Picture the saddest thing you can think of. Now imagine a sea turtle with only one flipper, who's stuck swimming in a never-ending counterclockwise circle -- over and over, round and round, getting absolutely nowhere. Which sucks worse?

That's the fate of Allison, an injured sea turtle discovered by tourists off the Texas coast. The unfortunate amphibian was missing three of her flippers -- most likely lost after a run-in with a motor boat -- but has been kept alive with antibiotics and force-feedings of squid. Her life, such as it is, could go on indefinitely in captivity, round and round, round and round, but with even two flippers she might have a chance of a semi-normal existence back in the wild.

Subsequently, she's on the hunt for a prosthetic replacement.

Professors at the University of Texas are on the job, creating the turtle limb in the same way they'd make a nose or an ear -- then testing it in sea water to make sure it won't dissolve in the ocean.

So keep your eyes peeled next time you're vacationing in the gulf. You might just catch a glimpse of the bionic turtle! Now, if only Allison could solve crimes and fight criminals -- we'd have ourselves a mini-series.