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The RMS Titanic wreck, found in 1985, is being eaten by a metal-eating bacteria called Halomonas titanicae. The bacteria can survive in harsh conditions and scientists predict the shipwreck could disappear completely in the coming decades. The discovery of this new form of bacterial life was made in 1991 by scientists at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Microbes colonize shipwrecks almost immediately after they come to rest and create sticky films called “biofilms” that attract larger animals.
When the wreck of the RMS Titanic was finally found on the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean in 1985 – about 2.3 km below the surface, after more than 3.8 years – it was in pretty good shape, all things considered. Thirty years later, however, scientists discovered that the hull of the doomed luxury liner was being eaten by a species of bacteria now known as Halomonas titanicae. This new metal-eating species can survive in the harshest conditions, such as the final resting place of the Titanic, amid crushing pressure and no sunlight. Scientists predict that the remains of the shipwreck could disappear completely in the coming decades.
The ocean floor feeders:
In 1991, scientists at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia collected icicle-like rust formations hanging from the ship. The analysis of the “rusticoli” led to the discovery of this new form of bacterial life.
Oceanographer Robert Ballard discovered the Titanic by accident. He was working on a secret US Navy project, looking for the wrecks of two nuclear submarines that sank during the Cold War.
Microbes colonize shipwrecks almost immediately after they come to rest. Microbes create sticky films called “biofilms” on every surface. These films are beneficial to corals, sponges and molluscs, which attract larger animals.
