The blue heron in the research vessel trawls the Great Lakes and collects data from the water. But the latest discoveries of the Floating Institute came from an unexpected place, its own rudder.
While docked after a long cruise to bloom algae at Lake Ellie and her boss in September, crews noticed a black tar-like substance oozing out from the shaft of the rudder. Doug Ricketts, Marine Chief and Senior Research Fellow of the Great Lake Observatory at the University of Minnesota Duluth University, brought a cup of material to scientists on the observation deck for testing, as he was unsure of what the strange goo was.
Scientists were surprised that the material was full of life forms, some of which were unknown microorganisms. Now, the mystical material, unofficially named “ShipGoo001,” appeared to thrive in an oxygen-free environment on the rudder shaft, according to a university announcement on June 27th.
“There’s no reason to expect any living creatures to be in this part of the ship,” Ricketts said, referring to the closed ladder shaft housing. “Certain parts of this ship don’t move much. It’s not exposed to other parts of the world.”
If more goo is found, the goal is to collect it without disturbing the oxygen-free environment, said Cody Sheik, microbial ecologist at Lage Lakes Observatory. More careful research could lead to further discovery of new species of microorganisms, he added.
“One of the fun things about this is that it was so unexpected… all of these different things we make is to be the right (possible) new habitat for microorganisms,” Sheikh said. “It’s strange. I’m just not going outside and looking at something, what else am I missing?”
Some of the DNA extracted from Blackgoo was previously known to be from unknown microorganisms, but other genetic material in the samples has been observed worldwide. When researchers searched the global database, they found that they were associated with microorganisms from turbo-shaped substances in the Mediterranean, hydrocarbon contaminated sediments in Calgary, Alberta, and other samples from the California coast to Germany.
“It’s kind of an entire board in terms of what these environments are,” Sheikh said. “I think thinking more broadly about the other environments these organisms have found will give you a better idea of what these organisms can do.”
Researchers have many unanswered questions about strange ingredients, such as how they became on board and whether they could eat or deteriorate the steel on the ship. Because the substance was in its own sealed environment, it requires a complex food web to thrive and maintain.
“(Biocorrosion) is one thing you have to worry about in oil pipelines and all other really important infrastructure locations. So there’s freshwater on some of these ships, especially those that have really lived in Lake Gou for many years.
Researchers hope to answer these questions in future research papers. This also includes the complete genome of Goo’s microorganisms so that other scientists can build on their own research, Sheik added.
Depending on what the researcher finds, the material has practical uses. According to a university’s announcement, methane-producing organisms within this material could potentially be used in biofuel production. For now, researchers are focusing on more material on the ship and other vessels, so additional samples can be collected and further tests can be performed.
Jeffrey Marlow, an assistant professor of biology at Boston University, said that there are so many up to 1 trillion microbial species in the world that it’s not particularly surprising to find something new. “It’s where they’re discovered and what their genome’s history and metabolic ability are. That’s what often makes new species particularly exciting,” he added in an email.
To confirm the origin of the material, Sheikh and his team are compiling the ship’s history as the old fishing boat was purchased nearly 30 years ago by the University of Minnesota, Duluth. The ship’s rudder is not intended to be lubricated with anything other than water, but it is possible that the previous owners have oiled the area and those creatures that have been dormant for years. Furthermore, no goo was present during the last inspection of the ship in November 2021.
Marlowe, who was not involved in the discovery, assumed that riding on ocean snow could have soaked into the melted shaft. It is a deadly chunk of organic matter that sinks into the water column and traps oxygen-free pockets.
Shake is planning to explore the origins of Goo, noting that there are many scenarios to consider, whether the material grew on the shaft of the rudder, or whether it was somehow on a boat.
“One of the coolest parts of this story is the fact that the sample reached a microbiologist in the first place. It speaks to a “microbiologically literate” culture where some people had the consciousness and curiosity to ask what is alive and inconveniently surprising,” Marlow said. “I wonder if other attractive microorganisms live around us in the most unexpected places.”
Taylor Nishiori is a freelance journalist based in New York.
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