K-278 Komsomolets wreck still leaks radioactivity in Atlantic, scientists assess risk

Soviet submarine K-278 Komsomolets, sunk in 1989, still leaks radioactive material at 1,680m depth in Atlantic, scientists say.

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The Soviet nuclear submarine K-278 Komsomolets sank in 1989 in the Norwegian Sea southwest of Bear Island and now lies at about 1,680 meters depth, carrying a reactor and two torpedoes with atomic warheads. ^[1] Advances in understanding the nature of these systems at the time of life's origins demand renewed scrutiny. ^[2] Because the ancient oceans were sulfate- and sulfide-poor and serpentinizing systems contain little sulfur, sulfide would have been virtually absent from ancient Lost City-type vents. ^[3] The evaluation presented challenges currently formulated alkaline vent hypotheses for the origin of life and demands a reappraisal of the potential for life beyond Earth. ^[4] According to a PNAS study, concentrations of strontium-90 and cesium-137 found near the K-278 Komsomolets wreck are up to 800,000 times higher than normal values in the area. ^[5] Justin Gwynn, the lead researcher of the Komsomolets study, told Spanish newspaper El País that no weapons-grade plutonium was found in water and sediment samples collected near the submarine's hull. ^[6] Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published in March 2026 that emissions from the K-278 Komsomolets reactor are still occurring but are not continuous. ^[7]

What this stands on

Advances in understanding the nature of these systems at the time of life's origins demand renewed scrutiny. · Astrobiology

Because the ancient oceans were sulfate- and sulfide-poor and serpentinizing systems contain little sulfur, sulfide would have been virtually absent from ancient Lost City-type vents. · Astrobiology

The evaluation presented challenges currently formulated alkaline vent hypotheses for the origin of life and demands a reappraisal of the potential for life beyond Earth. · Astrobiology

According to a PNAS study, concentrations of strontium-90 and cesium-137 found near the K-278 Komsomolets wreck are up to 800,000 times higher than normal values in the area. · La República.pePeru

Justin Gwynn, the lead researcher of the Komsomolets study, told Spanish newspaper El País that no weapons-grade plutonium was found in water and sediment samples collected near the submarine's hull. · La República.pePeru

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published in March 2026 that emissions from the K-278 Komsomolets reactor are still occurring but are not continuous. · La República.pePeru

The one we could place publishes from Peru. 1 could not be placed by their address. None is an official body: that part stands on reporting, not on the underlying document or transcript.

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