The leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico was plugged on July 15 and two weeks later government scientists said that half of the oil had gone. The new microbe, discovered by researchers while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons, which escaped after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in April, was found to be breaking down oil about twice as fast as expected. The researchers said it provided the first ever data on microbial activity from a deep water oil plume. It suggested "a great potential" for bacteria to help dispose of oil in the deep sea.