Today we got to know Aviaja Hauptmann, a Greenlandic microbiologist working at the Technical University of Denmark. She gave us a crash course on the science of biotechnology. Biotechnology is the application of naturally occurring biological processes to human systems like medicine and industry. Yeast is an example of biotechnology, as are cheese, lactose-free milk, and antibiotics.
Aviaja’s studies center on enzymes, which are the tools cells use to perform tasks. She and her colleagues have studied many different areas of Greenland looking for enzymes with unusual or useful characteristics.
In one case, her research team studied the Ikaite Columns of Ikka Fjord in Southwest Greenland. This fjord’s unique geology brings extremely alkaline freshwater springs in contact with cold, high-salinity sea water. As the fresh water rises above the seawater it precipitates, making a unique form of calcium carbonate bonded to six water molecules that degrades at temperatures above 6 degrees Celsius. Only in this fjord does the compound build up enough to create columns, and only on these columns is the habitat right for a unique and diverse ecosystem to flourish. That’s the scientific explanation.
The folklore explanation is that fleeing Norsemen broke through the fjord’s ice and froze solid as they reached towards the surface. Still not sure which one’s more plausible, but as of right now popular opinion’s leaning towards the frozen Vikings.
Moving away from that tangent, this all relates to biotechnology because a research company wants to do laundry without hot water. Yeah, you read that right. Apparently laundry’s a big thing with bioengineers. Just stick with me, it all comes together (sort of) in the end. The bacteria on the Ikaite Columns are unique because they perform biological processes at extremely high ph levels and extremely low temperatures. Their enzymes can break down fats and proteins (the same compounds, coincidentally, that cause stains) in cold water with no problem. Modern laundry detergents (which are made with enzymes) have to be used with warm water to efficiently clean clothes. This is why the Ikaite Columns could be so valuable.
If people like Aviaja can isolate and replicate the enzymes at work in those columns, they will have a product that can save millions of tons of CO2 emmissions (as well as millions of dollars) every year. Mind. Blown.
If we’d just used our whole day learning about biotechnology, it would have been well spent. Even more impressive was her conviction that biotechnology could play a role in Greenland’s economic and cultural future. We’ve been learning more and more about the challenges facing Greenland. Traditional ways of life here are threatened by changing climate and increasing integration with the modern world. However, with huge reserves of natural resources, Greenland will face tough decisions in the future.
As part of our biotechnological exploration we visited a nearby lake to sample enzymes. We also went on a flower hunt and tried to find plants that are medicinal, edible, or just plain cool. We saw ducks, bounced on extremely spongy soil, and heard about the Qivittoq, a hairy hermit who lives in the wilderness and gains supernatural powers.
An emerging focus of our time here is Greenland’s struggle to create a sustainable and hopeful future. Perhaps what was most impressive about Aviaja’s visit was her conviction that biotechnology can play a role in Greenland’s economic and cultural future. Biotechnology uses Greenland’s natural resources without destroying them. It is in keeping with the Greenlandic spirit of respectful interaction with nature.
Word of the Day:
Ghost – Spøgelse - Qivittoq
Weather:
Humidity – 19%
Windspeed – 8 km/hour
Temperature – 17 degrees Celsius