Nuked Coral Reef Bounces Back

sm62704 writes "I found this New Scientist article interesting, as I was actually alive (albeit very small) when Bikini Atoll was H-bombed. The article says that the reason the reefs are now flourishing is because they are mostly undisturbed by humans, who are afraid of the radiation. Background levels there are now 'similar to that at any Australian city,' while nearby islands haven't been so lucky.'When I put the Geiger counter near a coconut, which accumulates radioactive material from the soil, it went berserk,' says Maria Beger of the University of Queensland in Australia."

Comments

vacation

[ILuvRamen]

sounds like a great place to visit. I can see the ad now..."Come see the beautiful, undisturbed coral reefs. Just don't go near the irradiated coconuts!"

Re:vacation

[Anonymous Coward]

Clearly this reef is laughing at our incompetence. We need to nuke it again to show it who's boss. Otherwise the terrorists have won.

Re:vacation

[mh1997]

When I put the Geiger counter near a coconut, which accumulates radioactive material from the soil, it went berserk,

Seeing a coconut go berserk because a giger counter was near it would scare the crap out of me. No wonder nobody wants to go there. Would the coconuts act in a calm and mature manner if a tourist didn't bring a geiger counter?

Re:vacation

[frisket]

Antecedent Object references the direct object (Geiger counter), not the indirect (coconut).

A Giger counter presumably counts paintings.

Re:vacation

[jollyreaper]

Seeing a coconut go berserk because a giger counter was near it would scare the crap out of me. No wonder nobody wants to go there. Would the coconuts act in a calm and mature manner if a tourist didn't bring a geiger counter? I think the OP's problem was he used an HR Giger counter. That's been known to have some unpleasant effects.

Re:vacation

[philspear]

Well, even if they're not radioactive, coconuts are high in cholesterol.

For what it's worth, that didn't seem to be hurting pacific island groups whose diets were up to 60% coconuts (http://coconutdiet.com/cholesterol.htm), but it might still be a bad idea for western senior citizen tourists who might already have heart problems.

obvious next step

[evwah]

now we just have to bomb the shit out of Australia so our scientists can proudly proclaim "these coral reefs are far LESS radioactive than any Australian city!"

Re:obvious next step

[Marbleless]

... and nuking them would be considered as major improvements to some of our cities ;)

Re:obvious next step

[kramulous]

Great! I might get the day off work. Perhaps a little island hoping will be in order.

Re:obvious next step

[Anonymous Coward]

There's the Australian work ethic for you :P

berserk?

[polar red]

When I put the Geiger counter near a coconut, which accumulates radioactive material from the soil, it went berserk. How did You defend yourself from that coconut?

Re:berserk?

[zoogies]

We gripped it by the husk. It's a simple matter of weight ratios, really.

Re:berserk?

[Jesus_666]

Luckily the coconut had panicked the turn before and dropped its weapon - and as everyone knows, nonhuman combatants are unable to pick up a weapon once they've dropped it. The researchers proceeded to use the Stun Rod on the coconut, but it later died because the base didn't have a Containment Unit.

(Okay, so most /.ers are not going to get that one. Who cares?)

Re:berserk?

[Justabit]

wow, must have been a very strong swallow?! What type was it?

Re:berserk?

[niktemadur]

But what if he's carrying a pointed stick?

Re:berserk?

[naveenoid]

Must have been a case of kernel panic :P

Re:Really?

[snkline]

Or they could be rated AA-grade! Maybe the radiation pre-tenderizes them. Sorta like they have been cooking really really slowly their entire lives.

Re:Radiation similar to that at any Australian cit

[cheater512]

Its not too bad but it does cause some interesting side effects.

What? You thought kangaroos were natural? :P

Oblig:

[Cryacin]

You put the lime in the coconut, and drink it all up... Then die of radiation poisoning.

Yeah but..

[PinkyDead]

With the giant mutant anemones and sponges with teeth and the crushing and the laser eyes!

