Science Friday - SciFri en Español: El Río Hirviente De Perú Tiene Más De Lo Que El Ojo Ve

Episode Date: August 12, 2020

En el verano del 2019, Rosa Vásquez Espinoza bioquímica y candidata a Ph.D. en la Universidad de Michigan Ann Arbor, fue en una expedición al Río Hirviente en la Amazonía peruana para colectar microbios. Ahora, está tratando de comprender el papel que juegan los microbios en la creación de productos naturales, y cómo esa maquinaria se podría utilizar más adelante para manufacturar posibles medicamentos y terapéuticos. En esta nueva entrevista de SciFri en Español, recipiente de la beca en medio de comunicación de la AAAS (siglas en inglés) Attabey Rodríguez Benítez habla con Vásquez Espinosa sobre su investigación en el Río Hirviente de Perú.  ¡Queremos saber tu opinión! ¿Estas interesado en más contenido multilingüe de SciFri? ¡Tenemos un favor que pedirte! ¡Completa nuestra encuesta para ayudarnos a crear más contenido!  Are you interested in more multilingual content from SciFri? We’ve got a favor to ask! Please fill out our survey to help us create future content! Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

Hey there, it's Ira. Hope your week has been safe and healthy so far. We're doing something a little bit different with our SciFRI Extra this time around. If you tuned into last week's show, you may remember hearing about the Peruvian Boiling River with researcher Rosa Vasquez Espinoza. Well, Adami Rodriguez Benitez, SciFri's AAAS mass media fellow, also interviewed Rosa in Spanish. So we're bringing that interview to your feed. You'll hear it in just one minute.

All of us at Team SciFri are passionate about making science news more accessible. And that means exploring how we can bring multilingual content to your feeds. If this is something you're interested in, we've got a favor to ask. Please fill out our survey, which you can find at ScienceFriiday.com slash language survey. If you're interested in more Science Friday content in Spanish, check out ScienceFriday.com slash Espanol. And as always, we'll be back on. Friday. And now here's Atta Bay. This is Science Friday, the Ciencyencia of the Bernes. I'm Atabey Rodriguez-Bin-Tis.

Some of us are living with days calutrosos in the verano, some getting to the 100 degrees in Fahrenheit. Much of us often, we're rapidly prendens the abanico or the air-conditioned that we need our side. But there are little organisms that really do they're in this color. Scondido in the The bush tropical, more grand of Latin America,

is the river-irvient of Peru. Here, it's so much heat that can get to reach up to the 100 degrees Celsius, this is around the 200 degrees Fahrenheit, at the temperature that the water and erver. Although the river is the sufficiently calient as to cook any animal that's a person,

also is the home of the little microbes. These microbes called the attention of some scientists because they could have other things other things, other than

to survive in the cold of the river. With us we're in Rosa Vasquez Spinoza,

candidate doctorate in the program of chemistry of Michigan at an Arbor. Welcome, Rosa to Science Friday. Hello,

Tabe, much thanks for to have me here, a good. Sub-vihast to Peru to study these

microbes. You can to get to our audience to this year? Well, I know, I

originally of Peru, but the The voyage we'll in the US with the equipment from the team from Michigan, so first we're not two of the avion, to get to Lima, the capital of Peru, and then we have to take an avion

more small, local, to get to the city of Pukal, that is at the coast of Wannuko, that is where is the riverbient. Now, for the deforestation, we take a a day of three to four hours in a camionetta to get to the area, to the area, but, before, as in the 2011,

