Titanic Sub Search Expands to Ocean Floor, ‘Debris Field’ Discovered

US Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick, center at microphone, says authorities still hold out hope of saving the five passengers onboard the submersible on June 21 in Boston. AP
US Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick, center at microphone, says authorities still hold out hope of saving the five passengers onboard the submersible on June 21 in Boston. AP
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Titanic Sub Search Expands to Ocean Floor, ‘Debris Field’ Discovered

US Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick, center at microphone, says authorities still hold out hope of saving the five passengers onboard the submersible on June 21 in Boston. AP
US Coast Guard Capt. Jamie Frederick, center at microphone, says authorities still hold out hope of saving the five passengers onboard the submersible on June 21 in Boston. AP

The desperate search for a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic entered a critical juncture on Thursday when air was expected to run out for the five people aboard, but officials vowed to continue scouring the remote North Atlantic.

A remotely operated vehicle deployed from a Canadian vessel to the ocean floor discovered a "debris field" near the Titanic, the US Coast Guard said on Thursday morning on Twitter, adding that experts were "evaluating the information."

Another robot from a French research ship was also sent diving toward the seabed to search for signs of the 22-foot (6.7-meter) Titan submersible.

The van-sized Titan, operated by US-based OceanGate Expeditions, began what was to be a two-hour descent at 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) on Sunday but lost contact with its support ship.

The submersible set off with 96 hours of air, according to the company, which means the oxygen would be exhausted by Thursday morning, assuming the Titan is still intact. Precisely when depends on factors such as whether the craft still has power and how calm those on board are, experts say.

Rescuers and relatives of the Titan's five occupants took hope when the US Coast Guard said on Wednesday that Canadian search planes had recorded undersea noises using sonar buoys earlier that day and on Tuesday.

But remote-controlled underwater vehicles searching where the noises were detected did not yield results, and officials cautioned the sounds might not have originated from the Titan.

US Coast Guard rear admiral John Mauger told broadcaster NBC earlier on Thursday that the search would continue throughout the day.

Deep-sea adventure

The Titanic, which sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg, killing more than 1,500 people, lies about 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and 400 miles (640 km) south of St. John's, Newfoundland.

The Titan's deep-sea excursion to the shipwreck capped a tourist adventure for which OceanGate charges $250,000 per person.

The passengers included British billionaire and adventurer Hamish Harding, 58, and Pakistani-born business magnate Shahzada Dawood, 48, with his 19-year-old son Suleman, who are both British citizens.

French oceanographer and leading Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and Stockton Rush, the US founder and chief executive of OceanGate, were also on board. Rush is married to a descendant of two of the Titanic victims.

"We're waiting anxiously, we hardly sleep," said Mathieu Johann, Nargeolet's editor at his publisher Harper Collins.

Sean Leet, who heads a company that jointly owns the support ship, the Polar Prince, has said all protocols were followed before the submersible lost contact.

"There's still life support available on the submersible, and we'll continue to hold out hope until the very end," said Leet, chief executive of Miawpukek Horizon Maritime Services.

Questions about Titan's safety were raised in 2018 during a symposium of submersible industry experts and in a lawsuit filed by OceanGate's former head of marine operations, which was settled later that year.

Even if the Titan were located, retrieving it would present huge logistical challenges.

If the submersible had managed to return to the surface, spotting it would be difficult in the open sea and it is bolted shut from the outside, so those inside cannot exit without help.

If Titan is on the ocean floor, a rescue would have to contend with the immense pressures and total darkness at that depth. British Titanic expert Tim Maltin said it would be "almost impossible to effect a sub-to-sub rescue" on the seabed.

It may also be difficult to find the Titan amid the wreck.

"If you've seen the Titanic debris field, there'll be a thousand different objects that size," said Jamie Pringle, a forensic geoscientist at Keele University in the United Kingdom. "It might be an endless task."



