It is estimated that fewer than 2,500 mature Speartoothed sharks remain in the wild. Credit: Julia Constance

Not many scientific studies sound like a Bond film, but ours really does involve lasers, sharks and doctors (of research, not the evil kind).

Sharks are not the easiest species to study, but researching their life history and ecology is vital.

Overfishing and a lack of understanding about sharks' ecology (and that of their evolutionary siblings, rays and chimeras) now mean more than one-third of these species are listed as threatened with extinction .

Given the urgent need to protect them, age estimation is a pivotal piece of information for reconstructing shark habitats and life stages, and for developing appropriate strategies and policies for their protection.

A new way to estimate shark age

Our research team has recently combined geochemistry and marine ecology to develop a new technique for estimating shark age and life history .

In the spirit of collaboration, the project team spans…