Octopus Disease Continues to Terrorize Neighborhoods, but Yellowstone Officials Remain Hopeful
Mariah Mathers, Reporter, Wyoming News Network
Mariah Mathers, Reporter, Wyoming News Network
It has now been a year since the mysterious smog first appeared in Yellowstone National Park. Months into this endeavor, we are still struggling to deal with the biofilm that continues to seep from the river. Yellowstone has become a wasteland. The area once prided itself on having the largest concentration of wildlife, including bears, elks, wolves, moose, otters, and more, in the lower forty-eight states. Vegetation once thrived at Yellowstone. There were wetlands and hydrothermal plant communities, not to mention the species that could only be found at Yellowstone, such as Ross's bentgrass and Yellowstone sulfur wild buckwheat. Now, no animals can be found, the ground is either covered in decaying material or completely bare, and all endemic species have gone extinct. Famed explorer Isaiah Cross, who survived numerous encounters in the past, passed away after one trip into the smog. However, his efforts were not in vain, as scientists used his samples to study the causative agent of this disease: the biofilm.
"Visibility is about three feet in all directions around me. This reminds me of when I was younger and had terrible claustrophobia... I have yet to see any signs of animals"
-Excerpt from the journal of Isaiah Cross on his expedition into Yellowstone
The biofilm, a slime layer of bacteria, continues to spread outward, threatening to turn the entire country into a scene from a post-apocalyptic film. It seeps into every crack or opening it can. People have taken to calling it the "Octopus," as the slimy sea creatures are notorious for slipping through even the smallest of openings. Doors and windows have not been opened for weeks in some households. Parents warn their kids to stay inside so they don't "let the Octopus in." The physical barriers are effective at keeping out the smog, which always arrives before the biofilm itself, but bacteria can easily slip underneath a door. From there, all it needs is an opening into the body: nose, mouth, ear, a small scrape. One exposure and you end up dying of old age at 15 years old.
Scientists from all over have been attempting to study this mutated bacterium, but there is still a lot of information we don't know about it. The biofilm is so motile and virulent it has killed ninety percent of the people trying to study it. They say the bacteria mutated because of hazardous waste that somehow seeped into the water. They say it drains the life from you, you become delirious, you have no idea how much time has passed and you can't see or think clearly. But how exactly does this infection kill you? Scientists have generally agreed that telomeres have something to do with it: the bacteria cut them shorter and shorter until apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is signaled. Telomeres, or the end portions of chromosomes, get shorter as people age, and are usually only short in older adults.
However, telomeres aren't the only things involved in aging. It also involves cellular damage from ROS, or reactive oxygen species, which are produced during normal metabolism. In addition, our genetics predispose us to survive only a certain amount of time. So how exactly does this infection work? Is it creating more reactive oxygen species? Is it killing antioxidants, which exist to protect us from ROS? Is it somehow changing our genetics, convincing our bodies that it is time for us to die? Not to mention the smog, which is created when gas produced by the biofilm mixes with sulfur from hot springs at Yellowstone. Coughing, gagging, and wheezing can all be caused by breathing in the thick pollutant. This smog doesn't stay localized, either. Produced at Yellowstone, it spreads outward just like the biofilm, coming in like a warning sign. Since the biofilm is so hard to study, it might be a while before we fully understand it. What we can focus on now is how best to protect ourselves.
The biofilm, a slime layer of bacteria, continues to spread outward, threatening to turn the entire country into a scene from a post-apocalyptic film. It seeps into every crack or opening it can. People have taken to calling it the "Octopus," as the slimy sea creatures are notorious for slipping through even the smallest of openings. Doors and windows have not been opened for weeks in some households. Parents warn their kids to stay inside so they don't "let the Octopus in." The physical barriers are effective at keeping out the smog, which always arrives before the biofilm itself, but bacteria can easily slip underneath a door. From there, all it needs is an opening into the body: nose, mouth, ear, a small scrape. One exposure and you end up dying of old age at 15 years old.
Scientists from all over have been attempting to study this mutated bacterium, but there is still a lot of information we don't know about it. The biofilm is so motile and virulent it has killed ninety percent of the people trying to study it. They say the bacteria mutated because of hazardous waste that somehow seeped into the water. They say it drains the life from you, you become delirious, you have no idea how much time has passed and you can't see or think clearly. But how exactly does this infection kill you? Scientists have generally agreed that telomeres have something to do with it: the bacteria cut them shorter and shorter until apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is signaled. Telomeres, or the end portions of chromosomes, get shorter as people age, and are usually only short in older adults.
However, telomeres aren't the only things involved in aging. It also involves cellular damage from ROS, or reactive oxygen species, which are produced during normal metabolism. In addition, our genetics predispose us to survive only a certain amount of time. So how exactly does this infection work? Is it creating more reactive oxygen species? Is it killing antioxidants, which exist to protect us from ROS? Is it somehow changing our genetics, convincing our bodies that it is time for us to die? Not to mention the smog, which is created when gas produced by the biofilm mixes with sulfur from hot springs at Yellowstone. Coughing, gagging, and wheezing can all be caused by breathing in the thick pollutant. This smog doesn't stay localized, either. Produced at Yellowstone, it spreads outward just like the biofilm, coming in like a warning sign. Since the biofilm is so hard to study, it might be a while before we fully understand it. What we can focus on now is how best to protect ourselves.
