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Penguin Poop Seen From Space

Posted by samzenpus on from the don't-eat-the-brown-ice dept.

Scientists have found ten new emperor penguin colonies by spotting their skid marks on the Antarctic ice from satellite images (video on page). The ice around the penguins gets very dirty because they congregate in a small area in very large colonies for months. Peter Fretwell, Mapping Expert, British Antarctic Survey says, "What we find is that we can see the guano (excrement) from space. They stay in the same space in very large colonies for eight months of the year and the ice around them gets very dirty, and it's that that we can see on the satellite images."

14 of 86 comments (clear)

  1. Someone needs to set up a cron job... by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...to automatically purge their logs.

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  2. I went ahead and by gcnaddict · · Score: 5, Funny

    I modded-up the article as "fresh."

    Not sure if that helps.

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  3. huh. by TrebleJunkie · · Score: 5, Funny

    And somehow, we're the ones blamed for polluting the planet.

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    Ed R.Zahurak

    You know, oblivion keeps looking better every day.

  4. I think every guy everywhere... by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...must bow their head in awe at a poop that's visible from orbit.

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  5. Now there's something! by ViennaSt · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...the BBC documentary Planet Earth skipped over. No, it was all pristine, white landscape with cute penguins huddled together. Not once did they show a dirty red-brown shitty trail aftermath of their voyage. Next time I watch that, I'm going to look very closely at the background.

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    "Engineering. Where the noble, semi-skilled laborers execute the vision of those who think and dream." -Sheldon
    1. Re:Now there's something! by ViennaSt · · Score: 4, Funny

      Too bad they published this before Planet Earth was filmed. Otherwise, Attenborough could be all, "These penguins create such a great trial of excrement, it can be seen from space. In fact, if this excrement was edible, it could sustain an entire village of people for 5 years..."

      --
      "Engineering. Where the noble, semi-skilled laborers execute the vision of those who think and dream." -Sheldon
  6. Hey! Look! by TrebleJunkie · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think there's an emperor penguin colony in my underpants!

    --

    Ed R.Zahurak

    You know, oblivion keeps looking better every day.

  7. I'm sure by Cornwallis · · Score: 3, Funny

    a similar observation could be made about Congress.

  8. Re:guano != poop by Locke2005 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Never before has any slashdot post been more deserving of an "anal-retentive" tag!

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    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  9. Re:Oh, really? by Volante3192 · · Score: 3, Funny

    You have more than one word on stop signs in your area?

  10. Re:Yes, but how does it rate? by Ponga · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dude, that is SO offensive. And I can't stop looking!

  11. Re:So, does this allow us to monitor the colonies? by Volante3192 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Number of penguins eaten by polar bears on a yearly basis: zero.

    Wrong side of the planet.

  12. Shoot all the penguins by Quila · · Score: 4, Funny

    That dark guano is going to absorb more sunlight and accelerate global warming and the melting of the ice!

    We must preserve the home of the penguins, or they'll have nowhere to live.

    Oops, we just shot them all.

    Never mind.

  13. If penguin poo is visible from orbit... by sdnoob · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...the bullshit in Washington D.C. must be visible from Mars.