Halomonas titanicae

Common card · No. 476914

Halomonas titanicae is a gram-negative, halophilic species of bacteria which was isolated in 2010 from rusticles recovered from the wreck of the RMS Titanic. It has been estimated by Henrietta Mann, one of the researchers who first isolated it, that the action of microbes like H. titanicae may bring about the total deterioration of the Titanic by 2030. While the bacteria have been identified as a potential danger to oil rigs and other man-made objects in the deep sea, they also have the potential to be used in bioremediation to accelerate the decomposition of shipwrecks on the ocean floor.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Lori Johnston, RMS Titanic Expedition 2003, NOAA-OE, Public domain