The earrings are only a couple of inches long, but the masterfully carved salmon look like they’ve leaped from the water to whisper in the wearer’s ear. Their glowing red hues and iridescent ...

Jewelers may prize abalone shells for their mother-of-pearl, but scientists have long been equally enchanted by the shell’s strength. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have used a ...

In the summer of 1983, I taught a field methods in underwater archaeology course for the USC History Department, with the classes and diving all at USC’s field station at Big Fisherman Cove on ...

Sharks, red tide and scuba diving: That's enough to keep me from scouring the frigid waters of Northern California for abalone (and I can already hear the cries of gratitude from the wet-suiters who ...

An abalone shell is made of thousands of layers of "tiles" made of calcium carbonate (more commonly known as chalk). A key to the strength of the abalone shell is a protein adhesive that binds to the ...