You can see what happens to the ships by throwing a random scrap of metal into the water. Within hours, bacteria start growing on it. Algae might follow. There may be clams or barnacles. But eventually, within days, white tubes appear. They’re tiny – each just a few centimetres long and a few millimetres wide. But soon there are hundreds of them. Then thousands. Millions. Eventually, the entire surface looks like a frozen shag pile rug. These tubes get everywhere: on rocks, pilings, fishing cages, and ships. If an aircraft carrier sits in the harbour for a few months, the tubes will amass on
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