-large-file="https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-159.png?fit=332%2C89&ssl=1" data-medium-file="https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-159.png?fit=300%2C80&ssl=1" data-orig-file="https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-159.png?fit=332%2C89&ssl=1" data-orig-size="332,89" data-permalink="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/01/july-fundraising-campaign/image-159-3/" height="49" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px" src="https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-159.png?resize=219%2C59&ssl=1" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-159.png?w=332&ssl=1 332w, https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-159.png?resize=300%2C80&ssl=1 300w" width="180" /></a></figure>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/donate-today/"><img alt="" class="wp-image-9614" data-attachment-id="9614" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="image-163" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-163.png?fit=332%2C89&ssl=1" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-163.png?fit=300%2C80&ssl=1" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-163.png?fit=332%2C89&ssl=1" data-orig-size="332,89" data-permalink="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/01/july-fundraising-campaign/image-163-3/" height="49" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-163.png?resize=217%2C59&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-163.png?w=332&ssl=1 332w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-163.png?resize=300%2C80&ssl=1 300w" width="180" /></a></figure>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><a href="https://commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/0e00a4d8-4c4a-43b1-8746-6e477dac325d"><img alt="" class="wp-image-9617" data-attachment-id="9617" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="image-166" data-large-file="https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-166.png?fit=332%2C89&ssl=1" data-medium-file="https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-166.png?fit=300%2C80&ssl=1" data-orig-file="https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-166.png?fit=332%2C89&ssl=1" data-orig-size="332,89" data-permalink="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/01/july-fundraising-campaign/image-166-3/" height="50" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 187px) 100vw, 187px" src="https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-166.png?resize=216%2C58&ssl=1" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-166.png?w=332&ssl=1 332w, https://i1.wp.com/dailyexpose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/image-166.png?resize=300%2C80&ssl=1 300w" width="187" /></a></figure>
</div>
<hr class="wp-block-separator" />
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel">
<div class="coblocks-slick pb-8" data-slick='{"slidesToScroll":1,"arrow":true,"slidesToShow":3,"infinite":true,"adaptiveHeight":false,"draggable":true,"rtl":false,"responsive":[{"breakpoint":1024,"settings":{"slidesToShow":3}},{"breakpoint":600,"settings":{"slidesToShow":2}},{"breakpoint":480,"settings":{"slidesToShow":1}}]}'>
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="11.295546558704">
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="11.65991902834"><time datetime="2021-07-11T01:17:58+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">July 11, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/11/white-house-announces-vaccine-strike-forces-will-go-door-to-door-targeting-unvaccinated-in-their-homes-forcing-americans-to-take-the-covid-19-vaccine/" alt="White House announces vaccine “strike forces” will go door-to-door, targeting unvaccinated in their homes, forcing Americans to take the Covid-19 vaccine">White House announces vaccine “strike forces” will go door-to-door, targeting unvaccinated in their homes, forcing Americans to take the Covid-19 vaccine</a>
<p>The White House has announced "strike forces" will be deployed across the …</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="10.928057553957">
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="11.280575539568"><time datetime="2021-07-10T22:40:18+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">July 10, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/10/covid-passports-will-not-be-compulsory-in-pubs-and-restaurants-its-a-coercion-tactic-due-to-dwindling-uptake-as-the-only-people-left-to-vaccinate-are-those-with-common-sense/" alt="Covid Passports will NOT be compulsory in pubs and restaurants – It’s a coercion tactic due to dwindling uptake as the only people left to vaccinate are those with common sense">Covid Passports will NOT be compulsory in pubs and restaurants – It’s a coercion tactic due to dwindling uptake as the only people left to vaccinate are those with common sense</a>
<p>Headlines in mainstream media on Saturday 10th July have suggested the Government …</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="14.489130434783">
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="14.95652173913"><time datetime="2021-07-10T13:37:28+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">July 10, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/10/what-have-they-done-uk-gov-release-23rd-report-on-adverse-reactions-to-the-covid-19-vaccines/" alt="What have they done? – UK Gov. release 23rd report on Adverse Reactions to the Covid-19 Vaccines">What have they done? – UK Gov. release 23rd report on Adverse Reactions to the Covid-19 Vaccines</a>
<p>The UK Government and MHRA have released their 23rd report on adverse …</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="11.206730769231">
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="11.740384615385"><time datetime="2021-07-09T22:15:00+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">July 9, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/09/official-government-data-shows-a-5400-increase-in-number-of-women-whove-lost-their-baby-as-a-result-of-having-the-covid-19-vaccine/" alt="Official Government data shows a 5400% increase in number of women who’ve lost their baby as a result of having the Covid-19 Vaccine">Official Government data shows a 5400% increase in number of women who’ve lost their baby as a result of having the Covid-19 Vaccine</a>
<p>Losing a new born is a heart breaking endeavour, as is the …</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="11.108333333333">
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="11.466666666667"><time datetime="2021-07-09T21:10:00+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">July 9, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/09/fully-vaccinated-people-have-a-990-higher-chance-of-death-due-to-covid-19-than-people-who-are-unvaccinated-according-to-latest-public-health-england-data/" alt="Fully vaccinated people have a 990% higher chance of death due to Covid-19 than people who are unvaccinated according to latest Public Health England data">Fully vaccinated people have a 990% higher chance of death due to Covid-19 than people who are unvaccinated according to latest Public Health England data</a>
<p>Many members of the British public have been crying into their pillows …</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="14.351851851852">
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="14.814814814815"><time datetime="2021-07-09T20:34:07+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">July 9, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/09/dr-mike-yeadon-children-are-50-times-more-likely-to-die-from-the-covid-vaccines-than-from-the-virus-itself/" alt="Dr Mike Yeadon – “Children are 50 times more likely to die from the Covid Vaccines than from the virus itself”">Dr Mike Yeadon – “Children are 50 times more likely to die from the Covid Vaccines than from the virus itself”</a>
<p>Dr Michael Yeadon says children are 50 times more likely to die from the Covid-19 …</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="10.782608695652">
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="11.130434782609"><time datetime="2021-07-09T20:03:46+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">July 9, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/09/whilst-youve-been-distracted-by-england-making-the-final-phe-released-a-report-showing-68-of-covid-deaths-in-the-over-50s-were-people-whod-been-vaccinated/" alt="Whilst you’ve been distracted by England making the final, PHE released a report showing 68% of Covid Deaths in the over 50’s were people who’d been vaccinated">Whilst you’ve been distracted by England making the final, PHE released a report showing 68% of Covid Deaths in the over 50’s were people who’d been vaccinated</a>
<p>On Wednesday 7th July the England football team made history by reaching …</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="12.020408163265">
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="12.408163265306"><time datetime="2021-07-09T12:24:02+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">July 9, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/09/public-health-parents-kids-pcr-test-tired/" alt="Director of Public Health tells parents and kids they MUST take a Covid PCR test if they feel tired or have a tummy ache">Director of Public Health tells parents and kids they MUST take a Covid PCR test if they feel tired or have a tummy ache</a>
<p>A letter sent to parents via schools by a Director of Public …</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__item" readability="18.757961783439">
<div class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__content" readability="19.363057324841"><time datetime="2021-07-09T11:04:57+01:00" class="wp-block-coblocks-post-carousel__date">July 9, 2021</time><a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/09/moderna-set-to-begin-human-trials-of-an-mrna-based-flu-vaccine/" alt="Moderna Set To Begin Human Trials of an mRNA Based Flu Vaccine">Moderna Set To Begin Human Trials of an mRNA Based Flu Vaccine</a>
<p>Source: WogxModerna has begun human trials for their mRNA-based flu vaccine and …</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h3 class="jp-relatedposts-headline"><em>Related</em></h3>
<br />
<br />
source <a href="https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/10/the-real-pandemic-covid-19-or-graphene-oxide-poisonous-nano-material-found-in-covid-vaccines-and-face-masks/">https://dailyexpose.co.uk/2021/07/10/the-real-pandemic-covid-19-or-graphene-oxide-poisonous-nano-material-found-in-covid-vaccines-and-face-masks/</a>

