Lost at sea

Can the white specks spotted in the Indian Ocean come from the wreckage of Flight MH370? Or are they just ocean debris – the flotsam of globalisation? Scientists say it is virtually impossible to conclude anything from the images alone. For them, the hunt for the plane has only emphasised how little we know of the waters that cover two-thirds of the planet’s surface – a knowledge as shallow as the oceans are deep. Analysis for the BBC News website.