A bill introduced to Congress last Thursday aims to make it illegal to buy or sell shark fins in the United States. A nationwide ban would be a big boon for these top predators — fins from as many as 73 million sharks end up in the fin trade every year. But taking fins off store shelves and restaurant menus could also eliminate a human health risk. That’s because shark fins can contain high doses of neurotoxins linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other degenerative brain diseases.

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