Under the Microscope: Tracking the Bacteria That Break Down Archaeological Wood
- ENDURE
- 2 hours ago
- 1 min read
In recent weeks, researchers in the ENDURE project have been working intensively in the laboratory to investigate the microorganisms responsible for the degradation of archaeological wood on the seabed. Using microscopy and DNA analyses, we are studying a wide range of wood samples from different time periods — from more than 7,000-year-old Mesolithic finds and Viking Age material to wood from well-known shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea. At the same time, modern wood samples are being analysed. These were placed at an underwater settlement site and retrieved at regular intervals, allowing us to follow the very earliest stages of degradation.
In the laboratory, we are currently extracting DNA from bacteria and fungi and comparing the genetic data with visual decay patterns observed under the microscope in the wood’s cellular structure. So-called erosion bacteria are particularly prominent in many of the samples — a distinctive form of decay in which the cell walls are gradually eroded. Although this phenomenon is well known visually, very little is still understood about which microorganisms are responsible, or whether the process is driven by individual species or complex bacterial communities.
By combining microscopy with biomolecular analyses, we aim to shed new light on the microbial processes that affect the preservation of underwater cultural heritage, thereby contributing to improved strategies for monitoring and protecting archaeological wood in the future.
