According to information made available on Friday, December 16, 2011, a mysterious web-like growth has formed on nuclear waste in South Carolina. The substance may actually be biological in nature, but it has eluded identification thus far.
The amazing discovery was made by Scientists at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site. They spotted the unusual substance on the racks of the facility's spent nuclear fuel assemblies. The growth has been compared to cob-webs or spider webs in both texture and appearance.
According to io9.com, here's what the the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board had to say about the unsettling discovery:
" . . . the growth, which resembles a spider web, has yet to be characterized, but may be biological in nature . . . further evaluation still needs to be completed."
The unidentified growth actually formed underwater within pools that are 17-30 feet deep. The nuclear waste is submerged in these pools to protect workers from radiation. It will be interesting to learn the identity of these web-like formations.
This situation in South Carolina is vaguely reminiscent of the time a mysterious orange goo washed ashore in Alaska. In that case, the alien sustance turned out to be nothing more than fungal spores. The substance is South Carolina will likely have a similarly logical explanation.
For more information on nuclear waste, please check out the 2010 documentary "INTO ETERNITY (Nuclear Waste)" on the left side of this page.
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