Algae toxin may erase sea lion memory: study

A toxin in algae may be erasing the memory of sea lions, which wash ashore by the hundreds each year off the coast of California, disoriented and suffering seizures, scientists said Monday. Known as domoic acid, the substance is produced naturally by marine algae, but can harm sea lions' ability to navigate the waters and remember where to find food, said the findings in the journal Science. When sea lions eat these fish, they can become infected with high levels of the toxin.