A new species of microbe is flourishing in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. Studies say it may help increase the cleanup speed of the massive oil spill caused by a drilling rig explosion last April.

Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of the millions of gallons of oil that have threatened the fragile ecological system of the gulf. The microbes consume oil without significantly depleting the oxygen in the water.

According to Terry Hazen, the leader of the research team that filed the report about the oil-eating microbes, the new species may have stemmed from a type of bacteria that has adapted over time to the periodic leaks and natural seepages of oil in the Gulf’s seabed. The microbes may have become ’supercharged’ with the influx of oil from the spill. They thrive in cold water, with temperatures in the deep recorded at five degrees Celsius (41 Fahrenheit).

Because the bacteria degrade oil without depleting too much oxygen, promoting their growth within the oil spill area may not cause adverse effects to its marine life. This was one of the main issues encountered when scientists suggested seeding out oil-degrading microorganisms to help in the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, another catastrophic oil spill that happened in the coast of Alaska in 1989. The bacteria may help in taking all the oil away, only at the risk of turning the area into a ‘dead zone’ where marine life can no longer flourish due to oxygen deprivation.

Many environmentalists have expressed their concerns about the Gulf oil spill. It has been months since the explosion occurred, and while efforts have already been taken to prevent the further expansion of the spill, the oil-eating microbes can greatly help in eradicating the immense underwater plumes of dissolved oil that are still present.