Antarctic Fishes: Models for Climate Change and Human Disease

Science for the Public 7/09/13. Professor H. William Detrich, Professor of Marine Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Northeastern University, and Principal Investigator for the United States Antarctic Program. Dr. Detrich discusses two of the extreme evolutionary adaptations of the Antarctic icefishes --the loss of red blood cells and the loss of skeletal mass-- ensured survival in the icy Southern Ocean. He describes how these same features are indicative of anemia and osteoporosis. His research team has developed this information to provide significant medical insights.