More than a century after the Titanic sank, one chilling mystery remains: why no human skeletons have ever been found at the wreck site.
Over 1,500 people died when the ship went down in 1912. Yet, despite numerous visits to the wreck, explorers have only found belongings—shoes, dishes, and furniture—no bones.
Experts say this is due to the extreme depth of the wreck, around 3,800 meters below the surface. There, bacteria consume soft tissue, and the water’s chemical makeup dissolves bones. Deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard explained that the lack of calcium carbonate at that depth causes bones to vanish after exposure.
While the bodies are gone, the shoes remain—leather survives the deep-sea conditions, serving as a somber reminder of the lives lost.