"It is life itself being drained from me... One of two things is true at this moment. I have either been stuck in this fog for thirty years or I have somehow aged thirty years in a matter of days."
-Excerpt from the journal of Elias Becker, the first scientist to study the biofilm
Staying inside is the best way to protect yourself from infection. The CDC recommends staying indoors as much as possible, and completely covering your body if you do go outside. To this I say, there is one glaring issue with this approach to the situation: poor communities will disproportionately be at a higher risk of exposure. What should people do if they have no home to hide in? Companies are creating masks to protect against the smog and full body suits to protect against the biofilm, but they are only available to those who have enough money to pay for them. While the rich remain in their multi-roomed mansions with bunkers full of food, others try to seal cracks in their windows with duct tape and move as fast as they can through the grocery store.
In addition, many people cannot afford to quit working. Businesses are closing as their employees become ill. Some have moved to working online from home, but not everyone has internet connection good enough to do this. The rate of car accidents has increased drastically in areas where the smog exists. Healthy adults are getting serious respiratory illnesses from breathing in the smog, and children are suddenly dying of old age within weeks. How much has to happen before the government steps in to protect its people? We need better short-term solutions, and we need them now.
"The Octopus fills me with fear no matter where I am. Work, home, grocery store, it doesn't matter. I have no way to protect myself. I can't afford the fancy masks or suits. What am I supposed to do?”
-Carrie Williamson, Pocatello, Idaho
Meanwhile, the government has been collaborating with Yellowstone officials to try to find a long-term solution to this catastrophe. They first tried to use antibiotics to stop the spread of the biofilm. This proved futile once it was discovered the bacteria are resistant to almost every antibiotic in existence. An experiment in Helena, Montana worked for a few weeks, in which the biofilm was kept at bay with a "cocktail" of antibiotics. Researchers combined five highly potent antibiotic compounds together and attacked the biofilm with the mixture, an approach commonly used to fight superbugs in healthcare settings. After two weeks, the biofilm became resistant to the cocktail as well and pushed forward.
Their approach has now changed to studying adaptive species, trying to see if there is an organism out there that has naturally evolved to protect itself against the biofilm. Researchers have been sending in any and all organisms they can think of, from mice to fruit flies to various species of fungi. The mice have all died within a day or two. The fruit flies cannot fly through the smog. Plants and animals alike succumb to the Octopus. Interestingly, they did have some luck with one fungal species. The name of the fungus has not yet been released, but an official statement from Yellowstone has reported an important discovery: this fungus released a compound that partially degraded the biofilm. It needs to be studied more before any conclusive comments can be made, but the team from Yellowstone is remaining hopeful, and telling others to do the same.
"If this compound can be isolated, studied, and eventually synthesized in a lab, it could provide us with a weapon against a seemingly undefeatable attacker."
-Bryan Underwood, Lead Researcher, Yellowstone Team
If not stopped, this biofilm could spread across the entire country, wreaking havoc and destruction wherever it goes. Scientists are working hard to learn more about this biofilm and the disease it causes, and we should be grateful for their efforts. However, as we remain hopeful for a permanent solution, we must also be critical of the government's short-term problem solving. Poor communities are dying at higher rates. The people of the United States need masks, suits, better living areas, anything to help protect them. A better solution must be implemented before the biofilm spreads farther. In the meantime, if you see a thick smog moving into your neighborhood, I suggest traveling a few towns over before the Octopus gets you, too.
To learn more about this mysterious biofilm, click the links below.
Sources
1. AllTrips.com. “Sulphor Caldron in Yellowstone National Park.” AllTrips - Yellowstone National Park, 2020, www.yellowstoneparknet.com/geothermal_features/sulphur_caldron.php.
2. Heathman, Christine. The Science Behind Aging. 27 Aug. 2013, www.dermascope.com/aging/the-science-behind-aging.
3. Labelle, Christine. “Main Components of Smog.” Parliamentary Research Branch, 1998, publications.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/modules/prb98-4-smog/maincomponents-e.htm.
4. Pappas, Stephanie. “Antibiotic 'Cocktails' Could Fight Resistant Bugs - But It's Tricky.” LiveScience, Purch, 5 Sept. 2018, www.livescience.com/63503-antibiotic-combinations-superbugs.html.
5. Yellowstone National Park Service. Bear Encounters. 2020, www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/wildlife.htm.
6. Yellowstone National Park Service. Plants. 2020, www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/plants.htm.
2. Heathman, Christine. The Science Behind Aging. 27 Aug. 2013, www.dermascope.com/aging/the-science-behind-aging.
3. Labelle, Christine. “Main Components of Smog.” Parliamentary Research Branch, 1998, publications.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/modules/prb98-4-smog/maincomponents-e.htm.
4. Pappas, Stephanie. “Antibiotic 'Cocktails' Could Fight Resistant Bugs - But It's Tricky.” LiveScience, Purch, 5 Sept. 2018, www.livescience.com/63503-antibiotic-combinations-superbugs.html.
5. Yellowstone National Park Service. Bear Encounters. 2020, www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/wildlife.htm.
6. Yellowstone National Park Service. Plants. 2020, www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/plants.htm.
