Cane toads were introduced to Australia in 1935 to control beetles that were damaging sugarcane fields in Queensland. The experiment failed because the toads did not eat the beetles that grew high in the cane, and they spread rapidly across northern Australia. Their toxic skin poisons many native predators, including snakes, lizards and quolls, which die after attacking or eating them. Today cane toads cover huge areas and are considered one of the country's most damaging invasive species. The case is a famous example of how a single introduction can have wide ecological consequences.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.