I'd take more than that, I'd take a a new year, that is the boat local in the river for an hour approximately, and then do a hike and a comminata in the cella intense to get to the zone. Then, then,

then, then, after you got to the area, how saw that river-ir-in-persona? It's impressive. I've got visiting different parts of the cellva peruana, since I've 15 years, has a lot of time, and I've visited

from the north to the south, and, always that I go to the selva, me fascina to be a natural-as in its form more pure, because you can hear, or hear, and hear, and, to see the naturalese fresh. Now, at getting to the riverbiente

for the first, we were going to a little elevation with the camionetet and, I still not could have the river in the sea, the water, but if I noted that it was a vapor that practically escaped from the arbor more altos and so you'd have to the skyl

and in a little moment, no could you see where the vapor terminate and where the nudes commenced. And for me, that was a moment of like, as a shock, that me just to parer, to me a second, to give me to know of the special

and the only that is this place. I think immediately, I made a count, why all the world consider the river

as a river a place a lot of a way to walk to

practically practically it's really it's a feeling and also the

thing that is dangerous if is that if it was that

if there there there is there is fascinating

and why is the water is that so is

because there is a It's an excellent question. No, there are three reasons principal for the riverbient is so special. One, the fact of that it is great. In terms of anchura,

it can get to be practically two lanes of the of the street. It's very anchored, and there's a great quantity of water that is constantly. And as you mentioned, it's super-calient. It's more of 200 Fahrenheit or almost 100 Celsius, but also is the

fact that it is volcanic. It's more, the volcano most the volcano more than 400 miles and so it has a reason volcanic

like other rivers around the world and also the fact that the riverbient is that is located in one of

the places more biodivers in the planet, the CELBA Amazonica. And so you went to to the river in

the book in the microbeys. But I imagine that those microbes not are

so much not you know, how you know, how you collect us different types of mues,

one of them sediments, so it is that the sediment contains a quantity great of

microbes, so we collect sediment to the along the river, but also we've

seenobacterias. The cyanobacterias a sometimes have the property of that form as they

that usually see in reds, floating in different parts of the water. For example, if you're going to a laguna or a lagu local, maybe you can't see them.

And I made a count the first that was the river, that in certain parts of the river, they were these matas. So we've

also, we're also, we're also we're looking lichenos, which is a combination of cyanobacterias, usually and

also, on gos extremophilic, that also survive in these conditions extreme, and usually they're in different colors

pegs to rockas. So are like alfumbras that are in the rock, no? Yes, I'm like that word. Like alfumbras that are in the rocks can have different colors.

It's more, if one goes to your own own, the most probable is that you can't one in the trunk of the arbor. So that were

the three things that we're looking and, well, as the river is so can't callient, it's to use

instruments to this type of temperature to collect some of these mues. So, you know, instruments special because, you know, the water was so, and so much that if you met your hand there, that was, there was your

hand. Yes, impossible. Even so, using two wants thermics, let's use, you know, one of the one, one's one one's a one, one can't resisted, one can't, put a finger in the part more than a second. Eventually, the river is free, graduallyly, until the point of that one can enter and the temperature is at a tibia, and eventually, it's cold.

So, in those zones, it was more. necessary to use this type of instruments, so depending on what area we're So I imagine that's an area desolada. There's also, there's people who live in a river, no? Yeah, there's the community of Mayantuyaku, that's the one of the parts more calient of the river that has been in the area for much time, is led by the shaman Maestro Juan Flores,

that's, he's, and protecting the area, since many years. is one of the llamasins more known of the serba masonica in general. And if one is the person to the people local, since how's that,

that's, that's the river here, usually they're saying before the time of the abuelos, is to say, much time. And they're

a river as spirit. In reality, they've been the naturalness explained to the spirit, just the plants,

the animals, in this case, the water of the river, or the vapor of the river, also. And you, then, when they went to

the riverbient, you passed for hours and hours of comminata, going to the car, so you're in the

community that was around the river? Yes, we got with the community of Mayantuyaku, that's

literally at the coast of the river, is that's you're in a little cabin,

very humild and you can't, two minutes and you're to be two minutes, the community

is very, very amable, very that promote ecotourism responsible since many years, that, really, is a way excellent of, well, they're getting

a type of resource for a living, but also serve as a instrument fundamental for the conservation of the area. Then then,

