Darwin's Flinches

Just weeks after scientists found that an apparently harmless oil spill in the Galapagos Islands in January 2001 in fact led to a massive iguana die-off, another spill has tainted the pristine archipelago. Late last week, a small barge spilled close to 2,000 gallons of diesel near the island of Puerto Villamil, home to turtles, iguanas, and sea lions. The spill was small and no animals were immediately affected, but scientists say it is too early to say what long-term effects it will have on microorganisms and marine species. The spill also heightened fears that Ecuador does not have the resources to effectively manage the famed islands, because the country failed to devise a safer way to transport fuel to electric plants in the archipelago after last year's disaster, which sent almost 240,000 gallons of fuel into waters around the Galapagos.