To people of Japan, your cities are no longer safe. Run for your lives. The coral is back, and this time it's pissed .... and mutant.

Re:Coconuts migrate on their own...

[moosesocks]

Even without husk-gripping, coconuts move... they're supposed to, thats how they get from island to island...

I think this is a note to self: do NOT eat coconuts that you find on the seashore. I wonder if anyone's realized that little issue... This is only true if the island's swallow population is sufficiently large.

Re:Nuke the hypoxic dead zones!

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe we should nuke all the worlds hypoxic dead zones! That would certainly remove the waste accumulated there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_zone_(ecology) This is a really bad idea. The only reason this coral reef is doing so well is that we scared Godzilla away from eating it. Logically, the places that have the least life were made that way by very large monsters.

It's cool

[2.7182]

that we totally defeat the Bikini Atoll in a nuclear war!! Woo go USA

It was silly though, back when US sentiment was so against Bikini Atoll, that everyone decided to change the name "Bikini" to "Freedom suit."

Re:Reality TV?

[Archimonde]

The trick would be not to tell them that food is radioactive.

You can always add some more lawyers and politicians to make things more interesting.

Just drop them off with parachutes, give them one and only instruction ("Survive"), sit back and enjoy the mayh^Hshow;)

Re:Coconuts migrate on their own...

[LordLucless]

Well, if they weren't before the nuke testing, now's their chance.

that's not the only benefit...

[Fearghaill]

Also, the island's tomacco crop has never been better!

Re:Bikini

[Anonymous Coward]

It's pretty elitist to be condescending anyone that doesn't know something like the origin of the bikini's name. You must be new here....

Swallows could make it worse

[BiggerBadderBen]

I imagine that a pair of swallows, either African or European, could take one of these coconuts quite far.

Well,

[Anonymous Coward]

if the package says, "made in china", you really might wish to re-consider.

Re:Well,

[niteice]

Wouldn't they cancel each other out?

Re:Radiation induced changes to coconuts

[snerdy]

22, dammit! I guess the radiation mutated my math, too.

Eureka!!

[Zorbane]

We have to send people? Shoot, we don't even have to get near...

...just nuke the damn things and have done. Would destroy the blasted things right quick and there would be no danger from radioactive coconu....oh...

Re:That may happen

[ozmanjusri]

Who knows where the nuts came from.

Typically Los Angeles, though they are widely distributed amongst other communities as well.

Re:Coconuts migrate on their own...

[BForrester]

"Are you suggesting that coconuts are migratory?"

Re:Radiation induced changes to coconuts

[jollyreaper]

Studying the effects of high background radiation on coconuts is hardly going provide much insight into the effects on, say, human brains. But what if they've become migratory? I think that would be of some interest.

Re:Reality TV?

[gtomorrow]

No, that's only with good ol' AMERICAN radiation do you get Incredible Hulks and Spider-men. With Russian radiation...you get CHERNOBYL! ;^)

In other words

[hcdejong]

Nuking the site from orbit is not sufficient to be sure?

Re:That may happen

[electrictroy]

>>>"Background levels at Bikini Atoll are now 'similar to that at any Australian city,'"

Note to self:
Don't visit an Australian city.

Re:That may happen

[batquux]

Coconuts tend to be blown off of trees during storms. Then they float a LONG distance. Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?

Re:Radiation induced changes to coconuts

[mdielmann]

There is a higher incidence of fatal mutation, but over all what I have read is that it hasn't had a huge impact. The three-eyed hawks seem to have no benefit, but the three-eyed mice are doing well. The deer with heads on both ends seem to have trouble deciding where to go, but the three-headed lizards are pretty fierce. One can only imagine the scoffing such stories will bring in a few millenia's time.

Re:Reality TV?

[Accipitradea]

You can put your jokes in first, I'll put mine in afterwards so they get read first. Get ready to put a joke in 3... 2... 1... go! That's your cue.