Ars Bioarctica

Dr. Martin Kainz There is a team of scientists studying the water fleas, aka Daphnia, in the Kilpisjärvi area. Research scientist Dr. Martin Kainz of the the WasserKluster Lunz - Biologische Station GmbH was here finishing up a multi-year project and kindly granted me a video interview. His previous studies have shown that water fleas and the algae they eat are an essential part of the food chain from fish to humans. In particular, they provide omega-3 fatty acids, what fish need to withstand cold waters like these in Kilpisjärvi, (I experienced this today, brrr!) and what we need for our brains to function. cold water! We talked about this work, but also about other things that affect our brain function, like science, art, culture and interdisciplinary work. Dr. Kainz quoted Nobel Laureate neuroscientist Dr. Eric Kandel, saying that new ideas actually change our brains. We discussed how both listening to music and working in the field are experiences that can lead to scientific insights, as Einstein observed about listening to Bach for example. While we sat talking, Dr. Kainz showed me a small vial of water filled with water fleas he was getting ready to look at under a microscope. Just at that moment, he noticed something that wasn't a water flea in the vial. It was in fact a mosquito larvae hatching right in front of us. Although I had no affection for mosquitos before that moment, it was impossible not to share in the joy Dr. Kainz expressed at this miraculous event. Is this joy that we experience from art and nature a kind of 'grease', like the essential fatty acids, that allows our brains to change? It certainly changed my mind about mosquitoes, at least for a little while. Here is a short binaural (headphones recommended) recording of mosquitos I made in the Malla nature preserve. I'm afraid you will hear at the end that I couldn't resist the urge to swat! malla_mosquito Here are some links to articles and books describing Dr. Kainz's research: http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/en/aktuell/news/archiv/14197/index.php http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/en/forschung/highlights/projekte/id/14006/index.php http://www.physorg.com/news178280069.html http://www.jstor.org/pss/3597446 http://www.springerlink.com/content/x521r3u01038k075/ Video of Eric Kandel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqzOGa2l-_k