Scientists identified a new life form inside black goo on a ship docked at a once heavily polluted Cleveland River. Humorously, it has drawn comparisons online to the black goo from Alien as well as The X-Files and Prometheus. Some sci-fi fans quickly invoked the creatures called Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise. Others recalled the black goo from the 2012 Prometheus film.

“Do you want Xenomorphs? Because this is how you get Xenomorphs,” commented one Redditor.

Rual Lee, captain of a research vessel called the Blue Heron, had been monitoring toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie last summer. However, when the ship’s propellor shaft became noisy, he had the ship pulled out of Lake Erie and taken to the Great Lakes Shipyard in Cleveland.

For context, the site on the Cuyahoga River was once heavily polluted with industrial waste and was among the most polluted rivers in the country. In fact, oil slicks on the water’s surface would catch fire, inspiring a 1969 article in Time magazine. The story contributed to the development of the Clean Water Act.

Thus, the site where the living black goo was discovered was a former industrial waste site, almost like a science fiction mutant storyline. However, it’s not clear where the goo originated.

The ‘Black Goo Virus’ from the Prometheus:

Black Goo Hidden Inside the Research Vessel

As Cleveland.com reported, Captain Lee noticed a strange, black, tar-like substance on the exposed rudder post while the ship’s propeller shaft bearings were being replaced. Normally, this part of the ship isn’t visible. As a warm and oxygen-free environment sealed inside the housing, it’s mysterious how the goo got there in the first place.

Ironically, the researchers typically search for creatures in the water, sediment and atmosphere above Lake Erie. Additionally, they inspect the equipment deployed underwater. Yet, in this case, the discovery was made in the boat itself and was found totally by chance.

Lee had never seen anything like the goo and started experimenting with it. As he discovered, the substance was non-flammable and left no sheen on the water, unlike oil. Yes, it might sound like the start of a science fiction plot in itself!

“Curious, Lee took a glop of the goo and plopped it in water to see if it left a sheen. It didn’t. Then he turned a blowtorch on the slimy substance to see if it would burn. It didn’t do that either,” wrote Cleveland.com.

Since the boat was a University of Minnesota Duluth research vessel, he shared the story with fellow scientists. Then, the Marine Superintendent, Doug Ricketts, brought “a half cup of the goo” to the lab, where microbial ecology professor Cody Sheik took a closer look.

The Blue Heron and Doug Ricketts via UMD Swenson College (2020):

The Black Goo Contained a Novel Form of Life

At first, Sheik thought the sample was merely grease. To his surprise, he discovered intact DNA and a previously unknown genome in the substance. Additional microbes had been found elsewhere in the world. However, the novel one may represent a new order of carbon-based microbes.

Rather than a sign of Alien Xenomorphs, the goo is apparently harmless. But in the conditions of the boat’s enclosed rudder shaft, it was thriving.

For now, the scientists have temporarily named the novel sequence ShipGoo001, which may be a single-cell organism of indeterminate appearance.

“It could be thread-like, spherical or even twisty,” Sheik said of the life form.

For now, the new life form remains mysterious as scientists conduct further research. According to Sheik, the experience shows that taking time to be “playful” and explore possibilities can lead to unexpected discoveries like this one. Potentially, it could lead to insights in areas such as the development of new biofuels.

“Scientists don’t often have time to be playful – we’re focused and have projects to complete,” Sheik said. “Time and resources for exploratory work can be daunting. But this shows why it matters.”

Soon, ShipGoo001 will have a new name, but for now, it’s fun to call it ship goo.

“It’s fun science,” Sheik continued. “By calling it ship goo for now, it brings some joy to our science. We can find novelty wherever we look.”

A One-Of-A-Kind Ship

As for Captain Lee, he shared that he was relieved to learn the goo didn’t appear to be harmful to the boat.

In recent years, steel sheet pilings in the Duluth-Superior Harbor have been corroding at an unusually accelerated rate, comparable to those in saltwater ports. Could this substance be a contributor to the corrosion? As university shared, it might be part of “a complex food web” that might contribute to the biocorrosion of the metal rudder shaft. To find out, more research will be required.

Although ShipGoo001 is a new species, the microbes associated with it have been identified in petroleum wells and tar pits worldwide.

Interestingly, the Blue Heron is the only such research vessel of its kind in the Great Lakes area. Now, it’s even more unique as the home of a new life form!

“The Large Lakes Observatory at the University of Minnesota Duluth operates the R/V Blue Heron, which is the only academic research vessel designated for the study of the US Great Lakes. While many of these research fleet vessels have helped discover new life in the oceans, this is the first time that new life has been discovered on a ship itself!” shared the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Featured images via Pixabay/Kollsd, University of Minnesota Duluth and Cleveland.com/ Rual Lee and YouTube