revolution The real pandemic – Covid-19 or Graphene Oxide? Poisonous Nano-Material found in Covid Vaccines and Face Masks

“The [European] Graphene Flagship projects seem to be in the process of developing a solution that’s in search of a problem.” —Terrance Bark...

What the assassination of Haiti’s president means for US foreign policy

<div><img class="ff-og-image-inserted" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rthcrlfLeFKoQmUnW_taubKAp8A=/0x0:1431x749/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22710144/1233890654.jpg" /></div>
<p>The assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise has sent the country into shock and turmoil, sparking discussions in the international community on how to help bring stability. But Haiti’s long history of foreign involvement can’t be ignored, nor can the fact that often, aid was provided whether or not Haiti itself benefitted.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, July 7, President Moise was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/07/americas/haiti-explainer-jovenel-moise-assassination-cmd-intl/index.html">shot 16 times</a> when Hatian officials allege a group of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/09/americas/haiti-moise-assassination-july-9-intl-hnk/index.html">“professional killers’’</a> stormed his home in a suburb located near Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city. Prime Minister Claude Joseph assumed leadership and promptly declared a <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8012065/haiti-future-uncertain-president-assassination/">two-week state of siege</a> in the country in an attempt to control backlash. However Joseph’s authority is being questioned by some as President Moise had declared Ariel Henry <a href="https://twitter.com/moisejovenel/status/1412148439564029953">the new Prime Minister</a> only two days before his assassination. Henry was meant to be sworn in this past week. Complicating the issue is the fact that Haiti currently has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/world/americas/haiti-prime-minister.html">two conflicting constitutions</a> that give different instructions on what to do when the president is no longer in power.</p>
<p>Moise himself had a tumultuous presidency beginning in 2017, highlighted by his authoritarian tactics and inability to gain the Haitain people’s trust. Soon after he was elected, Moise <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-haiti-military/haitian-army-set-to-make-controversial-return-after-two-decades-idUSKBN1DJ01M">revived the nation’s army</a> which had been disbanded two decades before. This was a controversial decision in a country still dealing with the aftermath of its catastrophic 2010 earthquake, stoking fears that the army would drain already limited resources. Further skepticism came from the army’s history of human rights abuses and the multiple coups it carried out. The decision to bring the army back set the tone for Moise’s presidency as he continuously prioritized his interests and power over those of the people. In the absence of a functioning legislature, Haitian law allows the President to rule by decree, and in January 2020, Moise <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/01/18/jovenel-moise-tries-to-govern-haiti-without-a-parliament">refused to hold Parliamentary elections</a> and dismissed all of the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article249251975.html">country’s elected mayors</a>, consolidating his power.</p>
<p>Further exacerbating problems, in February Moise refused to leave office despite legal experts and members of an opposition coalition claiming that his term ended <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/07/americas/haiti-explainer-jovenel-moise-assassination-cmd-intl/index.html">on February 7th</a>. Moise claimed that his presidency was meant to last until 2022, due to a delay in the 2017 election, and his refusal to step down led to mass anger and frustration culminating in public protests and chants of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/7/haitis-turbulent-political-history-a-timeline">“no to dictatorship”</a>.</p>
<p>While the identity of the killers has not been confirmed, speculation seems to be determined by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/10/doubts-raised-about-who-was-behind-the-assassination-of-haitis-president">party alignment</a>. Moise supporters have stated that he was shot by a predominantly Colombian group of hitmen while some opposition politicians claim that he was killed by his own guards. Others have said that the Colombians were <a href="https://www.semana.com/nacion/articulo/exclusivo-fueron-enganados-yo-estaria-muerto-o-embalado-alla-el-testimonio-de-exmilitar-que-no-quiso-ir-a-operacion-en-haiti/202142/">hired as personal guards</a> to protect Moise from external threats. Fifteen Colombian suspects are currently in custody along with two Hatian-American suspects, and others still believed to be at large.</p>
<p>Moise’s assassination leaves Haiti with an unstable government and an increasingly frustrated population. In addition to the current state of siege implemented by Prime Minister Joseph, Haiti’s interim government has formally requested the US to send <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/07/09/world/jovenel-moise-assassinated/the-legitimacy-of-haitis-interim-leader-is-questioned-on-several-fronts?partner=slack&smid=sl-share">security assistance to protect infrastructure</a> including Haiti’s seaport, airport, and gasoline reserves as a precautionary measure. During a briefing Friday, Press Secretary <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/07/09/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-july-9-2021/">Jen Psaki</a> offered measured support from the White House, saying, “we will be sending senior FBI and DHS officials to Port-au-Prince as soon as possible to assess the situation and how we may be able to assist.”</p>
<p>It remains to be seen how the Biden administration will react but if US troops are sent to Haiti it could begin to feel like political deja vu. Haiti has a long history of American military intervention.</p>
<p>The United States’ involvement began as early as the 1790s, when it <a href="https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/haitian-rev">provided support</a> to French colonists in an effort to subdue revolting groups of enslaved Haitians. As the revolution grew, so did US hostility toward Haiti, fearing that the revolutionary discourse would <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/1/12/16883224/trump-shithole-foreign-policy-haiti">spread to the enslaved population</a> in the US. And although Haiti gained independence in 1804, the United States did not recognize it as an independent nation until 1862.</p>
<p>This attitude towards Haiti drastically changed in 1915, after President Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/7/haitis-turbulent-political-history-a-timeline">was assassinated</a> a few months after he entered office due to his authoritarian rule and repressive actions. In the face of heightened turmoil, President Woodrow Wilson sent US Marines into Haiti to build the nation back up and <a href="https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/haiti">restore political and economic stability</a>. However the military occupation lasted for nearly 20 years during which time the US controlled parts of the country’s government and finances. In 1917 the Wilson administration tried to <a href="https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/haiti">force a new constitution</a> onto the Hatian government that would allow foreign land ownership which had been prohibited as a way to protect domestic resources and prevent foreign powers from taking control.</p>
<p>A more recent intervention occurred in 1994 when the <a href="https://time.com/5682135/haiti-military-anniversary/">US sent troops</a> to restore Jean-Bertrand Aristide to presidency and neutralize the militant group that had overthrown him and taken power. Known as Operation Restore Democracy, the intervention was ultimately successful since Aristide returned to the presidency but questions about the longevity of the operation and if US involvement was necessary linger to this day.</p>
<p>“The intervention in Haiti was a short-lived success,” James Dobbins, a US Special Envoy during the operation told <a href="https://time.com/5682135/haiti-military-anniversary/">Time Magazine</a>. “Haiti illustrated that these things take a long time — they don’t transform a society overnight.”</p>
<p>In fact, foreign interventions have a record of transforming Haitian society but not necessarily in a good way. In the aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti and killed over 200,000 people, the United Nations deployed peacekeepers to assist with rebuilding efforts. However, that following October, sewage from a peacekeeping base contaminated a major water supply causing a cholera outbreak. In an economy already weakened by the earthquake, and with health and sanitation facilities severely underfunded, the outbreak was disastrous, affecting almost <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/world/americas/united-nations-haiti-cholera.html">800,000 Haitians</a> and killing approximately <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/world/americas/united-nations-haiti-cholera.html">10,000 people</a>. It took the UN <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/18/world/americas/united-nations-haiti-cholera.html">six years</a> to admit to its responsibility.</p>
<p>In the wake of Moise’s assassination, many questions remain about the role of the US, including how to successfully effect long-lasting change.</p>
<p>Robert Fatton, a Haitian-born historian and political science professor at the University of Virginia <a href="https://time.com/5682135/haiti-military-anniversary/">spoke to Time Magazine</a> about the harm that international involvement in Haiti has caused. “[After the intervention], Haiti became a country dependent on international financial organizations for its funding, its budget — it was and still is at the mercy of what the international community is willing to give,” he said.</p>
<br />
<br />
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/7/10/22571475/assassination-of-haitis-president-us-foreign-policy">https://www.vox.com/2021/7/10/22571475/assassination-of-haitis-president-us-foreign-policy</a>

vox What the assassination of Haiti’s president means for US foreign policy

The assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise has sent the country into shock and turmoil, sparking discussions in the international...

Seashells changed the world. Now they’re teaching us about the future of the oceans.

