Researchers have found giant viruses on Greenland’s ice that might control the darkening and melting of Arctic ice by infecting snow algae. Harnessing these viruses could help slow the ice melt, presenting a new avenue in climate change mitigation.
When the ice blackens, its ability to reflect the sun diminishes. This accelerates the melting of the ice, which exacerbates global warming. “We don’t know a lot about the viruses, but I think they could be useful as a way of alleviating ice melting caused by algal blooms. How specific they are and how efficient it would be, we do not know yet. But by exploring them further, we hope to answer some of those questions,” she says.Viruses are normally much smaller than bacteria. Regular viruses measure 20-200 nanometers in size, whereas a typical bacteria is 2-3 micrometers.
The algae blackens the ice. When that happens the ice reflects less sunlight and melts faster. Several areas in Greenland are covered with black algae. Credit: Laura PeriniA few years ago everyone thought this part of the world to be barren and devoid of life. But today we know that several microorganisms live there – including the giant viruses.
When the sequences of the DNA that form genes are activated, they are transcribed into single-stranded pieces called mRNA. These pieces work as recipes for building the proteins the virus needs. If they are present the virus is alive. Normal viruses can’t do that. Instead they have strands of RNA floating around in the cell waiting to be activated, when the virus infects an organism and hijacks its cellular production facilities.Whereas DNA from dead viruses can be found in samples, mRNA is broken down much faster. mRNA is therefore an important marker of viral activity. In other words mRNA-recipes of certain proteins show that the viruses are alive and kicking.
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