Beware Of The Blob

As sea temperatures have risen in recent decades, enormous sheets of a mucus-like material have begun forming more often, oozing into new regions, and lasting longer. And the blobs may be more than just unpleasant. Until now, the light-brown 'mucus' was seen as mostly a nuisance, clogging fishing nets and covering swimmers with a sticky gel.

But a new study found that Mediterranean mucilages harbor bacteria and viruses, including potentially deadly E. coli. Those pathogens threaten human swimmers as well as fish and other sea creatures.



Article National Geographic.