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Researchers are looking for new bacteria in Arctic circle in the hope of creating new antibiotics.
The search for extreme bacteria
Photos: The search for extreme bacteria
The vessel "Helmer Hanssen" on the Arctic waters of the Lyngen Fjord, northern Norway. Its mission: To discover unknown bacteria that might provide new antibiotics.
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Photos: The search for extreme bacteria
The icy waters of the Norwegian Arctic are a breeding ground for undiscovered bacteria. In this extreme environment, the sea organisms have developed extreme strategies to survive.
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Photos: The search for extreme bacteria
Cell biologist Jeannette Anderson empties sea sponges dredged up from the bottom of the fjord, hoping they will contain new microorganisms.
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Photos: The search for extreme bacteria
The researchers take their finds from the bottom of the sea straight to a wet lab on the ship. It is critical to begin testing as soon as possible, ensuring freshness of the organisms.
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Photos: The search for extreme bacteria
The deep-sea creatures are cut open and plated on a petri dish. In a few weeks, bacteria will grow on the plates, hopefully exhibiting antibacterial properties.
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Photos: The search for extreme bacteria
The work is part of the PharmaSea project, which brings together researchers from the UK, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Denmark and the Norwegian town of Tromso, pictured.
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Photos: The search for extreme bacteria
"If no one finds new antibiotics for common infections, what will happen is we will go back to the pre-antibiotic age in which a simple cut could turn into an infection that becomes deadly," said Marcel Jaspars, founder of the PharmaSea project.
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