Sunday, August 28, 2011

Three-Eyed Fish Caught Near Argentine Power Plant

Photo courtesy: infobae.com

Way back in 1990, an episode of The Simpsons, a wildly-popular cartoon in N. America, introduced Blinky, a mutated orange fish with three-eyes caught in the waters near the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, emblematic of mean Mr. Burns' callousness towards the environment -- and now, it seems, life has imitated cartoon. Recently, a group of fisherman on a lake in the Cordoba province of Argentina reeled in a fish that had an extra eye. And it just so happens that the lake this three-eyed fish was caught in is situated right next to a nuclear power plant, too.

According to Infobae.com, the lake where the three-eyed fish was caught is a reservoir where hot water from the nuclear facility is pumped, and that folks living nearby have started to grow worried after seeing undeniable evidence of mutation. Never had such a fish been seen there before.

"We were fishing and we got the surprise of getting this rare specimen. As it was dark at that time we did not notice, but then you looked at him with a flashlight and saw that he had a third eye," said fisherman Julian Zmutt of his unusual discovery.

Considering the ecological ramifications, and threat of widespread disaster, posed by nuclear power plants, it's no wonder that they seem far less of a viable option to fullfil the world's energy needs as does renewable sources like wind and solar. But of course, we've known that for a while.

Perhaps where a bit of foresight failed, three-sight will prevail.

No comments: