Science: Smell v. Barnacles

A little fact precious to ship operators was reported last week by Western Reserve University's Professor John Paul Visscher upon his return to Cleveland from two months among the Tortugas: barnacles, shellfish which attach themselves to ship hulls and thereby impede speed, have a sense akin to the sense of smell which makes them recoil from certain chemicals. Professor Visscher's intention is to mix a chemical of disagreeable, repellent smell into the hull paint, thus prevent barnacles clinging at all.