March 06, 2019
The Antarctic blackfin icefish is a peculiar fish that is found in the below freezing waters surrounding Antarctica. This unusual looking fish does not have functioning red blood cells, which are normally responsible for transporting oxygen around the body. To compensate for this, they have an extra-large heart, and produce glycoproteins which act like antifreeze and lower their internal freezing temperatures. Their DNA also shows signs of the deletion of some of the circadian regulation genes, which the researchers speculate is because of the day-night cycle in Antarctica. Now that the genome sequence of this fish is available, it is bound to lead to further discoveries about how life can adapt to survive in even the most hostile environments.
Source: Science Alert
Read more: http://ow.ly/kzXy30nV1SZ
