When an eight-ton, 45-foot-long sperm whale turned up dead on an Oregon beach in 1970, officials wanted to take care of it as soon as possible. So they blew it up with dynamite. And ignited a “blubber snowstorm” that sent a geyser of blood and muscle 100 feet in the air, deposited whale chunks on unsuspecting people a quarter of a mile away, and unleashed a smell that lingered for days. | Popular Science