Why in news?
-
Researchers have found rubbery sea creature.
-
It has irritating habit of clinging to ships and invading beaches.
-
It could help measure plastic pollution as it can filter tiny particles from the ocean and store them in its soft tissue.
More in news
What is it?
-
Ascidian round, palm-sized animals also known as sea squirts
-
It can thrive in dirty industrial areas and pristine waters alike.
-
This allow them to detect and analyse waste and its impact in various regions.
-
Sea squirts just sit in one place all their life and filter the water like a pump.
One truck every minute:
-
Staggering amount of plastic flows into the ocean each year.
-
According to UN, it is like truck full of plastic dumped every minute.
-
This could lead to oceans carrying more plastic than fish in 30 years.
Source
The Hindu