Justin Gillis And Leslie Kaufman Nyt News Service

On the rocky beaches of Alaska, scientists plunged shovels and picks into the ground and dug 6,775 holes, repeatedly striking oil - still pungent and dangerous a dozen years after the Exxon Valdez infamously spilled its cargo. (In pic: Fire boats battled a fire at the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon on April 21, in the Gulf of Mexico)More...

On the rocky beaches of Alaska, scientists plunged shovels and picks into the ground and dug 6,775 holes, repeatedly striking oil - still pungent and dangerous a dozen years after the Exxon Valdez infamously spilled its cargo. (In pic: Fire boats battled a fire at the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon on April 21, in the Gulf of Mexico)More...