Found life under the wreck of the Titanic

A bacterium never seen before was discovered in the wreck of the Titanic deep in the ocean.

Rust molecules are the home of many types of bacteria.

The group of Halomonas titanicae is found in rust molecules - tiny porous structures of honeycomb formation on rusty iron. Many bacteria and fungi live in these sophisticated structures.

Samples of rust molecules taken from Titanic were first collected in 1991 by two robot submarines. Researchers at Dalhousie University and the Ontario Science Center in Canada and the University of Seville in Spain isolated H. titanicae from these samples.

They then decoded the DNA and discovered that they were a new member of salt- loving Halomonas .

This bacterium plays a particularly important role because they help to understand the mechanism of molecular rust formation. Thereby helping professionals apply in the protection of coastal oil pipelines and the safe destruction of ships and drilling rigs.