Sea turtle hatchlings struggle through a smelly seaweed maze

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. The smelly, brown seaweed can put a damper on a day at the beach at best and hinder baby turtles on their way to the ocean at worst. Only about one in 1,000 sea turtle hatchlings survive to adulthood, and might be added to their already long list of challenges . The new findings detailed in a study published in the explores the role that this brown seaweed plays on vulnerable sea turtle populations. "For sea turtle hatchlings, reaching the ocean is already a race against time - and survival. Now, increasingly large mats of sargassum are adding new challenges to this critical journey," study co-author and Florida Atlantic University biologist Sarah Milton, said in a statement .