Meet the 17-year-old student engineering bacteria to slow Arctic ice melt

PC: Davidson Institute's account of the research Justin Bernstein, a 17-year-old student from Greenwich, Connecticut, has developed a research project exploring how genetically engineered bacteria could help slow Arctic ice melting. Named a 2025 Davidson Fellow in the science category, he received a $50,000 scholarship for his work on engineering Cryobacterium to produce reflective silica, potentially helping glaciers absorb less solar energy. His project, titled “Implementation of Bioengineered Cryobacteria to Enhance the Glacial Albedo of Arctic Ice to Reverse Climate Change-Induced Rise in Sea Levels”, uses climate modelling to examine the potential impact on ice loss and rising sea levels. Bernstein is an incoming first-year student at Yale University.How Bernstein’s research uses ice-albedo feedback to slow Arctic glacier meltingArctic ice plays a role in regulating how much solar energy the Earth's surface absorbs. White ice and snow reflect a substantial proportion of incoming sunlight, whereas darker surfaces, including exposed ocean water, absorb more energy. As ice melts and darker surfaces become exposed, the additional absorption of solar energy can contribute to furthe...