Mystery Goo in Alaska Could Be Another New Species

July 16, 2009 02:00 PM
by Haley A. Lovett

Scientists think that samples of the smelly blackish goo floating off the coast of Wainwright, Alaska, will show that the glob is made up of organic matter.

Experts, Residents Have Never Seen Anything Like Alaskan Goo

Scientists and members of the Coast Guard who have seen the globs of goo say that it is definitely not an oil spill, as was thought based on initial reports. “It has no characteristics of an oil, or a hazardous substance,” Terry Hasenauer of the Coast Guard told Don Hunter of the Anchorage Daily News.

Area official Gordon Brower told the Daily News that no one in the area can remember ever seeing anything like the dark mass of goo floating in the Ocean, which prompted concern among locals. The mass has been tangling up jellyfish and birds, and appears to have “hairy strands” in it. Some have speculated that it may be a new type of algae, but for the most part officials are reluctant to speculate until test results come back. If the matter turns out to be an animal, it could join the list of the Weirdest Creatures on Earth.

In March of this year scientists in Yellowstone discovered a new type of algae that could detoxify arsenic in the environment, giving them new hope about the possibility of organisms surviving in harsh environments, and potentially on other planets.

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/science/2009/july/Mystery-Goo-in-Alaska-Could-Be-Another-New-Species-.html