Hydrogels are widely used materials in biomedical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and agricultural fields. However, these hydrogels are usually formed synthetically via a long and complicated process involving crosslinking natural polymers. Herein, we describe a natural hydrogel isolated using a ‘gentle’ acid treatment from the girdle of a chiton species (Chiton articulatus). This novel hydrogel is shown to have a proliferative effect on mouse fibroblast cells (cell line, L929). The swelling capacity of this natural hydrogel was recorded as approximately 1,200% in distilled water, which is within desired levels for hydrogels. Detailed characterizations reveal that the hydrogel consists predominantly (83.93%) of protein. Considering its non-toxicity, proliferative effect and swelling properties, this natural hydrogel is an important discovery for material sciences, with potential for further applications in industry. Whether the girdle has some hydrogel activity in the living animal is unknown, but we speculate that it may enable the animal to better survive extreme environmental conditions by preventing desiccation.

Growing environmental challenges worldwide and the lack of resources to tackle them require conservationists to set priorities for action. As known; protected areas will be needed as species change their distribution over time due to global climate change, drought, and complete habitat destruction. Although; conservation targets have been met for most species, some conservation features remain unprotected, especially for threatened bird species. There are certain habitat types in Aksaray province where target species belonging to different bird groups are concentrated. Herein; we identify these priority areas for conservation for the current and future estimated distributions of bird species. For this purpose; field studies have been carried out for two years (2015-2017) to represent different habitat types besides bird species detected within the borders of the province. According to our findings; three different habitats (wetland, swamp, and steppe) rich in target species were determined as priority areas for protection. In addition, five different bird species (Vanellus vanellus, Limosa limosa, Numenius arquata, Circus macrourus, Streptopelia turtur) observed in these habitats are in the Vu (Vulnerable) and NT (Near Threatened) categories according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. As a result;both the protection and monitoring of the identified habitats and taxa that directly reflect the health of the habitat will facilitate the ustainability of priority areas in future. This study could be a resource for future regulation of conservation strategies

Keratin is a fibrous, structured protein that constitutes the basis of different structures such as nails, hair, beak, wool, feathers, claws, and horns. Until now, keratin isolation has been carried out from waste wool, feather, hoof and hair. However, the development of effective techniques to obtain keratin without any damage to the secondary structure of the protein remains a challenging task. Here in, two distinct keratin isolation methods (Na2S and EDTA) were compared for the first time from Domestic Goose (Anser domesticus) feathers. Kjeldahl method was used for the determination of crude protein from the obtained keratin powders by two methods, and antioxidant activity of keratin powders was conducted. Our findings suggest that Na2S method displayed the best keratin yield (86.34%) from goose feather; however, antioxidant activity of EDTA method was nearly three times higher than Na2S method, which could be taking into consideration as a potential keratin source for future studies.