August 01, 2006

A Primeval Tide of Toxins "Runoff from modern life is feeding an explosion of primitive organisms. This 'rise of slime' is killing larger species and sickening people." A long article from the LA Times.

"It comes up like little boils," said Randolph Van Dyk, a fisherman whose powerful legs are pocked with scars. "At nighttime, you can feel them burning. I tried everything to get rid of them. Nothing worked." As the weed blanketed miles of the bay over the last decade, it stained fishing nets a dark purple and left them coated with a powdery residue. When fishermen tried to shake it off the webbing, their throats constricted and they gasped for air. After one man bit a fishing line in two, his mouth and tongue swelled so badly that he couldn't eat solid food for a week. Others made an even more painful mistake, neglecting to wash the residue from their hands before relieving themselves over the sides of their boats.

posted by the quidnunc kid 18 years ago
  • Why didn't Al Gore warn us about this???
  • man, we are so fucked.
  • Gaia's revenge: the rise of the slime.
  • Stop complaining and eat your jellyfish.
  • Scientist Judith O'Neil put a tiny sample under a microscope and peered at the long black filaments. Consulting a botanical reference, she identified the weed as a strain of cyanobacteria, an ancestor of modern-day bacteria and algae that flourished 2.7 billion years ago. O'Neil, a biological oceanographer, was familiar with these ancient life forms, but had never seen this particular kind before. What was it doing in Moreton Bay? Why was it so toxic? Why was it growing so fast? Sir Q, yer harshin' my buzz, man.
  • cyanobacteria used to help other bacteria get dates.
  • You mean the blue-green guys with the big noses?
  • yep, they'd write love poetry and stuff for the other germs.
  • Ah, but once they perfect some genetically altered organism to eat those, everything will be all right... uh-oh.
  • A scary and depressing read, Quid. If only the slime had a taste for plastic.
  • Thanks, islander, for another reminder of where we're headed. Most human beings can be counted on to do what's easy, not what's right. As a person who lives simply and consciously while surrounded by unbelievable waste (and believe me, I'm sure I still manage to contribute to this nightmare simply by being part of America), there is no depth to my horror, or my frustration at the continued triumph of greed over common sense. Since leadership is now determined by wealth, and wealth usually goes to the greedy... I don't think we can hope for dramatic change until it's far too late (it may be already). America needs to get over its consumer-culture-driven wastefulness. Thanks, quidnunc, for the thought-provoking read.
  • *weeps* Ocean pox. Jesus Christ, man.
  • could add a hundred (ok mild exaggeration) of this kind of link from here right now - worst of it is - Govt kept lying about toxin levels and safety - feel free to research further and,yes it is all about runoff mess
  • Pretty scary, innit? Lot's of NotMe attitude on this planet.
  • Well I for one certainly don't have a "NotMe" attitude.
  • What about when they came 'round asking who took the cakes?
  • Oh, that was me. Sorry.
  • mmm-Hm!