<p><em>This story is part of</em> <a href="https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth"><strong>Down to Earth</strong></a><em>, a Vox reporting initiative on the science, politics, and economics of the biodiversity crisis.</em></p>
<p>Many years ago, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum in Florida surveyed its visitors to find out how much they knew about seashells. Ninety percent of them, as the survey revealed, didn’t know that shells were made by live animals.</p>
<p>“I was just absolutely floored when I heard the statistic,” said Cynthia Barnett, an author and environmental reporter who teaches journalism at the University of Florida. “Most people thought they were some sort of rock or stone, and I was really disturbed by that. It just got me thinking how separated we are from the natural world.”</p>
<p>Barnett didn’t let that thought go. It became an obsession — and eventually, a book. Published earlier this month, her new book, <em>The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans,</em> is a story about seashells and the creatures that make them.</p>
<p>Seashells aren’t just interesting because of the fascinating and bizarre animals that create them, Barnett writes. They’ve also shaped human societies and laid the groundwork for one of the world’s most recognizable oil companies, Royal Dutch Shell. And whether you know it or not, seashells are all around us — in construction materials, in the ground below our feet, even in our toothpaste.</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1625920211_2207_70888" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22702234,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0C4qrr1yGhXguDqOUOM-jTqU4PQ=/0x0:1870x2852/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XMLNRWDfcy0wBMJbBvOPFWQakS4=/0x0:1870x2852/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OZzlkhSZm7FuxkBj7KBuXx5oy7c=/0x0:1870x2852/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lzuBjykrOfWZBmrl_OcIC73dBCk=/0x0:1870x2852/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GokF30YO0jjrUa_GU89Np9nEPSM=/0x0:1870x2852/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IDC4vT1FtJt0zpNOTEhenGh6hm8=/0x0:1870x2852/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/V-_N2NuCOzmDgFUqQIO9JZA-JSo=/0x0:1870x2852/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eZfpDsut7hhEG8z7Mo0a0qN31k0=/0x0:1870x2852/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zoBsvnwtJmp3ckPfjeqfET0tQws=/0x0:1870x2852/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="The cover of the Cynthia Barnett book “The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the fate of the oceans.”" data-upload-width="1870" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aCm8beRuCI8kpf3fK77toPZIvWg=/0x0:1870x2852/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kpPDbaVs6RZNHDBXtbtRU7l3f4Y=/0x0:1870x2852/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-927OxpnslUsiw4yMFyvrFb6LdM=/0x0:1870x2852/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/apt-KEjiCzhuk70rsJxa7ZhzWUg=/0x0:1870x2852/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kaVMGNWEUK9j3uBITejik56Pj2A=/0x0:1870x2852/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WZEtt1Pb-oJJDT3WTZAdWgHkEBs=/0x0:1870x2852/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8htItrOqgMjX78LBjWBjtIjWGKA=/0x0:1870x2852/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/33SO3ZuLktlwnzO-Kz3nBpzTpuY=/0x0:1870x2852/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/D8nZoMiT9z_3ZIf2eF5WlT7iUGI=/0x0:1870x2852/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WGKe-Ki9kSH85ogwuKoMmWha5XI=/0x0:1870x2852/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:1870x2852):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22702234/4_03_Sound_of_the_Sea_FINAL.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span> <span class="e-image__meta"><cite>Courtesy of W. W. Norton</cite></span></figure>
</div>
<p>Shells also reveal a frightening future that climate change is swiftly ushering in. “The sea and its life are taking a far greater blow than those of us on land,” she writes. Oceans are absorbing <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-ocean-heat-content#:~:text=More%20than%2090%20percent%20of,has%20occurred%20in%20the%20ocean.">far more</a> heat than land and they’re becoming more acidic, as they suck up much of the carbon dioxide we emit into the air. That’s taking a toll on many mollusks, she writes, as is over-harvesting.</p>
<p>I recently spoke with Barnett about these threats, and her own place in the sweeping story of seashells. She used to spend summers harvesting wild scallops in Florida, and ate seafood on the road while reporting the book, she said.</p>
<p>But as she’s learned about the true price of harvesting, she’s changed her habits, and she’s optimistic that others are doing the same. “I think our ethics of gathering seafood, of cooking seafood, has changed, and that could give us a lot of hope,” she told me. “We do change over time.”</p>
<p>Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>Where do seashells actually come from?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>Seashells are made by the wondrous creatures that live inside of them — the marine mollusks. There are about 50,000 of them known. Mollusks are the second-largest group of animals behind the arthropods — which include the insects — and they are scooting and flipping and scooching all over the world from the deepest parts of the ocean to the highest mountain peaks.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>When I think about seashells, I think of oysters in a restaurant or perhaps the beautiful conch shell. How varied are seashells?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>There are the gastropods, which are animals that make a single coiled shell. Then there are the bivalves, which are those double-shelled animals like clams and scallops. And then, of course, there are the cephalopods like the unshelled octopus or the squid, which had a shell long ago but evolved out of it. They traded in their shells for speed.</p>
<p>Marine mollusks evolved shells to protect themselves. As fishes and crabs evolved stronger teeth and stronger claws for pinching, seashells became stronger and stronger and more varied and more elaborate over tens of millions and even hundreds of millions of years. It’s an evolutionary arms race.</p>
<p>The really cool thing is that so many other things we love about seashells also evolved as protection. Sometimes when you pick them up, they’ll slam shut their little trap doors. The terebrids, or auger shells, have these really narrow apertures — the part of the shell you hold up to your ear — so predators can’t pry into them. The cowries evolved these really smooth, glossy humps, which scientists think makes it hard for a crab to hold on to them.</p>
<figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1625920211_7355_70889" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22703428,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XmQo7Rk0xstsrbO1-lZ-ZjeFGZI=/0x0:3630x2420/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uW9yAL2AiOzS6xEPPAIDDS02w4M=/0x0:3630x2420/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/I22gqytvBILDmIZ153LdFK0m6T0=/0x0:3630x2420/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PvbSJnfwSgCb1IFRxkaDH6RpakQ=/0x0:3630x2420/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/G6DpcWFAvxW6J6KBcYhQIwJMspo=/0x0:3630x2420/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/72QxRyo3OYASudfnT7Ekm7yH5EQ=/0x0:3630x2420/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9310HKLHBjsnqK0claTk0gKSfRY=/0x0:3630x2420/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2Kj0oYtL6UIVRbW6gkcaz1SRgM4=/0x0:3630x2420/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/25WGW-NguCahQ1FK-jqO-JLWcW0=/0x0:3630x2420/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3630" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YbRYe8vP_tRL6X743BiiWWsbSh0=/0x0:3630x2420/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XRB0IaZHfDCzXI1RaIuWByhPlpg=/0x0:3630x2420/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JiFcq5wd3LBixMnNShOVWniN1VU=/0x0:3630x2420/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iUHEsua-suFVxFQF9TGDT5mrJGM=/0x0:3630x2420/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EibP2DLSBBlmBfKKRRrK6KzoISo=/0x0:3630x2420/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5aY8l3YeLeUw_H8jB9tQPoOSLJM=/0x0:3630x2420/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5LhWXqrdrMew6r1_l4o8FXyav4c=/0x0:3630x2420/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/c-85g-0mSLb5TxRPLCDEi5342Bg=/0x0:3630x2420/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zkgGImjQtmROf2qYPVdKOusK8rU=/0x0:3630x2420/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qr-Q9Vo7aMukyY-fzW0Fxu1cIoU=/0x0:3630x2420/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3630x2420):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703428/GettyImages_157900296.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span>
<figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">A scallop.</span></figcaption>
<span class="e-image__meta"><cite>BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</cite></span></figure>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>How do they make these shells in the first place?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>That is the process of biomineralization. The primary element in seashells is calcium carbonate. And the animals take that from the sea around them and build their shells slowly as they grow. So they’re basically secreting the shell at the edges, and they do that over most of their lives. Although kind of like humans, they grow faster at different times of their lives.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>Until reading this book, I didn’t realize that seashells are essentially all around us — in our building materials and in the design of buildings.</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>When I set out to write this book, I started thinking about all the places that seashells are found. They’re underfoot, making up limestone aquifers where we’re getting our drinking water. We walk on the bodies of all the marine life that has ever lived. A lot of the built environment is also made of seashells including the Empire State Building and the Washington Cathedral — these are great buildings cut from limestone.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>Limestone is the result of ancient shells basically being compressed over millennia.</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>Yes, that’s exactly right, and it’s a really hardy building material. Beyond that, of course, seashells are models for a lot of classic architectural design. Gaudi’s vaulted rooftops in Catalonia, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum in New York, Jørn Utzon’s Sydney Opera House in Australia. Utzon credited the fierce-looking cockscomb oyster for that waterfront beauty.</p>
<figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1625920211_1209_70890" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22703431,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LHcbDb8epox9ObvzkjQjcD6aMNY=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SJhuVNVbWgnPI-yHr2MF_zRvfXY=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5xsSYoGEdlCSiVSRxLhweEZS9fk=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nclimDuFvOs9Gg_DIENNIK3QGDA=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/w7lDV-VIJXeTrHc90LJ_9gmMSHo=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pIPWWPBnujZdRyEASecGx3OfqP4=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d0BHYovr8BByF1WuLEzT2ku8tOw=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xKUaEERDaYdoYlgRAOACG93L93I=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/njAvAkfCuHr2XxFvRMejZ_fjDRk=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nOMf0dTZRbbQgXWUMj-RDXa6414=/0x0:3000x2000/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zQwpxXYVe1CoZh2Oxeo9MnI5gWg=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DL5qp9II-TNdl-hacGuUYbWW9K8=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MDrRC77bCZ5qcyzHSC6JlF0J25M=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DKxyt03WHPjOlEufMZdmlJyhuhI=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1so2vRueG0AJpZ1LFprXoWw6v5M=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZHArnQxye1yh3JKoAi-lRpTXzmo=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U14NidnllfcRPQanjzEMXLxkhqc=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Izc5sHD5GLNLeAn-vECzKbXrH5M=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F_oCd05wudqOOGzIebche2bb7_M=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703431/GettyImages_81975245.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span>
<figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">The Sydney Opera House in Australia.</span></figcaption>
