A French company has developed a new skin care treatment using an unexpected source: bacteria from glacial melt. 

What's happening?

According to The New York Times, Firn is marketing a product that combines plant stem cell technology with longevity-related proteins uncovered in the glacial melt from the Swiss Alps. 

"We discovered a glacier bacteria that had been sleeping under the ice for thousands of years," said Fred Zülli, a Swiss microbiologist and biochemist who founded Mibelle Biochemistry. Those bacteria stimulate the production of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, the universal energy source for cells. The company says the product can increase the skin's natural capacity for regeneration and repair by 75%. 

"The Alps are quite unique, because anything that can survive under those kinds of extreme conditions, those sources contain molecules that can offer beneficial effects to the skin," Zülli told the Times. "Some areas that were covered for hundreds of thousands of years are now becoming exposed, so we decided to go up there and see if we could discover something new."

Why is this important?

While the innovation may seem cool to many, its source is troubling, as it is yet another signal of the planet's rapidly rising temperatures. 

Finding organisms that have been dormant since the ice age was likely only possible because of the continued melting of Alpine glaciers. According to NBC News, Swiss glaciers have retreated 3% in the last year, the fourth-largest retreat on record. The Alps' melting has caused a heavy toll as well; in May, the village of Blatten was evacuated before a glacial collapse buried it under a torrent of water and rock, effectively destroying it. 

While this means we are able to access bacteria we've never come across before, and create revolutionary products, it comes at the cost of environmental stability. 

What's being done about the Alps' shrinking glaciers?

Ski resorts and towns around the world are fighting to mitigate the effects of the changing climate, but the clock is ticking. Norway is projecting massive shifts in its weather patterns, which could have a devastating impact on the ski tourism industry. 

In Colorado and Utah, mayors of ski towns have banded together to push climate-friendly initiatives and policies. If you want to help cool the warming planet, vote for politicians and leaders who support climate-friendly actions.

Would you live in a home made of bacteria? Absolutely 🦠 Depends on the cost 💰 Depends how it looks 🏡 No way 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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