Oysters for Pollution Control

Miners kept canaries in cages with them in the coal mines to detect poisonous gases. In many cases these little yellow birds have been known to save human lives by providing an early warning system for the miners. Now the humble oyster may do the same for researchers studying the ocean.

Oysters are most popularly known as food that promotes amore. However, the scientists in the know have realized that they are also very good at providing an early warning system for an increase in hydrocarbons in the waters. Electrodes attached to the oysters are able to show that even the slightest difference in the levels of hydrocarbons is registered promptly.

This can be useful information when dealing with possible catastrophes such as oil spills caused by tiny infrastructure cracks in the surface of the ocean. They also are able to monitor the levels of natural gas present in the water. These details can make a huge difference when traversing the ocean for commercial purposes.

How exactly the oyster’s unique ability to track these minute changes in the levels of hydrocarbons will help in the future, is the focus of a scientific study currently being conducted by the University of Bordeaux and the CNRS scientific institute in France.