shipworms
SHIP-wurmz
Definition
Marine bivalve mollusks that bore into submerged wood, causing significant decay and structural damage to wooden objects like ship hulls.
Etymology
The term is a compound of 'ship' and 'worm,' referring to their worm-like appearance and their historical reputation for infesting and destroying wooden ships.
In the news
The article uses 'shipworms' to explain why ancient shipwrecks in most oceans disappear within decades, noting that the absence of these organisms in the anoxic Black Sea allows ancient wooden structures to remain intact.
At the bottom of the Black Sea, below about 150 metres, the water contains no oxygen at all, and shipwrecks preserved in that dead zone include a 2,400-year-old Greek merchant vessel found in 2018 with its mast, rudder and rowing benches still intact on the
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com