Bugs Are Popular Pets in Nature-Loving Japan, Buzzing with Lessons About Ecology and Species 

Children look at beetles at an exhibition devoted to insects in Tokyo, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)
Children look at beetles at an exhibition devoted to insects in Tokyo, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)
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Bugs Are Popular Pets in Nature-Loving Japan, Buzzing with Lessons About Ecology and Species 

Children look at beetles at an exhibition devoted to insects in Tokyo, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)
Children look at beetles at an exhibition devoted to insects in Tokyo, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (AP)

The pet of choice in Japan, as much as cuddly kitties and playful puppies, is the humble bug.

The bug has been a key part of Japanese culture from the Heian era classic “The Tale of Genji” to popular modern-day manga and animation like “Mushishi,” featuring insect-like supernatural creatures.

Japanese people appreciate the glitter of fireflies let loose in the garden or the gentle chirping of crickets kept in a little cage. You can feed the bug pets watermelon, but special jelly pet food for bugs is also available at stores. Naturally, bugs are on sale as well, with the more esoteric ones selling for 20,000 yen ($133).

Here, crawly and buzzing critters are not just relegated to the scientific realm of the entomologist working on a taxidermy of pinned butterflies. Celebrities boast about their fascination with bug-hunting as their hobbies just like a Western movie star might talk about his yacht or golf score.

The bug as companion is an essential part of what’s observed, enjoyed and cared for in everyday life, reflecting a deeply rooted celebration of humankind’s oneness with nature.

“They are so tiny. If you catch and study them, you’re sure to discover something new,” says Munetoshi Maruyama, professor of bioenvironmental sciences at Kyushu University, whose fascination with bugs began as a child, like many Japanese.

“They are so beautiful in shape and form.”

One thrill that comes from studying insects is discovering a new species, simply because there are more than 1.2 million known kinds of insects, far more than mammals, which translates to a lot of undiscovered ones, said Maruyama, who has discovered 250 new insect species himself and shrugs that off as a relatively small number.

Japan differs from much of the West in encouraging interaction with bugs from childhood, with lots of books written for children, as well as classes and tours.

“In Japan, kids love bugs. You can even buy a net at a convenience store,” he said. “It’s fantastic that bugs can serve as a doorway to science.”

The fact some insects go through metamorphoses, transforming from a larva to a butterfly, for instance, adds to the excitement, allowing kids to observe the stages of a life span, Maruyama said.

Tracing the movement of bugs can be a way to study global warming, too, while so-called “social insects,” like bees and ants show intelligence in how they communicate, remember routes to find their way back to their nests or burrow elaborate underground paths as colonies.

Because bugs carry out important functions in the ecosystem, such as pollinating crops and becoming food for birds and other wildlife, human life isn’t ultimately sustainable if all bugs were to disappear from earth.

The love affair with bugs was clear at an exhibit in Tokyo, aptly called “The Great Insect Exhibition,” running through the end of this month at the Sky Tree Tower, where crowds of children gathered around trees inside indoor cages so they could observe and touch the various beetles.

One kind of rhinoceros beetle known as Hercules, which originated in the Caribbean but is now also found in Japan, is reputed to be the biggest beetle on record, although it’s just several inches in length. Its back coat is a shiny khaki color, though such shades change depending on the season. The other parts, like its horn and delicate but spiky legs, are dark.

“We want the kids to feel the emotions and joy of actually touching the insects here. That’s really positive for the workings of a child’s brain,” said Toyoji Suzuki, one of the event’s organizers, who insisted everyone, including adults, touch the bottom of the beetles’ horns and wings to feel how surprisingly soft and fluffy they are.

Four-year-old Asahi Yamauchi, who was at the exhibit with his grandmother and getting his photo taken inside a special installation that made it look like he was inside a beetle, loves bugs as much as he loves dinosaurs and has what he called a cute beetle as a pet at home.

“My friend had one, so I wanted one,” he said.