Blob of the Month

For the second time in as many months — this time in a saltwater lagoon off Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey — scientists are working overtime to identify a gelatinous aquatic mass indescribable as anything other than a 'mysterious blob.' Lurking just below the surface of the water and consisting mainly of 'undulating bulbs' reminiscent of the pods from 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers,' according to the Associated Press, the New Jersey thingie gives off such a horrible stench (described as a cross between rotten eggs and decomposing flesh) that locals refuse to swim in the lagoon even though health officials have determined there's nothing toxic there. Last month's blob, the subject of much speculation after it washed up on a Chilean beach, was eventually identified as the carcass of a sperm whale. Update.