ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → Biology

Greenland fish survive sub-zero temperatures by being “chock-full” of antifreeze

The Arctic creatures have some stunning adaptations.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
August 16, 2022
in Biology, Oceanography
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

Life, as they say, finds a way. To find a way to survive in Greenland’s cold waters, animals resort to all sorts of tactics. Some develop antifreeze proteins, and this has been described before. But according to a new study, some snailfish are chock full of antifreeze proteins, the highest levels ever observed.

In 2020, John Sparks and David Gruber, two biologists associated with the American Museum of Natural History were on an expedition in Greenland, looking at the prevalence of biofluorescence in the Arctic. At a makeshift lab with fresh water directly from the glacier, the two set out to explore Greenland’s frigid ecosystem.

Far from a desolate landscape, the two biologists-turned-explorers found an ecosystem teeming with life below the waves.

“There’s so much kelp! Kelp with enormous fronds, and there’d be little fish swimming, or lots of shrimp swimming across the kelp, it was very beautiful underwater,” Sparks recalls in a video on the expedition.

Diving in from a remote cove, they thoroughly explored the ecosystem.

“We did dives in several different habitats, we looked in fjords, we looked in the kelp forests, and in several dives, we actually looked for specimens in the ice, among the icebergs,” Gruber adds.

The huts the researchers were sleeping and working in during their expedition. Image credits: American Museum of Natural History.

What’s interesting about these icebergs is that they’re a sort of refuge for lots of little creatures. Crustaceans dart in and out of the ice, and even some fish make their way to these icebergs. But the problem, as the two biologists would learn on their own, is that the cold isn’t easy to manage. Because the ocean water contains salt, it can go below zero degrees Celsius (or 32 F) without freezing — so you have to bear freezing temperatures somehow. When they completed their initial bioluminescence research, they returned to the problem of cold.

RelatedPosts

Genetically modifying human embryos: ‘a line that should not be crossed,’ NIH says
Healthy Rivers Needed To Remove Nitrogen
Combining cannabis with prescription drugs could be a bad idea. Here’s why
Fastest network data transfer in the world – 186 GB/s

Some animals refer to a familiar substance to help them with the cold — not one that we know from biology, but rather something we know from cars: antifreeze.

“Similar to how antifreeze in your car keeps the water in your radiator from freezing in cold temperatures, some animals have evolved amazing machinery that prevent them from freezing, such as antifreeze proteins, which prevent ice crystals from forming,” said David Gruber, a research associate at the Museum and a distinguished biology professor at CUNY’s Baruch College. “We already knew that this tiny snailfish, which lives in extremely cold waters, produced antifreeze proteins, but we didn’t realize just how chock-full of those proteins it is—and the amount of effort it was putting into making these proteins.”

A still from below the waves. Image credits: American Museum of Natural History.

Some species (notably some reptiles and insects) can survive if their body fluids partially freeze, but the same can’t be said for fishes. Fishes need to make sure their body fluids stay liquid, so they depend on antifreeze proteins. They make these proteins in the liver, and just like car antifreeze, the proteins work by lowering the freezing temperature of the liquid.

The ability of some fishes to produce antifreeze was discovered some 50 years go, but when researchers analyzed the levels of antifreeze in snailfish samples obtained in this expedition, they were surprised: the snailfish genes have the highest expression levels of antifreeze proteins ever observed. This highlights just how important it is for these fish to adapt to the freezing temperatures around Greenland, and it also raises a red flag for their survival.

As temperatures continue to rise due to global heating, this adaptation will be less useful, and could in fact be a threat to their survival.

“Since the mid-20th century, temperatures have increased twice as fast in the Arctic as in mid-latitudes and some studies predict that if Arctic sea ice decline continues at this current rate, in the summer the Arctic Ocean will be mostly ice-free within the next three decades,” Sparks said. “Arctic seas do not support a high diversity of fish species, and our study hypothesizes that with increasingly warming oceanic temperatures, ice-dwelling specialists such as this snailfish may encounter increased competition by more temperate species that were previously unable to survive at these higher northern latitudes.”

The Arctic is warming much more rapidly than other regions. While temperatures on Earth have increased by an average of one degree since 1990, temperatures in the Arctic have increased by at least four times as much. If temperatures continue to rise, all this brilliantly adapted ecosystem may not be able to adapt.

The study was published in the journal Evolutionary Bioinformatics.

ShareTweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

Culture & Society

What’s Seasonal Body Image Dissatisfaction and How Not to Fall into Its Trap

byAlexandra Gerea
19 hours ago
Mind & Brain

Why a 20-Minute Nap Could Be Key to Unlocking ‘Eureka!’ Moments Like Salvador Dalí

byTibi Puiu
19 hours ago
Anthropology

The world’s oldest boomerang is even older than we thought, but it’s not Australian

byMihai Andrei
20 hours ago
Future

Swarms of tiny robots could go up your nose, melt the mucus and clean your sinuses

byMihai Andrei
23 hours ago

Recent news

What’s Seasonal Body Image Dissatisfaction and How Not to Fall into Its Trap

June 28, 2025

Why a 20-Minute Nap Could Be Key to Unlocking ‘Eureka!’ Moments Like Salvador Dalí

June 28, 2025

The world’s oldest boomerang is even older than we thought, but it’s not Australian

June 27, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.