The cellular structure of polar fish was examined in detail under a microscope for the first time.

A huge technical obstacle that has not been overcome for many years in the field of polar biology and cellular biomechanics has been left behind. British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Cambridge University researchers have developed a special microscope technology that examines living tissues in freezing polar conditions with high resolution at the cellular level.

Living cells of Antarctic spiny plunderfish and ice fish living in the Southern Ocean, where the seawater temperature reaches -1.8°C, the freezing point, were successfully produced and examined in a laboratory environment for the first time.

CELLULAR POWER PLANTS AND GIANT WASTE FACILITIES WERE DISCOVERED

According to the study published on the bioRxiv platform, it was determined that polar fish have a much higher number of mitochondria (the power plant of the cell) in their cells compared to species living in temperate seas, and that they form huge interconnected networks. It has been documented that cells maximize their energy production capacity as protein synthesis becomes difficult in freezing cold.

In addition, it was observed that lysosome organelles, which function as intracellular "garbage mass" to destroy damaged and faulty proteins created by cold weather, reached gigantic sizes.

ICE FISH WITH TRANSPARENT BLOOD: THEY SURVIVE WITH ANTIFREEZE PROTEINS

Research has confirmed that Antarctic residents can survive with transparent blood without red blood cells (hemoglobin) even under freezing waters. Living things benefit from the high oxygen carrying capacity of cold water and prevent their tissues from turning into ice by secreting large amounts of special "antifreeze protein" into their blood plasma.

Experts found that the organelles at the cellular level work at the same speed as living things in temperate climates, and reported that the cellular engine rotates uninterruptedly despite the heavy metabolism of the large organism.

VITAL DATABASE AGAINST CLIMATE CRISIS

Project managers Professor Melody Clark and Dr. Francesca van Tartwijk stated that Antarctic creatures are extremely sensitive to global warming.

Emphasizing that only a 1-2 degree increase in sea water temperature is fatal for these species, scientists announced that thanks to the new microscope technology developed, how polar creatures will respond to warming seas at the cellular level will be mapped and conservation strategies will be shaped accordingly.