Previous studies in other oceans have shown that two types of deep-sea worms normally colonize sunken remains: Osedax, which bore into bone, and Xylophaga, which bore into wood. After excavating samples of wood and whale bones they had deployed in the Southern Ocean, the Royal Society scientists found plenty of bone-eating worms, but no wood-eating ones. They had expected as much. Trees haven't grown on the Antarctic continent for 30 million years, but whales and other marine vertebrates are abundant in the Southern Ocean.

How well a shipwreck holds up under water depends on a variety of factors, like weather, water salinity, pH, temperature, and depth. Portions buried in sand or silt tend to fare better than those that are exposed.

One of the oldest and best-preserved salvaged wooden ships is the Vasa, which sank in Stockholm, Sweden in 1628 and was recovered in 1961. The ship's hull was mostly intact -- shipworms were spooked away by the Baltic Sea's pollution, acidity, and cold temperatures, archaeologists note. (As global warming continues, though, conditions there might not be so preservation-friendly for long).

Archaeologists may eventually find the Endurance or other polar-exploration relics in even better condition. The U.K. firm Blue Water Recoveries has been looking for support to mount a search for the 100-year anniversary of the Endurance's sinking. If they do, they might be pleasantly surprised to find it looking much like Shackleton left it.