In the summer of 2024, the research vessel Blue Heron was studying algal blooms in Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes spanning the Canada–United States border.
It went to a shipyard at the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, to be inspected for what turned out to be damaged propeller shaft bearings.
While examining the ship, the captain, Rual Lee, observed a black slimy substance oozing from near the rudder, and was concerned that a potential pollutant might have been coming out of the ship. He found that it did not leave a sheen on the surface of water, unlike hydrocarbons, and did not ignite when lit with a blowtorch, indicating that it was not flammable. Because the rudder is lubricated only by circulating lake water, it seemed unlikely that the material could have been some chemical leaking from the ship.
Personnel at the Large Lakes Observatory, which operates the research vessel, gave the material the temporary placeholder name "ShipGoo001". They took samples of the material to scientists at the University of Minnesota Duluth, to determine what the material might be. The scientists found that the goo contained DNA.
Through DNA sequencing and comparison against DNA databases, they were surprised to find that some of the DNA did not match any currently known organism, and appeared to be from entirely new species. The discovery was announced in 2025
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