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'Killer slime' has closed beaches in France


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Hmm.  Generally, yes, some seaweeds and particularly algal 'blooms' do indeed emit toxic compounds and as a rule you should stay well away from any sort of slime, or water that has a 'film' on it..  Swimming in an affected area can causes rashes or worse, and ingesting it could cause sickness or death.  People who farm / harvest oysters and other seafood have to be incredibly careful that their foodstuffs aren't deadly - most countries have good testing regimes and safeguards in place.

This sea lettuce stuff emits Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) aka 'rotten egg gas'..... However, it hasn't been proven to be the cause of the deaths, and frankly, most people who get even a tiny whiff of H2S will not hang around and continue their sunbathing.  Maybe they fell asleep?  More tests should follow.

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I love the use of the adjective 'unassuming' to describe this algae.  I'm no professor of literature but I have read several books (without pictures!) and can't remember anywhere this word has been used to describe anything except people.  To me 'unassuming' describes someone who just gets on with life, doesn't draw attention to themself, isn't flamboyant and doesn't crave attention, e.g. me.  

I wouldn't have associated this word with anything inanimate or non-sentient, but it perfectly describes a toxic slime that masquerades as harmless erm... slime.  Bravo to the journalist who added this to the original article!  I note that the Fox News report claims this algae "can kill you in seconds" without elaborating on how.  Perhaps you slip on it and crack your skull on a rock, then drown in three inches of unassuming water?

Again, w.r.t. the Fox article - both photos carry the same lazy addition to the captions: "Fifty years after their appearance, green algae still arouse anger and associations call for more restrictive measures."  If an annual bloom of huge, (obvious), green, murderous algae has been killing friends and relatives "in seconds" for the past fifty years I might also bit a trifle miffed.  I might even write to my local councillor!  (Or the French equivalent.)  "Dear Bob: This simply isn't cricket anymore - someone ought to do something sometime soon.  Sincerely, Tom."  There!  That'll learn 'em unassuming eukaryotes!

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40 minutes ago, Tom1200 said:

I love the use of the adjective 'unassuming' to describe this algae.  I'm no professor of literature but I have read several books (without pictures!) and can't remember anywhere this word has been used to describe anything except people.  To me 'unassuming' describes someone who just gets on with life, doesn't draw attention to themself, isn't flamboyant and doesn't crave attention, e.g. me.  

I wouldn't have associated this word with anything inanimate or non-sentient, but it perfectly describes a toxic slime that masquerades as harmless erm... slime.  Bravo to the journalist who added this to the original article!  I note that the Fox News report claims this algae "can kill you in seconds" without elaborating on how.  Perhaps you slip on it and crack your skull on a rock, then drown in three inches of unassuming water?

Again, w.r.t. the Fox article - both photos carry the same lazy addition to the captions: "Fifty years after their appearance, green algae still arouse anger and associations call for more restrictive measures."  If an annual bloom of huge, (obvious), green, murderous algae has been killing friends and relatives "in seconds" for the past fifty years I might also bit a trifle miffed.  I might even write to my local councillor!  (Or the French equivalent.)  "Dear Bob: This simply isn't cricket anymore - someone ought to do something sometime soon.  Sincerely, Tom."  There!  That'll learn 'em unassuming eukaryotes!

These algae blooms are be coming more and frequent around the world. They contaminate shellfish making them very poisonous to humans.

Hey Tom, I don't think you have read the forum rules yet because your new. When you post to a thread your suppose to stay on topic. Now I am not trying to call you out, I am only attempting help so that you understand for the future.

Take care Tom 

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19 minutes ago, Manwon Lender said:

These algae blooms are be coming more and frequent around the world. They contaminate shellfish making them very poisonous to humans.

Hey Tom, I don't think you have read the forum rules yet because your new. When you post to a thread your suppose to stay on topic. Now I am not trying to call you out, I am only attempting help so that you understand for the future.

Take care Tom 

I think Tom's post was within the bounds of "on topic" :) 

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17 minutes ago, RoofGardener said:

I think Tom's post was within the bounds of "on topic" :) 

I suppose I read it wrong more than half of it was about someone using a word out of context, I can't even understand how he caught it, did you read what he wrote.

take care

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55 minutes ago, Manwon Lender said:

I suppose I read it wrong more than half of it was about someone using a word out of context, I can't even understand how he caught it, did you read what he wrote.

take care

It WAS somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I understand what he was trying to say, and it DOES make sense. :) 

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10 hours ago, Manwon Lender said:

Hey Tom, I don't think you have read the forum rules yet because your new. When you post to a thread your suppose to stay on topic. Now I am not trying to call you out, I am only attempting help so that you understand for the future.

 

9 hours ago, RoofGardener said:

It WAS somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but I understand what he was trying to say, and it DOES make sense. :) 

Hi guys,

Thanks for the feedback - I'm always willing to listen and occasionally to learn.

