Scientists Dive Under Antarctic Ice in Search of Glue

Jan. 3, 2002 -- If it weren't for her hair, Joan Bernhard would be plunging under 12-inch-thick Antarctic ice in one month's time.

Bernhard, a microbiologist based at the University of South Carolina, has taken the icy plunge more than 200 times in past years to search for thumbnail-sized microorganisms sometimes called the "Giants of the Deep."

These water-borne creatures named Foraminifera or "forams" may be small, but compared with other single-celled microorganisms, they're huge. And the organisms create a glue that researchers think could revolutionize medicine.

The unique adhesive works underwater and binds sand grains to form the foram's complex shell home. Scientists think the adhesive could offer a biological "superglue" for applications like sutureless surgery, dentistry and prosthetic devices.

But, back to the hair.

Big Hair, No Hood

This January Bernhard is traveling back to an Antarctic coastal research station about 40 miles from the National Science Foundation's McMurdo base, but this time she won't be getting wet. Her hair, she explains, is "about a foot long" and is too bulky to tuck into the tight hood of a diving suit.

In past years, Bernhard chopped off her hair to accommodate the hood's tight fit, but this year, she's drawing the line.

"I didn't think it was worth the sacrifice for being down there for five weeks," she said.

That doesn't mean she won't be learning a lot about forams.

Instead of diving, Bernhard will help direct other divers, analyze the foram samples they collect from the ocean sediment and help out in the less glorious duties of keeping camp. Bernhard hopes to learn more about the creatures' diets — and whether what they eat changes by the season.

Scientists know the tiny bugs feed on algae that bloom under the ice in December (summertime down in the Antarctic). But it appears the animals also shed their homemade shells when plant food is scarce and become predators, prowling the icy waters for tiny crustaceans.