then, then you've started the time with the community, collected the muesters, then you're not when it's a moucester

when it's a night? We've used a microscope of camp, originally, for that we can't

to make the cyanobacterias of, of algas red, that usually with the eyes with

no microscope are like they're in the same they're like matters, but usually they can

distinguish with them with a microscope simple. Something that was, in me was very

very was that the final of every day, we're we're we're

we're not we're a microscope more more great to analyze the

mues of the community especially, the most young they

were very curious what we're doing and they're doing and they're

doing with us to get what we're we've got about the microscope and it's

able to tell us and show them more of a different practically

to be a lot and it was very it's very very fascinating to

them and I remember that you know that's that that's

where I'm that I'm that I'm also also also appreciation for their own for their own

naturalness. And you maybe in some future if they're interested in these microbes,

no? I'd want to be some some microscopes of the campos with them.

I'm I'm how documentar what they're doing and we're the promise

that the next we're going to make you want to show, then you

you're interested in this world of the microbosos you did you you

had a little eventually yes but all nace a a

the love for the natural my family is of the part

of the island of the people they're in a little limited to

the medicine Occidental for moments at sometimes had

those doctors every certain so then the community

needs to count with the medicine traditional and

my abuela was one of this person that she

always knew much about this And eventually, when they moved to Lima, the capital, where I grew and I'm nace,

she no left these the roots of the other, the contrary, she was like a little pharmacy in our garden. And I'm, I created with,

standing in this garden, practically, learning what type of plantas or what of the sediments she had combined to treat different and hermendaries.

And to me this always was fascinating, the concept of that the naturalness has the capacity of our care of us,

and then how we can we we care to her? And eventually, a time of classes of science, I learned that plants, hongos, also as microbes, are those that produce these molecules

that we call products natural. So the plants medicinal are you your attention initial to what are the products natural.

But then why you're looking microbes in the rio? What has this rio of special that these microbes are there?

No, totally. Originally, I mean, me interested in the plants and eventually the fact of the fact that the microbes in the plant, are in many occasions those that produce

these products natural, me per centi, now, the microbos that live in the river for having this capacity to live in a condition extreme,

they're called extremophilos, and at the long of the time have evolutioned to to be floureser in conditions

that extreme where other forms of life not can survive. They've information very specific in their DNA, that does this advantage of to survive in this

area, maybe as a result of the stress of the environment in which they live. And for this reason, we're we're going to that the stress of the environment makes, or it anima that produce molecules

complex, that can serve maybe as medicine, or maybe also as agents for bioremediation or agriculture. So, Tomicromer, they know as extremophilos. So,

he's he's he's the end of the rest of the environment, not? Totally,

exactly. In this case, we're talking like thermophil but also there's some microbe

that they love, for example, living in conditions very acidic or basic, or with

pressures, or even with radiation in the space, but in this case, we have

the time that they're in the different to the microbe, What is the most that entousiasma of your investigation

about Rio and the Bienta? What most me appasional of the work that we're doing with this project of Micro-Amazon or Micro-Amazon

is to learn a person to see the Amazonas a through a perspective different of that not it's just

of jahuas andacondas and plantas exotic, that all this is present in the Amazonas but we

have a universe or per-isopic, practically, almost as kind of in this area, that in reality is the base of the life. The microbes

is, you know, in general, that form part of the ecosystem and of the processes most important, the processes biologics, most important in

different areas that are you can makeroscopic, the plants, animals, can survive and live, and live tranquillamly.

