Rachael Natoli                                                                                                  10/30/16

INTD 105-19: Scientific Writing                                         About 215 Words

Appendix One in The Heart of the Antarctic is about the biology of Antarctica. The microbiology section focused on very unique microorganisms living in the Cape Royds Lakes. There were many species of microorganisms found after studying the sediment of a weed found in one of the lakes but the book focused mainly on the specific species of Rotifers and Water-Bears. What makes these organisms so unique is the extreme conditions the adult organism can survive. They can survive the extreme salinity of certain lakes and continue to live after being frozen in the harsh cold of the Antarctic. Researchers were most surprised to find out that it was the adults that could survive the harsh conditions because in most other scenarios it is the eggs of the organism that can survive in cold temperatures.

In the appendix there were various images of Rotifers and Water-Bears taken under a microscope; these images connect the sciences to the arts as it gives a visual representation of what the biologists are researching. This reading reminded me of the organisms that live near deep sea hydrothermal vents and do chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis as no light reaches that far down. I would be interested in researching if there are other organisms that can survive equally harsh conditions