EATING UP THE TITANIC

Colonies of iron-loving bacteria are eating up the most famous shipwreck in the world. But the
news isn’t all bad.
A In 1985, seventy-three years after it had sunk on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New
York, the Titanic was discovered lying 3,800 metres below the surface of the sea. The first images the
world saw of the wreck showed the metal hull or body of the ship, draped in what look like strange
underwater icicles. These structures are called ‘rusticles’ from rust (the reddish brown substance that
forms on iron when it is in contact with water) and icicle.
B A decade later, microbial ecologist Roy Cullimore was called on to investigate biological activity
on the Titanic after the salvage company recovering objects from the wreck noticed it seemed to be
deteriorating. By carefully guiding the robotic claws of the French submarine Nautile, Cullimore was able
to collect some rusticles to bring back to his laboratory for analysis. Gathering them was a tricky business
– rusticles are brittle and have a tendency to snap in the fast water flow created by the propellers of the
submarine. A second expedition brought up more rusticles when a large section of hull was lifted from the
sea bed. The largest of these, measuring 45 centimetres long, now hangs on Cullimore’s office wall.
C Each rusticle is made up of communities of bacteria, fungi and other microbes that have joined
forces to build a sort of rusting tower block to sustain them and protect them from outside world. The
outer walls have a layered appearance, much like the annular growth rings in trees. Inside, each rusticle
seems to contain at least five distinct communities of bacteria, or ‘consorms’, that live in harmony with
each type of consorm performing a specific task. They are mostly clustered around water channels that
run through the structure. There are also fungal growths towards the outside of the structure where the
channels meet the surface. Along the microbes, rusticles contain up to 35 per cent iron compounds in the
form of ribbons that permeate the entire structure, in much the same way that nerves or blood vessels do
in an animal. Chemically, these compounds are dominated by various ferric oxides, hydroxides and
carbonates.
D Cullimore’s work has revealed that the microbial communities work together to ‘feed’ on the
ship, actively removing iron from it. And the effects can be dramatic. In 1996, he estimated that they were
removing 100 kilograms of iron a day. As the rusticles grow, the decay rat accelerates, and Cullmore
predicts that the wreck will be inrecognisable within 100 years or so.
E However, the rusticles colonise some parts of the ship but leave other alone. To find out why,
Cullimore has placed various steel samples on the Titanic’s deck. His findings suggest that the most
susceptible areas are where the steel was ripped or twisted when the ship sank, because the fractures allow
microbes to get in more easily. The rustocles also seem to consume the parts of the ship made of wrought
iron, such as the rivets, more easily than steel. This is bad news not just for the Titanic. But for other ships
and under the sea structures such as oils rigs, because it is the rivets which hold the whole thing together.
‘When you destroy a rivet, you’re weakening the whole section,’ says Cullimore.
F Iron-loving bacteria such as those found in rusticles can also be useful, however. Sean Tyrrel
from Cranfield University has worked on projects to design iron filters for wells in developing countries,
to prevent problems caused by iron-rich water. There’s been a great interest in using groundwater to
provide drinking water because it is generally regarded as unpolluted and can be safely consumed
wothout the need for treatment. But iron-bearing groundwater are often noticably orange in color, causing
discoloration of laundry, and have unpleasant taste which is apparent when the water is drun or used for
food preparation. ‘If there’s a lot of iron in the water, people reject it,’ Tyrrel says. He and his colleagues
have found that under the right conditions, certain bacteria will take up the iron from the water and
consume it, leaving it clear. The rusticles research should provide more clues about how to harness these
bacteria for good.
G And the reach of rusticles doesn’t end there. Cullimore’s research has convinced him that iron-
loving bacteria could be harnessed for all sort of industrial uses. He sees rusticles as a sort of biological
concrete to improve its performance. Such bioconcrete might even be grown using microbes, instead of
being mixed and allowed to harden as it is at present, before being used for buildings.
H Scientists still have much to learn about the specific types of microbes present in rusticles and
how thay interact with each other. But what is certain is that the various consorms must use a common
lanuage to successfully build and sustain their mutual community. Cullimore ultimately hopes to begin to
understand this language. ‘If we sould learn how they communicate, then we could say “Hey, you
shouldn’t be growing here, wouldn’t you rather be growing over there?”
Questions 15-19
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contracdicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
15. Underwater photographs of the Titanic show tht the wreck is covered in rusticles.
16. Rusticles were first discovered on the wreck of the Titanic
17. Roy Cullimore investigated whether rusticles were involved in the sinking of the Titanic.
18. Rusticles are difficult to collect because they break easily.
Questions 19-23
Complete the table below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passge for each answer.

Component Description Location

walls appear (19) __________ outer surface of rusticle
consorms  bacterial (20) __________ mainly near water channels
 work together
 each does a different (21)
__________
water channels throughout the rusticle
fungal growths at junction of water channels
and (22) __________ of rusticle
(23) __________ ribbons throughout the rusticle
Questions 24-25
Choose TWO letters A-G
The microbes found in rusticles
Questions 26-27
Choose TWO letters A-G
Bacteria similar to those found in
rusticles could
A are unable to consume steel sections of boats.
B may live for over 100 years.
C could affect a range of underwater metal structures.
D avoid structure made of wrought iron.
E are destroyed if the rusticle grows too big.
F cause fractures and rips in the steel plates.
G use iron from the ship as a source of food.
A make better concrete for use in building.
B remove harmful microbes from polluted water.
C help locate sources of groundwater.
D remove iron from water used for drinking and washing.
E remove traces of iron from concrete.
F convert harmful microbes to useful ones.
G improve communication systems.