Britain Will Be Invaded This Summer

That's right. By an army of rubber duckies.

Fifteen years ago, a shipment of plastic bathtub toys made in China and destined for the United States was washed overboard during a violent storm in the Pacific Ocean. Since then, almost 30,000 rubber ducks, turtles, and frogs have been touring the world on the ocean's currents. First they washed ashore in Hawaii, Australia, and South America. Then, several thousand turned north and spent years frozen in the Arctic ice before they finally broke free.

Oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer has been tracking the ducks (and studying the planet's oceans and climate) since 1992. He says they've already been spotted on America's eastern shores, and it's now clear that they're headed for Britain. Be sure to look for them on the beaches of south-west England. Anyone lucky to find a yellow duck, blue turtle, or green frog labeled "The First Years" is eligible for (the equivalent of) a $100 reward!

Read more here.

(Above: Artist Florentijn Hofman's massive rubber duckie, currently located on the Loire River in France.)