/ Smell Content for 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis en /news/why-do-seabirds-eat-plastic-answer-stinks <p>We know plastic in the ocean is a problem. But why do seabirds eat marine plastic in the first place?&nbsp;A 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Davis study found that&nbsp;marine plastic debris emits the scent of a sulfurous compound that some seabirds have relied upon for thousands of years to tell them where to find food.&nbsp;This olfactory cue essentially tricks the birds into confusing marine plastic with food.</p> November 09, 2016 - 10:20am Katherine E Kerlin /news/why-do-seabirds-eat-plastic-answer-stinks