Researchers at the University of Georgia said Monday that more than three-quarters of the oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon drilling-rig explosion could still be in the Gulf threatening fisheries and marine life, disputing government statements that much of the oil had been safely dispersed…

“One major misconception is that oil that has dissolved into water is gone and, therefore, harmless,” said UGA marine scientist Charles Hopkinson, the senior investigator in the effort. “The oil is still out there, and it will likely take years to completely degrade.”