Those who chew the Titanic wreck

Dozens of strains of bacteria, some species of nematodes and many other tiny organisms are gnawing on the wreck of the Titanic under the Atlantic Ocean, making it completely biodegradable.

Titanic, one of the largest and most luxurious ships, is also extremely short in maritime history. On April 14, 1912, the Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean by crashing a large iceberg about 640km from Canada's Newfoundland. 1,517 people died in the accident.

Bacteria eat Titanic's hull and parts do it
iron like windows, stairs. (Photo: titanicuniverse.com)

AFP reported that Henrietta Mann, a biologist and geologist of Dalhousie University in Canada, observed pieces of iron being taken from the wreck of the Titanic. She discovered 27 types of bacteria, including a strain that scientists have never known, in pieces of rust.Halomonas Titanicae , the name of the new strain, and 26 other strains are 'gnawing' the steel hull to generate energy.

'Titanic has 50,000 tons of steel. So it is a huge source of food for bacteria, ' Mann said.

Bacteria also eat parts made of iron such as windows, stairs, main doors. However, they do not touch copper parts.

Mann did not know the speed of the bacteria's iron eating, but when comparing the first photos of the wreck with the latest images, she found that their 'take-over' speed was quite large. 'Perhaps the wreck will disappear in 20 or 30 years', she predicted.

In addition to 27 strains of bacteria, Mann also saw some species of pipeworms and many other small organisms.

The disappearance of the Titanic wreck will be a huge loss in heritage. But Mann thinks her discovery also brings hope. That is all wrecks, drilling rigs and goods sinking into the sea floor will decay over time, not forever. Thus the risk of forming huge landfills on the ocean floor will be eliminated.