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Sikh-Canadian Dr. Bhavleen Kaur Discovers New Life-Form on Titanic

by ELIZABETH HAGGARTY

 

 

It's not the spawn of Leonardo DiCaprio and an iceberg, but a new life form discovered on the wreckage of the Titanic has scientists excited.

The never-before-seen Halomonas titanicae bacterium was found feeding off the rusticles (icicle-like structures that form on rusting iron) that cover the aging wreck.

While rusticles may be perceived as a mere symbol of underwater decay, they are shedding new light on how nature recycles metals, explains the project's Lead Researcher, Dr. Bhavleen Kaur, who is also a Science Educator at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

"(Researchers) believe that there are a lot of different organisms living together in these structures and helping in their formation," says Bhavleen Kaur. "In fact, they are harvesting the iron from the titanic itself and forming the rusticles."

Canadian and Spanish scientists discovered the bacterium while working together to analyze samples that had been previously removed from the ship by the Mir 2 robotic submersible in 1991.

"It is one of the first species within the consortium that has actually been classified and named," says Bhavleen. "There could be many new species."

So, what lies ahead for the Titanic now it is being munched away by recycling bacteria?

"In a few hundred years it will be a layer of rust on the ocean floor," predicts Bavleen Kaur.

 

[Courtesy: Toronto Star]

December 9, 2010

Conversation about this article

1: Jasbir Kaur (Chandigarh, Punjab), December 09, 2010, 12:54 PM.

Good! But more importantly, did she find any sign of Leonardo DiCaprio down there?

2: Amrit Pal (Kent, United Kingdom), December 09, 2010, 1:06 PM.

Really proud of you! Wish you all the very best for your future work and may God bless you all the way.

3: Major Singh Deol (London, United Kingdom), December 09, 2010, 7:21 PM.

I am very happy to read about this. Keep it up. God will help you.

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