With the proliferation of new technologies and multiple threats to the environment.

By responding quickly, authorities in California were able to prevent Culerpa from propagating. But another occurrence of the strain,in the coastal wetlands of southeast Australia,was left unchecked and allowed to spread.And unfortunately, a tarp cannot cover the Mediterranean Sea or the Australian coast. Invasive species are not a new problem, and can indeed occur naturally. But when such species are the results of human directed selective breeding or genetic modification and then released into the natural environment, their effect on ecosystems can be far more radical and irreversible.With the proliferation of new technologies and multiple threats to the environment, it is more important than ever for scientists to monitor and evaluate the risks and dangers, and for the rest of us to remember that what starts in our backyard can effect ecosystems half a world away.