<span class="e-image__meta"><cite>Gaye Gerard/Getty Images</cite></span></figure>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>I just love this idea that the shells are the homes for mollusks, but also, in some cases, they house us. Is it also true that shells are in toothpaste, or am I making that up?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>You are not making that up. Shells are in toothpaste for the calcium carbonate. The same thing that helps make them tough is a good material for keeping our teeth clean. The ancient Greeks ground oysters and used it on their teeth to keep their teeth white and clean.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>As you write, a small seashell called the cowrie was used as a form of currency for a long time. When and where was that?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>These little shells were harvested en masse in the Maldives for a thousand years, and they were used as money around the world. The money cowrie is a reef-dwelling algae-eater in the genus Cypraea, which actually shares its Greek root word with cryptocurrency — crypto, meaning hidden or secret. I was really fascinated by the money cowrie when I found out that it had been used as a major currency of the slave trade. In West Africa, they actually purchased an estimated third of the enslaved Africans forced to the Americas.</p>
<figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1625920211_6816_70891" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22703434,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/o3K6o9DuMD8qFT0JKHL1yGVp-mw=/0x0:4180x2770/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IsGyqlONBsts6bZcefsgc707vnI=/0x0:4180x2770/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iCXCnH4rJTg4RQrKTSxflm6PAjE=/0x0:4180x2770/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/l_Vvo2hxa-RoRsDrp6fi-tFMrkc=/0x0:4180x2770/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Sz9EPmYknqJBEQ3q0DO5c9UymcU=/0x0:4180x2770/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vsJw6Kj3X9e5r0X2NSHOYmZLYP8=/0x0:4180x2770/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-jf3nmANUYccoajAoF0AOJYmK24=/0x0:4180x2770/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cs1UmksPrvUSwRyYJJKseUoclrs=/0x0:4180x2770/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UGg7HYsPnh4-gBDjcVs-5BbzbOU=/0x0:4180x2770/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="4180" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tWDnCx51qk8V1QXpfbTpYSDKVrI=/0x0:4180x2770/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6b8bZruevj3LQf2DBZvoi5uzaMw=/0x0:4180x2770/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Jl_G8GqpJb3hCd0H6vh5I4SfpAI=/0x0:4180x2770/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ps7Xhkp197Cigb04fZiVUVJOop8=/0x0:4180x2770/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uBwdCyhvyDg7Up0DXNLFDZVLOaI=/0x0:4180x2770/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/o6eRomfPgINMubI5josBfXZQVq8=/0x0:4180x2770/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GyxVkTSISRn1Gfu7Ggh0fXJY4o8=/0x0:4180x2770/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/siVcveF67USIHIjA0JW1-ukcNrM=/0x0:4180x2770/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SfHhB-BirRgI_lBG15grzces9CM=/0x0:4180x2770/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AEZERG-6lyu_rTHB5gmBr7EpOj8=/0x0:4180x2770/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4180x2770):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703434/GettyImages_492778715.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span>
<figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">Shells of the money cowrie.</span></figcaption>
<span class="e-image__meta"><cite>DeAgostini/Getty Images</cite></span></figure>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>And why the cowrie? Is there something particular that makes the shell so special?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>For one, they’re very uniform in size, so they were easy to count. They also packed up really well into ship ballast. And they were something you could put into a pocket or a purse and easily use like coins. They are really small and could fit on the tip of your pointer finger.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>Do we have a sense of when they became money? Was there a formal process that made that happen?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>It was informal at first. There’s a wonderful global historian named Bin Yang who has written an <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cowrie-Shells-Money-Routledge-Approaches-ebook/dp/B07KY1R21S" has-subtag="true" data-cdata='{"rewritten_url":"https://www.amazon.com/Cowrie-Shells-Money-Routledge-Approaches-ebook/dp/B07KY1R21S?ascsubtag=[]vx[p]22329791[m]m-placeholder[s]s-placeholder[t]w[c]c-placeholder[r]r-placeholder[d]d-placeholder","subtag_max_length":99,"subtag_delim_length":2,"subtag_key":"ascsubtag","subtag_data":{"ascsubtag":"[]vx[p]22329791[m]m-placeholder[s]s-placeholder[t]w[c]c-placeholder[r]r-placeholder[d]d-placeholder"},"encode_subtag":false}'>entire history of the money cowrie</a> as currency, and he found that Maldivian cowries were spending like coins in India as early as the fourth century. Then they moved west to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, they spread to mainland Southeast Asia, and then they took off.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>You tell another story about the value of shells — more specifically, the ones that laid the groundwork for Royal Dutch Shell, the oil company.</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>Shell’s history dates to a Jewish curio shop owner in the East End of London. His name was Marcus Samuel, and in the 1830s, he was importing tropical seashells. The big thing that made him wealthy were these little gift boxes bejeweled with seashells. He thought of the idea of selling them as tourist items at beaches all around the United Kingdom. They were really, really popular.</p>
<p>One of his sons, Marcus Samuel Jr., is the one who ended up founding Shell Oil. At that time, oil was transported in cases and it sort of sloshed around. It could catch fire. It could burn ships. What Marcus Samuel Jr. did was help design the first safe oil tanker to be able to take a large amount of oil through the Suez Canal.</p>
<figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1625920211_4299_70892" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22703438,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kiKtK50enJPCwcVZG6h5RceebQA=/0x0:4598x3060/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/x8KIqRDJEPPbTCt2DUm7xYt1w0U=/0x0:4598x3060/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/g6cc4ocH_N3LSoyQi7OEE0gIuz4=/0x0:4598x3060/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Q26aT-ovgFDpLyyNVvwy7R6ORvA=/0x0:4598x3060/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qDAPDl4f5oBA3DhYAkulZBDvJLc=/0x0:4598x3060/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7oagKfOPRxqdbzeC2yUJxdhCxIg=/0x0:4598x3060/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5YOj2gekPPXeIwGKWQloWFQdQIw=/0x0:4598x3060/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-DcNr2aYcvXS7dQhf4PDSlvBpi4=/0x0:4598x3060/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/H75AcW9AAHApyZJypgcgWiOM5Vo=/0x0:4598x3060/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="4598" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eY4dsAFEMp48nuvoS09H9epGTlM=/0x0:4598x3060/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/r-ULa2XUhOKjivcSn4LaKzoX-ic=/0x0:4598x3060/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BUAi4MniWGhijIDRhB6fvgnhdys=/0x0:4598x3060/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/04Vw6I3xN_aaAmo_wLkJI6zrEAg=/0x0:4598x3060/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xVRNUjdna2NJbm-rxmJQQ-5G2jE=/0x0:4598x3060/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/po_RrOl6l2j7GIr62z2GeOc5hAY=/0x0:4598x3060/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bGyxLVIsgylJzmuoGzqnkHDkq9w=/0x0:4598x3060/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/68tBx1xlVKL51Z16dIJMosGkWJA=/0x0:4598x3060/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zHtxMF-zHuOfOJ5gWkar3pW-SZs=/0x0:4598x3060/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Z_SzccupwrtnN_RaRB9b1siLKnI=/0x0:4598x3060/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4598x3060):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703438/GettyImages_1320382234.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span>
<figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">The logo of Royal Dutch Shell is a scallop.</span></figcaption>
<span class="e-image__meta"><cite>Nathan Stirk/Getty Images</cite></span></figure>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>Is the company’s logo a scallop?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>Yeah. The first logo they had was like a homely little mussel — just really boring. The scallop is perhaps the most brilliant-ever marketing symbol. It’s been a beloved shape for most of humanity. That bright yellow scallop shell has become so iconic for Shell Oil that the company doesn’t need to use its name when it uses that logo.</p>
<p>What’s poignant about this, and another reason for doing this book, is the revelation that seashells are beginning to be impacted by acidifying and warming seas. A company that started out with a founder who loved seashells so much is now trading in a fossil fuel, whose emissions are harming the oceans and creating acidifying seas that are, in turn, harming seashells and the animals that make them.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>The increase in CO2 emissions is not only warming the oceans but increasing the level of acidity inside of them. How does that work?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in the oceans is a limiting factor for the mollusks in taking in calcium carbonate to build their shells. The carbon dioxide we’ve sent into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels has turned seawater about 30 percent more acidic than it was at the start of the industrial era. That chemical change in the ocean has begun to limit the carbonate that mollusks use to make their shells. Acidic waters can also bore into some shells, pitting them or eroding them.</p>
<p>Mollusks are also threatened by warming. Some parts of the ocean have already become too warm for the shell-making animals. But the other beautiful thing about marine mollusks is that these are incredible survivors, and they did make it through five mass extinctions.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>Shells, we now know, can represent wealth. But for many people, they are collector’s items. As you write in the book, there were these periods when shell collecting was a wildly popular hobby — there was “shell madness.” What does that look like?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>There are two really fascinating periods of crazed shell collection. One begins in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Netherlands, when these exploratory ships began to take off for the Indo-Pacific and bring back these amazing, beautiful seashells — all kinds of chambered Nautiluses, Conchs, and things that you just don’t see on the beaches of the North Sea.</p>
<p>These seashells became extremely valuable to the Dutch. Rembrandt himself got caught up in the shell madness. You had dilettantes in Holland paying more for a single seashell than they would pay for a famous Dutch master painting. That lasted for a couple of hundred years, and it sort of collapsed in the wake of the French Revolution.</p>
<figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1625920211_9140_70893" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22703446,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VmDkQVectQAE0WoyKojGL7kpV2g=/0x0:4961x3630/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mj0V6qsqI0xw3h71iaHrGp27k6M=/0x0:4961x3630/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bXytM5aDhAf7xb5ytpaS02Oq52o=/0x0:4961x3630/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9mWr8saNBmm7luknC5CEolKokq0=/0x0:4961x3630/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MqQBWTHBOTRfIUa8-WjobAkCtG0=/0x0:4961x3630/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Oq-uR5gZ45V5ODv_bV82wDJGRgc=/0x0:4961x3630/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YcJFNNvO10YKkPwVuuYMyDDg1wM=/0x0:4961x3630/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/D1Oc0dkbFTk3NVAjNJGWMPbNd9c=/0x0:4961x3630/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ET95ilqa5Gd3mV-9OryM931ovK8=/0x0:4961x3630/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="4961" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3VJiNfaSFbfdCX5ZWRNzdua1CvM=/0x0:4961x3630/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qoZcj8xIxtYRIX53wLZC4NmyrzQ=/0x0:4961x3630/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/srpPR_I0NlDpY_-EBJ-8xaLQ7VU=/0x0:4961x3630/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nDOunUrTcD9Id-1OeGMZExMK-Wo=/0x0:4961x3630/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rN_QDnZnjoQGnvfzdQhKV4eFBcw=/0x0:4961x3630/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qWnGAV366UcvwMIoZ9jeiVqEtG8=/0x0:4961x3630/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HDHjXtBbj6pjlpmTafe9dTw0DgE=/0x0:4961x3630/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Hwhyv2Nn3kCPN3AmagdvGzpNzHk=/0x0:4961x3630/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/why0OsCkXUgVyP7tkGgbSbT7L50=/0x0:4961x3630/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Mu4kiW0VMefdBjd6zsp7xBI0C1U=/0x0:4961x3630/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:4961x3630):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703446/GettyImages_549356781.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span>
<figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">Shell collectors at Lighthouse Beach on Sanibel Island in Florida.</span></figcaption>
<span class="e-image__meta"><cite>Braunger/ullstein bild via Getty Images</cite></span></figure>
<p>Another shell madness happens in the United States, post-World War II. Part of that was spurred by the number of American soldiers who served in the Pacific, in places like Palau, Guam, and Hawaii that have incredible seashells. They brought home tropical shells as souvenirs or keepsakes, and that helped spark a great excitement for seashells that lasted for a couple of decades in the United States.</p>
<p>Florida was a hotspot for that madness. People would make a pilgrimage to Sanibel Island and collect as many shells as they could. It was really a mecca because, at that time, people collected live shells and they would just fill their car trunks with seashells to bring home.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>I’m sure that smelled good.</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>There was a joke here in Florida that the best seashells to be found were just south of the Georgia line because that’s when the station wagons would begin to stink and they would have to stop and unload all the shells on the side of the road.</p>
<p>If you stayed in a beachfront motel on Sanibel Island there would be a boiling station where everybody brought the live animals to just boil them and retrieve the shells. It was a big part of shell collecting culture. That has really changed. People who would have thought nothing of taking a whole trunk full of life, say, in the 1950s or 60s, would never do that today. It’s one of those stories that gives you some hope that people can change.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>I’m curious, and this is more of a philosophical question, but why did — or still do — seashells have such a grip on us?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>I think we are fundamentally drawn to beauty. This is something that really makes us human and binds us. There’s something really mesmerizing about looking at the top of, say, a lightning whelk or certain kinds of conchs, that just have this wonderful, mesmerizing spiral. It’s something that was true 100,000 years ago, and it’s true today.</p>
<figure class="e-image"><span class="e-image__inner"><span class="e-image__image" data-original="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1625920211_8204_70894" data-cdata='{"asset_id":22703459,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nbUrRuTAy59DBlMO8HnKRVwrBDQ=/0x0:5760x3840/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OwuLKRhloSzWdGGDGgZd7IW3ip0=/0x0:5760x3840/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oU8JQpwDvxv_lWwCu1VBGl-TS1w=/0x0:5760x3840/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nsSElUGUsPROo6a0Z17kcva8PMk=/0x0:5760x3840/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NmhBDXYkOyE2Lq8J1xiiLTPQZXM=/0x0:5760x3840/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/l1fj97xXB-qg4Cz7MtcbejDUWpI=/0x0:5760x3840/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Tc4kDJOqRlrjnp_DR_zJucBhFKU=/0x0:5760x3840/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8eYYYwCzZEkJ1Ky29EqI5V2-62w=/0x0:5760x3840/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tOOW7dxQ3XTiPG8PGQrg1mIog_k=/0x0:5760x3840/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="5760" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/00nRSl3Obmru4geQ9DDLJjE1gvo=/0x0:5760x3840/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IfggEwmri814Mf73TYDR5h2cumQ=/0x0:5760x3840/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ogm0_RvZtcnBxgPe-td7jk0bVVk=/0x0:5760x3840/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZfjLDB4tLL96Wu6RiCBKMkorZ2k=/0x0:5760x3840/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BuAgP3WJGHudVj65mYGiLhbMTdI=/0x0:5760x3840/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gx0mpRCkSB6PIZnTes1UPvyuwzI=/0x0:5760x3840/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Vyf6Secn417DiGoexlc77RCaXdg=/0x0:5760x3840/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U0lgQmuqdDXqD5sOOupH2dmCglM=/0x0:5760x3840/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aLrNFNyLkFWqEUtZ2kt-8rSsh10=/0x0:5760x3840/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WElTZxWxv11Ozb_OCksNtahZBMI=/0x0:5760x3840/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5760x3840):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22703459/GettyImages_589095428.jpg 1920w" /></picture></span></span>
<figcaption><span class="e-image__meta">Lightning whelks.</span></figcaption>
<span class="e-image__meta"><cite>Getty Images/iStockphoto</cite></span></figure>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>Are you a collector?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>I am not a collector, and I know that because I followed real shell collectors around for about six years while I was working on this book. The hardcore shell collectors are known as conchologists. They’re really knowledgeable about shells and the animals that make them. Another way I know I’m not a collector is that I have a favorite shell. When I would interview conchologists, I soon found out that none of them have a favorite shell. That’s like asking them, “Who’s your favorite kid?” They just won’t answer the question.</p>
<h4><strong>Benji Jones</strong></h4>
<p>I’ve got to know, what’s your favorite shell?</p>
<h4><strong>Cynthia Barnett</strong></h4>
<p>My favorite shell is the lightning whelk. It’s this gorgeous spiraled gastropod that was also really loved by the indigenous Floridians called the Calusa. They actually built these great cities of shell in southwest Florida — all of these incredible shell structures and mounds that were later flattened for road fill and to spread on agricultural fields.</p>
<p>The lightning whelk has an unusual feature. It opens to the left, and usually, shells open to the right. If you hold a typical shell in front of you, the aperture — or the part that you hold to your ear — will be on your right, if the shell is pointing up. But in a lightning whelk, it’s on the left. It’s just a beautiful shell.</p>
<br />
<br />
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/22565750/seashells-mollusks-oceans-climate-cynthia-barnett">https://www.vox.com/22565750/seashells-mollusks-oceans-climate-cynthia-barnett</a>

