Scientists discover entirely new species in ‘goo’ found on Cleveland boat

It sounds like the plot of a bad science fiction movie, but it’s real.

In late June, the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) announced that a new species of microorganism was discovered in a scraping of a “tar-like substance” taken from a vessel docked in Lake Erie’s Great Lakes Shipyard.

According to a press release from UMD, the substance–referred to by scientists as Ship Goo 001–Large Lakes Observatory marine superintendent Doug Rickets brought the substance to UMD researchers after he found it oozing from the rudder shaft of the R/V Blue Heron, a ship that is part of the US Academic Research Fleet, and is operated by the University of Minnesota Duluth.

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“The biggest surprise was that the ship goo had life in it at all,” UMD lead researcher Cody Sheik said. “We thought we’d find nothing. But surprisingly, we found DNA and it wasn’t too destroyed, nor was the biomass too low.”

The species was described by UMD it as a microorganism that lives in the warm, oxygen-free environment created by the ship’s grease. According to researchers, it appears to be “part of a complex food web, possibly even contributing to biocorrosion of the metal rudder shaft.”

A formal name hasn’t been chosen yet, but Sheik said he plans to collaborate with the community later this year to pick one.

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