NASA scientists Maury Estes and Mohammad Al-Hamdan have been seafaring in the Gulf of Mexico, and one of them grew a bit green around the gills. It's not surprising that a space agency scientist might have trouble getting his sea legs, but what was he doing out there in the surf to begin with?

A wildlife expert said a 12-foot alligator that cleared a Dauphin Island, Ala., beach swam through the Gulf of Mexico to the island because he is blind. Wildlife Specialist Gary Casper said he was called by Marine Police after beachgoers spotted the reptile emerging from the water and vacated the beach, WALA-TV, Mobile, Ala., reported Thursday. It's a public safety hazard; a 12-foot alligator during tourist season on Dauphin Island on the beach when people are day and night swimming, Casper said. He said while this was the third gator sighting on Casper Island this summer, the incident represented a special case. He was blind, Casper said of the reptile.

With their sedentary lifestyles and filter-feeding habits, clams have been silent witnesses to the changes that humans have inflicted upon their waters.

By Rob Young During moments like these, the country understandably feels sympathy for those who have lost property in the wake of Hurricane Ike. But there is an important question that should be raised while the nation's attention is once again focused on billions of dollars in damage.

By Story by Sally Walker Davies Along the Alabama Gulf Coast, the water is emerald green, the beaches soft and white. The atmosphere is casual, for sure - but there's no lack of sophistication in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and the surrounding communities.