Scientists have determined that a black substance that had settled near the shore line over several days at a beach in Maine is made up of millions of dead bugs.
Smith was concerned that the substance could be toxic and sent photos of it to an official at Maine s Department of Environmental Protection. The official passed the picture along to others, hoping somebody could shed some light on what was covering the sandy beach.
Steve Dickson, a marine geologist with Maine Geological Survey, saw the photos and was stumped as well, so he reached out to
Linda Stathoplos and J
ohn Lillibridge, retired oceanographers who live near Wells Beach. They went to the beach and collected samples, and after examining them under a microscope, discovered the substance was made up of the carcasses of dead insects.