Scientists prepare for 'the most detailed whale poo expedition ever'

Team will collect samples in the Antarctic to prove role of mammal in function of the oceans

Most people go out of their way to avoid even the faintest whiff of excrement, but a team of scientists is now preparing to voyage for seven weeks to the Antarctic so they can collect blue whale faeces and examine its impact on biodiversity and climate change.

"The most detailed whale poo expedition ever," as the participants have dubbed it, aims to test a theory that waste from the world's biggest mammal plays a far more crucial role in maintaining the productivity of southern oceans than previously believed.