r work with special credentials. In early May, they were the first researchers to identify underwater plumes of oil forming from the BP gusher &#151; and they held on to that conclusion in the face of skepticism from the NOAA and BP, though government scientists later confirmed the existence of underwater plumes. So their take on Washington's oil-spill numbers gets special consideration. "The oil is still out there," says Hopkinson, "and will likely take years to completely degrade." <span class='see'><a hr