And in this case, I'm entusiasma to be to discover what type of microbes we have in this zone and, and at

know more details of this video microscopical, how we can use this information to help to help the conservation

of this area that's the area of extinction. And this area that is similar to other

places of the world, like the Yellowstone in the United, but the microbes that

exist in Amazon are in an Amazon are, to be to be a thing. To start,

I think it would not be just to compare directly the river-ir-ir-vient with other rivers-termales because they're one, characteristics geoterminic

different, but two, also the the fact that the river-ir-ir-vient is in the center, in the the heart of the cell-in-the-cell-

in this case, of the world, the type of microbiome in my eyes that we can't find out of this zone. It will be

very interesting when we can we can we can share with all of you if the microbes that we've we've got to be to the populations microbianas of other rivers are you

are completely unical and what we can know of this? One of the things that also is in addition to create a map microbiano of the zone

is to be able to relation with the populations microbianes in a zone, with the type of ecology that exists in that zone

and also understand the evolution of these microbes how And this information us can help understand how it's

how it's how it's in the Amazonas in addition to all the efforts of conservation. And there are other places

around the Amazona, all the way to have a map Mimprovian, how you're doing you

in the Amazona of Peru? There's there's a world for study it in the future

that's the north of the Amazonas Peruano is it is a well, it is a

silva of there, there are many few studies in these areas are zones of cellba are small, not so

that in best of to have a tree of ebbis or plant as when you're coming on the earth, you know, that's arina blank, that's like that is a quarter of water. And, as a certain,

of this type of the arena black, has that this zone is very poor in nutrients, which can change much of biodiversity.

The few studies that have been in this zone, they're focused on the plants or

the animals that are they're have encountered species that are endemicas, that means that only are you are just in this area, is that are very unique. And not has done to what I know

know about the type of microbiomas, of microbes that are in this area practically extreme. It has very few nutrients, they're in some way to survive here. And I think the fact of that there are very few zones like

this in the CELBA Amazonica also pite that can conserve. There's much work for to do and many things to put in these maps, no? Yeah, totally. I'm I'm really

I'm really sure I'm sure I'm sure that I'm sure that's a type of form of life microscopical that usually is ignored

or she thinks that's mal I think we know that other perspective of when we think we're in the natural and at

that'ser that can attract the attention to a way different and emotion to the people for

to care the Amazonas to a level more more more are you are trying to to contest with

these microbes specifically? Three things in particular. One, create a map microbial, as I mentioned,

to be able to understand that we need in terms of biodiversity, at this level microscopical, that we can

show this about the evolution in the zone or about the ecology in the zone?

Two, what products naturales, what molecules specialized are producing these extremophilos? These are

they can serve as like to be us as antibiotics or agents for the cancer or for other type of fines like for agriculture or bioremediation and also understand the enzymes that are like the fabric that produce in these molecules and, and to be able to be able to be able to be it,

sometimes, maybe we can serve as well as totalizers to help us to do what we call them, what we call them chemical, that amable in the environment. And number three, we want to create a base of data, that is available to the public, is available in English and in Spanish, interactive,

where we have two things. One, the information scientific that we're going to recollecting with our work, that's that is for advanced in the Amazonas, and also to support to the efforts of conservation in the zone.

And two, we also, we also to try the attention of people that maybe not interested much the or that not knows much about the

microbes is that the Amazonas is much more than what we've been with the two eyes, and to get us a little more to the chemistry in general of the microbes and all those benefits.

My, this is a truce amazing, but we've kept without time, but I'd like to thank you for us with us. Much thanks, Rasa. Yes, no, muchismas for having me came here, Aravain. Me Encant-to-conversed a little more.

Those would bea-tonsor website, which is Andres Russo, the geologist that gave to know the river for first first time, he has a charler of TED also,

that's very fascinating and a book if they're to know more. Also, continue us in the network to Microsoft.

We're going to MicroAmazon or Micromoson Project and also and also to be a University of Michigan for the

support for the project. Rosa Vasquez Spinoza is a candidate doctor in the program of Chimica Biolk and

Arbor. You can read an article about the work of Rosa with the Rioviente on our website

website slash riibiente there you can you can find photos, videos and

more. This conversation was produced by Kathleen Davis. Science Friday is a program

of Science Friday initiative. I'm Atab Rodriguez Benitez and thanks for listening.

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