“Traces of rare mussels sensitive to pollution and thought to be on the point of extinction in France have been discovered in the Seine in Paris, raising hopes that efforts to clean up the river that bisects the French capital might be succeeding.

The findings were made after Olympic swimming events were held in the Seine last year – the first time swimming in the river has been deemed safe in a century.

Scientists looking at large water samples from eight points on the river in the city centre said they uncovered the DNA of 23 different types of mussels – including three classified as near extinct – and 36 species of fish, 10 times more than in the river in the 1960s.”

From The Guardian.