{
  "id": 6733584,
  "title": "Methane leak formed 1km plume; bacteria and worms built a bed within 2 years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/methane-leak-formed-1km-plume-bacteria-and-worms-built-a-bed-within-2",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-11T08:17:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/discovery/a-methane-leak-in-the-south-china-sea-formed-a-plume-over-1km-high-but-bacteria-and-worms-built-a-worm-bed-within-two-years-shocking-scientists-and-theories/articleshow/134052726.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "A South China Sea drilling incident caused a significant methane leak in 2018. Ocean scientists observed an ecosystem rapidly responding to the underwater gas release. Bacteria and worms quickly formed a methane-munching 'worm bed' within two years. This new biofilter degraded methane effectively, reducing plume height significantly. However, this rapid ecosystem development caused a notable…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}