How Sperm Whales Offset Their Carbon Footprint 150
Boy Wunda writes "Scientists at Flinders University in South Australia found that in an awesome example of design by Mother Nature, Southern Ocean sperm whales offset their carbon footprint by simply defecating – an action that releases tons of iron a year and stimulates the growth of phytoplankton which absorb and trap carbon dioxide. If only we humans could say the same for our poop, which really doesn't do much more than just sit there." I'm going to do my part by buying some iron supplements and a can of chili, and heading off toward the ocean.
Re:I wonder ... (Score:4, Informative)
Or just lots of iron! What could possibly go wrong? [discovery.com]
Weren't we doing that already? (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnmMNdiCz_s#t=2m36s [youtube.com]
Re: samzenpus: (Score:2, Informative)
How about you do your part by buying a cheap .22 caliber pistol and blowing your brains out?
.22's aren't really effective at "blowing your brains out". They often tend to penetrate one side of the skull but bounce off the other end. This results in effective brain scrambling but little to no "blowing out" as the term is classically understood. If you want him to blow his brains out you should suggest that he purchase a .357 or .45 ;)
And yes, I know, *whoosh*
Newsflash! (Score:5, Informative)
Wow. Organisms that are part of a balanced ecosystem are in fact in balance with their surrounding ecosystem. What's next? The revelation that planets in orbit around the sun do not in fact fly off into space because they follow a curved path centered around the parent body? Must be a slow news day.