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In the Arctic, microalgae are doing the limbo

To observe the microalgae of the Arctic, biogeochemist Clara Hoppe and her team spent months on a ship embedded in sea ice as part of the MOSAiC expedition, sampling ice and seawater. Saga Svarsdottir/Alfred Wegener Institut hide caption

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Saga Svarsdottir/Alfred Wegener Institut

Short Wave

In the Arctic, microalgae are doing the limbo

Microalgae are tiny organisms that convert energy from sunlight into fuel. The arctic ecosystem depends on them. In springtime, the algae bloom brilliant shades of green and draw tiny crustaceans, fish, birds and more to arctic waters. But what happens in wintertime, when the sun goes down and darkness reins for months? In the depths of the polar night, biogeochemist Clara Hoppe has found evidence that some microalgae are still ready to photosynthesize. Today on the show: how tiny microalgae limbo for their lives and come out more powerful than scientists ever imagined.

In the Arctic, microalgae are doing the limbo

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Here's how tourists are solving a plankton puzzle in Antarctica

In the summer, there are enough phytoplankton to feed the millions of tons of krill that then feed the migratory whales that tourists travel very far to see in Antarctica. Andrew Peacock/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Peacock/Getty Images

Short Wave

Here's how tourists are solving a plankton puzzle in Antarctica

Tourists to Antarctica are fueling research on some of the tiniest, most influential organisms on Earth: phytoplankton. These itty bitty critters make their own food and are the base of the food web in most of the ocean, but tracking how well they're doing is historically tricky. So, researchers with the program FjordPhyto are using samples collected by these tourists to understand how the balance of power in the Antarctic food web could be shifting — could ripple across the food web of the entire ocean.

Here's how tourists are solving a plankton puzzle in Antarctica

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Scientists Have 'Hacked Photosynthesis' In Search Of More Productive Crops

Scientists have re-engineered photosynthesis, the foundation of life on Earth, creating genetically modified plants that grow faster and bigger. Above, scientists measure how well modified tobacco plants photosynthesize compared to unmodified plants. Haley Ahlers/RIPE Project hide caption

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Haley Ahlers/RIPE Project

The Salt

Scientists Have 'Hacked Photosynthesis' In Search Of More Productive Crops

Scientists have re-engineered photosynthesis, a foundation of life on Earth, creating genetically modified plants that grow faster and bigger. They hope it leads to bigger harvests of food.

Scientists Have 'Hacked Photosynthesis' In Search Of More Productive Crops

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The Extended Beauty Of Photosynthesis
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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Extended Beauty Of Photosynthesis

Inside every plant there is an insanely complex molecular engine that turns sunlight into food — and across billions of years, photosynthesis shaped the history of the entire planet, says Adam Frank.

The Extended Beauty Of Photosynthesis

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