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As much as 1.1 million gallons of oil may have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico‚ according to the US Coast Guard (USCG)‚ after an oil sheen was spotted off the southeast coast of Louisiana last Thursday. Whilst a task force overseen by the USGC is attempting to mitigate the impact of the spill‚ there are concerns about how it could affect wildlife in these waters. The oil leak was initially reported by the Third Coast Midstream pipeline company‚ and an overflight later that day confirmed a slick 4.8 to 6.4 kilometers (3 to 4 miles) wide. Since that time‚ skimming vessels have been deployed to recover oil from the surface and remotely operated vehicles and divers have teamed up to identify the source of the leak.   IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The USCG has stated that “the cause of the incident is under investigation.” Though not yet confirmed‚ it’s thought that the leak may have originated from the Main Pass Oil Gathering (MPOG) company's (owned by Third Coast Midstream) pipeline system. The pipeline‚ which was closed on Thursday morning before the spill was reported‚ is 108 kilometers (67 miles) in length; around a third of that has been inspected‚ but a source is yet to be identified. Although initial calculations from the USCG suggest that up to 1.1 million gallons of crude oil may have been released‚ the exact volume isn’t known. “We're not saying that was the exact amount‚” said Capt. Kelly Denning‚ commanding officer for the Coast Guard’s New Orleans sector‚ in a press briefing reported by NOLA.com. “We are not going to know the exact amount of oil that was discharged into the Gulf of Mexico until we find the source.”In the meantime‚ the USCG has stated that “the Unified Command is coordinating with federal‚ state and local agencies to ensure the safety of the public‚ protect the environment‚ and respond to the incident.”  IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.No injuries to people have been reported as a result of the leak‚ but there are concerns about the impact it may have on wildlife‚ both in water and if the oil reaches the shore. The Gulf of Mexico is home to many endangered species‚ including Rice’s whales‚ which were hit hard by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.“Ocean wildlife will almost certainly pay a terrible price for this huge pipeline spill‚ which is less an accident than an entirely predictable consequence of offshore oil operations‚” said Kristen Monsell of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Oceans program in a post to X (formerly known as Twitter).In a statement released on Tuesday‚ the USCG reported that both wildlife and shoreline assessments conducted on the same day had not observed any shoreline oiling‚ nor any oiled wildlife. However‚ a Wildlife Hotline Number has been established in case such an incident does occur.“The Coast Guard continues to oversee the coordinated effort to mitigate the impact of the oil discharge.”

Seychelles is a dream holiday location for many‚ but early in the 20th century‚ it was a popular hunting ground for whalers. Luckily‚ in 1978‚ the Republic of Seychelles successfully lobbied to protect the Indian Ocean from whaling. Until now‚ it was unknown if blue whales even came back to this area‚ but scientists have now confirmed their return.Over two seasons (November 2020 and 2021)‚ scientists from the Florida International University‚ Oregon State University‚ and the University of Seychelles investigated an area of the ocean where there had been previous opportunistic sightings of blue whales back in October 2017. The team conducted visual surveys and a diver-deployed acoustic recorder that could obtain year-round recordings.The team was able to record 23 species‚ including the confirmation that blue whales now visit the area‚ specifically‚ the pygmy blue whale (one of four subspecies we know to exist).The first Seychelles blue whale sighting.Image credit: James Loudon © Big Blue Films"It is remarkable to know that the largest animal on earth swims here‚" Dr Jeremy Kiszka‚ a biology professor at Florida International University and a research associate at the Island Biodiversity and Conservation Centre at the University of Seychelles‚ said in a statement emailed to IFLScience."Never in my life would I have imagined that the biggest animal on planet earth cruises our oceans here in Seychelles‚" said Dillys Pouponeau‚ a research assistant at the SOSF D’Arros Research Centre. “To me this was big news because it reflects the productivity of our oceans. It shows how regulations have helped to protect this species after whaling.”The team were also able to identify which blue whale population the whales belonged to – the northern Indian Ocean. They found that these populations spend months in the region (primarily during March and April) and possibly could even be breeding there to produce their cute calves."This means the Seychelles could be really important for blue whales‚" Dr Kate Stafford‚ one of the lead investigators‚ told the BBC. "They sing during the breeding season and we think it's probably the males who are singing‚ based on what we know about other whales."A blue whale spotted close to shore at D’Arros Island.Image credit: Justin Blake © Save Our Seas FoundationIt comes as welcome news for an area that holds a deadly past for these mammals‚ having previously been an opportunistic whaling ground for ships traveling to and from the Antarctic. In the 1960s‚ whalers killed 500 blue whales near Seychelles and it's estimated that they removed over 12‚000 pygmy blue whales from the Indian Ocean as a whole.Despite restrictions on whaling‚ and other conservation areas having seen blue whale numbers bounce back‚ experts believe that there is more work to be done to ensure the survival of these gentle giants.“Blue whales are protected because they are no longer legally hunted‚ but they still face a range of threats‚" explained Kiszka. "Shipping traffic causes noise pollution and can lead to collisions. Climate change is changing the distribution and abundance of their key food‚ krill.”The study is published in Endangered Species Research.

The universe‚ already impressively big compared to say‚ a planet or Tom Cruise‚ is expanding. According to the cosmic microwave background‚ this expansion is happening at the rate of about 67.5 kilometers (41.9 miles) per second per megaparsec (3‚260‚000 light-years). Meanwhile‚ measuring the distance of Cepheids stars leaves us with an estimated expansion rate of 73 kilometers (45.3 miles) per second per megaparsec.The discrepancy between those numbers and our failure to explain the acceleration of the expansion of the universe with current models is one of the biggest problems in physics‚ but this expansion also has implications for our view of the universe. Rather than merely giving more for us to love‚ the expansion of the universe means that we will see a smaller and smaller part of it as time goes on‚ with further objects being kept forever out of reach from our point of view.We can only see light that has made it to our vantage point‚ meaning that there is a limit to how much of the universe we can see (known as the observable universe) as the light has not yet made it to us. In a static universe‚ the only thing stopping us from seeing those distant objects (as well as the Doppler effect) is the time it takes to get to us. In a static universe‚ as time went on‚ we would detect more and more light from distant objects and our Hubble horizon – the amount of universe we can observe – would grow.           However‚ our best theories tell us that we are in an expanding universe. For now‚ our observable universe will continue to grow with the light from distant stars that can reach us‚ but has not had the time to reach us; one estimate says that we have only observed around 43 percent of the galaxies that we will eventually be able to observe as their light reaches us.As the universe expands (as it does in a universe with dark matter and dark energy‚ the best explanation we have of the universe at the moment) that changes. The distance between us and all other stars increases‚ and our observable universe shrinks‚ giving us less to observe and play with as time drags on. In the universe we believe we are in‚ more distant objects will disappear from our view faster and faster.In one idea‚ to be filed under "unlikely but fun to think about"‚ the observable universe could be bigger than the universe itself. If it were small enough‚ and sufficient time had passed‚ light from objects would reach us from several different directions. This would mean that in a flat universe we could think we are seeing objects far in the distant reaches of the universe‚ when really we are seeing the light of a near (or nearer) object that has reached us from the other direction. Teams have looked for evidence of this in the form of duplicated circles in the cosmic microwave background‚ though no evidence has been found to support the idea‚ suggesting the universe is indeed bigger than the observable universe. We will never know what the rest of it looks like.

Through ups and downs‚ and more comebacks than just about anyone in rock history‚ the singer-songwriter's catalog has something for just about everyone. Continue reading…

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