vox Seashells changed the world. Now they’re teaching us about the future of the oceans.

This story is part of Down to Earth , a Vox reporting initiative on the science, politics, and economics of the biodiversity crisis. Many ...

South Korea Hits Third Straight Record High In Covid Cases

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="South Korea Hits Third Straight Record High In Covid Cases" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-02/pp3566e_south-korea-coronavirus_625x300_22_February_20.jpg" title="South Korea Hits Third Straight Record High In Covid Cases" /></div>
<p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Only about 11 percent of the country's 52 million population is fully vaccinated (File)</p>
</div>
<b class="place_cont">Seoul, South Korea:</b>
<p>South Korea reported 1,378 new coronavirus cases Saturday, a record high for the third day in a row as the country prepared to impose its highest-level curbs in the greater capital area next week.</p>
<p>The country had previously been held up as a model of how to combat the pandemic, with the public largely following social distancing and other rules, but it was slow to start its vaccine roll-out due to supply shortages.</p>
<p>More than 1,000 of the new cases were in the capital Seoul and its surrounding areas, home to around half the South Korean population.</p>
<p>Clusters have recently surfaced in areas including schools, offices and shopping malls, with people in their 20s and 30s -- most of whom are not yet eligible for vaccinations -- driving up the numbers.</p>
<p>Only about 11 percent of the country's 52 million population is fully vaccinated, according to health authorities.</p>
<p>On Friday, the country's prime minister Kim Boo-kyum said the record spike in new cases left authorities no choice but to implement the highest-level curbs.</p>
<p>Under the new restrictions, set to come into force on Monday and last for two weeks, gatherings of more than two people will be banned after 6 pm and schools will be closed.</p>
<p>Bars and clubs will be shut, while cafes and restaurants are allowed limited seating and dine-in services are prohibited after 10 pm.</p>
<p><i>(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)</i></p>
<br />
<br />
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/south-korea-hits-third-straight-record-high-in-covid-cases-2483558">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/south-korea-hits-third-straight-record-high-in-covid-cases-2483558</a>

news world South Korea Hits Third Straight Record High In Covid Cases

Only about 11 percent of the country's 52 million population is fully vaccinated (File) Seoul, South Korea: South Korea reported 1,...

WHO's Chief Scientist Warns The Pandemic Isn't Slowing Down

<div class="ins_instory_dv">
<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="WHO's Chief Scientist Warns The Pandemic Isn't Slowing Down" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-07/co4ho118_coronavirus-vaccine-bloomberg-650_625x300_10_July_21.jpg" title="WHO's Chief Scientist Warns The Pandemic Isn't Slowing Down" /></div>
<p class="ins_instory_dv_caption sp_b">Coronavirus News: WHO has urged governments to be careful when reopening</p>
</div>
<div class="highlghts_Wdgt lft-highlghts">
<h3>Highlights</h3>
<ul>
<li>Large parts of the world face oxygen shortage, said Soumya Swaminathan</li>
<li>In last 24 hours, close to 500,000 new cases have been reported, she said</li>
<li>The main reason for the increases being delta variant, slow jab rollouts</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Coronavirus infections are rising across most regions of the world as the delta variant spreads, clear evidence that the pandemic isn't on the wane, said the World Health Organization's chief scientist.</p>
<p>While vaccination levels in some countries are reducing severe cases and hospitalizations, large parts of the world face oxygen shortages, a lack of hospital beds and higher mortality, said the WHO's Soumya Swaminathan in an interview with Bloomberg Television.</p>
<p>"In the last 24 hours, close to 500,000 new cases have been reported and about 9,300 deaths -- now that's not a pandemic that's slowing down," Swaminathan said.</p>
<p>Cases are rising in five of six WHO regions, and mortality rates in Africa have jumped by 30% to 40% in two weeks, said Swaminathan. The main reason for the increases are the fast-spreading delta variant, slow vaccination rollouts globally and the <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/euro-2020-covid-look-at-euro-2020-governments-warning-on-crowds-during-pandemic-2483037?pfrom=home-coronavirus_coronavirus-lateststories_live" target="_self">relaxation</a> of safety measures like mask mandates and physical distancing rules.</p>
<p>The WHO this week urged governments to be careful when reopening so as not to put at risk the gains made. In England, remaining legal restrictions are set to be removed on July 19, and measures like wearing masks will become a personal choice. The U.S. and much of Europe have also loosened curbs as cases dropped.</p>
<p>"The idea that everyone is protected and it's kumbaya and everything goes back to normal is a very dangerous assumption right now anywhere in the world," Mike Ryan, the head of the WHO's health emergencies program, said in a media briefing on Wednesday.</p>
<p><i>(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)</i></p>
<br />
<br />
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-whos-chief-scientist-warns-the-pandemic-isnt-slowing-down-2483492">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/coronavirus-whos-chief-scientist-warns-the-pandemic-isnt-slowing-down-2483492</a>

news world WHO's Chief Scientist Warns The Pandemic Isn't Slowing Down

Coronavirus News: WHO has urged governments to be careful when reopening Highlights Large parts of the world face oxygen shortage, sa...