Evening star., 1955-01-03
Plant and Animal Life
Found Under Arctic Ice
Biologists Are Surprised
By Species From Darkness
By Thomas 4. Henry

By Species From Durkness
BY Thomas R. Henry
BERKELEY, Calf. Jan. S.-The
eternal winter darkness under the
seyen-foot thick Arctic ice abounds with
life.
While the surface is essentially life
less the undersurface Of the ice Is popu-
lated By millions Of minute. shrimp-like
animals which apparently are q major
source of food for higher animals OF the
Arctic depths.
These findings Of biologists on the So
called Fletcher's ice island. Q drifting
block of ice in the central Arctic basin
upon which the Air Forces maintained
. weather and research station for two
years, were reported to the American
Association for the Advancement Of
Science here today.
$50 in an insulated snoWblock house
q combination Of conten1po
dwelling and an Eskimo igloo--the BIZ
ologists were able to drill through the
Ice and sample the sea for traces Of
plant and animal life to q depth of
1000 feet. Samples Of bottom sediments
also were taken with coring devices.
Results Surprising.
Hitherto practically nothing has been
known Of the winter biology Of the
Arctic. The results were quite surprising
and seem to contradict some present
concepts, according to Or. Charles
Horvath Of the University Of Southern
California. leader Of the party.
They found, for example. plants sup
posedly dependent on the basic bios
chemical process Of photosynthe
living for long periods In total darkness.
Thousands Of animal and plant speci-
mems were obtained,
Some theories hitherto on the brink
Of pure speculation will be suhstan-
tiated, Dr. Horvath said.
Most abundant animal organisms or
the total darkness, the biologists found,
were two species Of shrimp-like animals
known as Alnphipods They are found
in great numbers near the surface In
layer less than 20 feet below the ice
cover. Normally they live only on the
sea bottom.
One clings to the undersurface or the
ice. Probably. II was reported, they eat
smaller organisms which themselves de-
pend on protein substances accumu.
lated ct the sea water-ice irlterface.
Enzyme In Brain Found.
Finding Of .hrain enxyme," the
amount and distribution OF which ap-
pear to be hereditary and which may
have profound effect on behavior, was
reported to the American Association
for the Advancement Of Science by DR..
Mark r. Roserzweig and his associates
Of the University Of California. s
An engine is chemical necessary
for some physiological reaction. En-
zymes, OF which the human body prob
ably contains thousands. are the chief
regulators Of living. The engine re-
ported is cholinesterase, found chiefly
In the gray matter OF the brain, and
which probably has something to do
with nerve impulse transmission.
Their studies show, the California
group reported. that the amount Of this
engine differs for different lobes Of the
cerebral cortex. the roof Of the brain
and the organ Of consciousness, which
have different functions. such as seeing.
space Iocalization and the like. But they
found that the amounts and distribu-
tion also differ for individuals and that
this seems TO have q deciding influence
on characteristic behavior. Whether the
pattern Of cf1olinesterase distribution Is
governed by heredity, however, has not
been determined.
Rats Used In Experiments.
The experiments were carried out
with rats which were taught to run d
peculiarly difiicult and frustrating maze.
It was found that different strains Of
these animals, all Of the same species,
behaved In decidedly different ways In
their futile attempts to solve the prob
lem.
The rats then were killed and the gray
matter OF their brains anaiyzed, lobe by
lobe. The only chemical difference
which could be found between the dif-
ferent family lines was In the supply
OF the engine. but this was consistent
for each family.
The work eventually may throw much
light. they believe, on abnormal behavior
which seems to run In human families.