I don't think I drifted too far off topic?  Surely that rule is there to stop every discussion descending into a screaming match between those who think the pyramids are giant batteries for a force-field that keeps us hidden from the Martians, and those who blame Trump for the Atlanteans eating all the dinosaurs.  Having said that... I'm fairly certain it was the Atlanteans who bioengineered toxic algae, which they sold to the Egyptians to power their pyramids.  Piney told me, so it must be true.

XxX

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58 minutes ago, Tom1200 said:

 

Hi guys,

Thanks for the feedback - I'm always willing to listen and occasionally to learn.

I don't think I drifted too far off topic?  Surely that rule is there to stop every discussion descending into a screaming match between those who think the pyramids are giant batteries for a force-field that keeps us hidden from the Martians, and those who blame Trump for the Atlanteans eating all the dinosaurs.  Having said that... I'm fairly certain it was the Atlanteans who bioengineered toxic algae, which they sold to the Egyptians to power their pyramids.  Piney told me, so it must be true.

XxX

Tom, you are right I was out of line in my comments I apologize.

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Looks like a form of blanket weed to me, which in fresh water strangles fish. It�s like winding in candy floss. Horrible stuff.

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37 minutes ago, Manwon Lender said:

Tom, you are right I was out of line in my comments I apologize.

No need for that, mate.  To tell the truth I hadn't read the rules.  Rules are just like instructions for flat-pack furniture: there to be read after you've already had a go and cocked it up.

If anything I'm probably most guilty of breaking rule 

2g. Language: As this is an English speaking site we ask that our members post only in English.  

since most of the time I just talk gibberish.

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On 9/10/2019 at 4:39 PM, Tom1200 said:

There!  That'll learn 'em unassuming eukaryotes!

Welcome aboard, are you by any chance a Major? 

Sincerely, 

A small niche above presumptuous amoebas

~

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To summarise, this article seems to have got a lot of wires crossed..  oh wait, it's Fox...

1. Sea lettuce (Ulva sp.) is generally harmless and in fact most varieties are edible.  It is a pretty normal seaweed that attaches to rocks and does not drift around like algal blooms do..

2. Like many such marine seaweeds, it may grow rapidly where there are lots of nutrients or polluted water.

3. Like many such marine seaweeds, when it *dies and rots* it may produce H2S, which is a very smelly, poisonous gas.  That gas can cause illness or death, but that is rare, coz it stinks and most people would leave the area...

4. Rotting seaweed is NOT really an 'algal bloom' in the normal sense of that phrase....

Edited by ChrLzs
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18 hours ago, third_eye said:

Welcome aboard, are you by any chance a Major? 

Do you think that because I'm dull and have no friends I might be John Major?

Well, I'm not.  I don't even like peas.

(Only people of a certain genre will get the reference!  Spitting Image was a disrespectful caricature puppet show on UK TV in the 1980s.  John Major was PM for a while1; his puppet was dull grey, enjoyed peas, said "Oh yes" after every sentence and was generally as dull and forgettable as the man himself.)

Yes, I'm new here, and starting to find my feet.  And I'm overawed by the breadth of knowledge displayed on this site and feel I have little intellectual to input, so at the moment my posts are more flippant and irrelevant than useful.  But I hope in time I might make a worthwhile contribution to some discussion, and who knows? even teach someone something?

I'm also impressed by the tenacity of certain individuals who try to push niche ideas, against the overwhelming weight of arguments to the contrary.  Perhaps some day one of these contributors will manage to articulate a bold and challenging idea that actually changes conventional wisdom?  I'm one who hopes and believes there is a huge amount of archaeology out there yet to discover, and any day a new 'Göbekli Tepe' will be found that throws doubt on the established order.

I've just researched2 him and he was PM for nearly seven years!  In fact he won the 1992 General Election - something I'd completely forgotten.  Respect to the man-in-grey!

2 I've used that word to make me appear clever.  Of course all I've done is Googled his name and skimmed the Wiki article.

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2 minutes ago, Tom1200 said:

Do you think that because I'm dull and have no friends I might be John Major?

Spare the political leanings, I was insinuating to the tune... Major Tom of space oddity ...

Quote

Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
Ground Control to Major Tom (ten, nine, eight, seven, six)…

:yes:

~

Welcome aboard again... 

Though I am rather befuddled by your aversion to peas, did you mean canned or fresh peas? 

~

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13 hours ago, Tom1200 said:

Yes, I'm new here, and starting to find my feet.  And I'm overawed by the breadth of knowledge displayed on this site and feel I have little intellectual to input, so at the moment my posts are more flippant and irrelevant than useful.  But I hope in time I might make a worthwhile contribution to some discussion, and who knows? even teach someone something?

Welcome from me too, I quite enjoy what you have posted so far, so keep it up.  And I'm sure you too have a niche or two and can share your expertise!

Me, I'm into aerial phenomena, photography/photogrammetry, the wonder (and the failings) of the human mind... and, perhaps strangely, marine biology. :D

 

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The minute I saw the title, the movie The Blob came to my mind. :o

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