Hawaiian teen wins $10,000 for sick turtle research

Although many high school students aren't enthusiastic about science projects, one determined student decided to take it upon himself to dedicate nearly three years to one. Meet Maddux Alexander Springer, a Hawaiian teenager who noticed the lack of studies on a species of sea turtle with a mysterious illness and decided to do some research himself.

Springer, now 18, first saw the green sea turtles covering the seafloor during his free dives in Kāne'ohe Bay, east of Oahu, during the pandemic. They were covered in cauliflower-like tumors from fibropapillomatosis, or FP, a disease that affects up to 97 percent of sea turtles worldwide. Usually it remains latent, but once the disease is activated, tumors grow first on the outside, then sometimes inside the turtles. Although the tumors themselves are not dangerous, they can block breathing and eating, leading to tragic consequences.

Not finding enough answers about the disease that was wreaking havoc among Hawaii's turtles, Springer began his own research. He wanted to find out for himself what activated FP in Hawaiian turtles. He applied for a permit to biopsy turtle tumors, but his request was denied. Undeterred, he set up a network of motion-sensing underwater cameras to study the turtle population. Not only did the cameras help him discover that PF was indeed extremely widespread, but they also helped him discover that the turtles were eating a lot of invasive algae species, graciliaria samphire. Normally, eating algae is one of the turtles' key tasks in their ecosystem, as too much algae will smother coral reefs, already stressed by rising temperatures. It turns out, however, that there is a difference between invasive algae and native species. Graciliaria samphire absorbs wastewater 11 times more than historic turtle meals.

In case you didn't know, Hawaii, arguably one of the most beautiful places on Earth, is basically stewing in its own feces. There are more than 83,000 catch basins in Hawaii. Partly because of geography and partly because of the post-World War II population boom, many Hawaiians rely on a hole under their homes to store sewage. This wastewater seeps into the ground, and because Hawaii's volcanic soil is very porous, it quickly flows into the ocean. Fifty-two million gallons of untreated sewage are released into the ground every day in Hawaii.

Along with the increase in skin and gastrointestinal infections among swimmers, wastewater contains a large amount of nitrogen. In humans, it has been shown to increase cancer rates, but we're not the only ones who suffer from it. Springer wondered whether the invasive algae were absorbing nitrogen from the waste and converting it to arginine, an amino acid previously shown to correlate with FP. The curious teen began collecting and processing algae samples to measure with a lab's mass spectrometer. The spectrometer confirmed Springer's suspicions about arginine levels in the turtles' main source of larvae.

Although his study was not peer-reviewed, he won first prize in the animal sciences division of the international science and engineering fair Regeneron. Additionally, he received the Peggy Scripps Prize for Science Communication, granting him $10,000 toward his studies. Springer plans to study marine biology at Orgeon State University in the fall. He hopes his project will help bring attention to the urgent crisis in Hawaii. He said: “I really want to raise awareness that this is a problem and the only way to solve it is through government intervention. »

The state has committed to replacing all cesspools by 2050. But that's not soon enough to avoid disastrous consequences for turtles and the entire ecosystem, including humans. In May, the Legislature passed a bill imposing fees on property owners with cesspools to help fund alternatives to cesspools. However, this will only reduce the expected costs of converting cesspools to modern wastewater management systems. Hopefully, as they reach voting age, Springer's peers will follow his lead and become effective advocates for clean water.

Maddux Alex Springer, 18, won the Peggy Scripps Science Communication Award for his work on sick sea turtles living off the coast of Oahu.

Answering a question that had baffled scientists, the high school student demonstrated the serious consequences of water pollution.

h/t: [Reddit]

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