Dumbass Idea of the Week

A strange, orange substance washes up on the shore of a beach in Alaska.  Scientists didn't immediately know what it was, and they had to call in some algae experts to figure out just WTF was going on.  Apparently, it emits some kind of weird smell as well.  The end of the article reads:

Pictures taken by resident Mida Swan show an orange sheen across the harbor and on beaches in the village about 625 miles northwest of Anchorage.

Swan says she didn't smell anything odd when she dipped her hand into the substance.

Wat?  Dipped her hand into the substance?  Why in the holy horseshit would your first reaction be to stick your hand in some strange orange goo?  Nothing happened to her, but still, wouldn't it be a prudent move to just keep your hand out of the shit?

I guess no one ever accused Alaska of being full of scholars.