Today’s Google Doodle celebrates the Argentinian marine biologist Irene Bernasconi.

On this day in 1968, Bernasconi became the first Argentine woman to lead a marine biology expedition to Antarctica.

The sculpted artwork on the Google Doodle shows Bernasconi making notes on a starfish on a beach.

Today’s doodle has been created by artist Alyssa Winans, who used metal wires to build the skeleton of her design before covering it with foil paper and applying clay. She then painted her design to stunning results.

Who was Irene Bernasconi?

Irene Bernasconi was born in La Plata, Argentina, on September 29, 1896.

She became a teacher in 1918 and specialised in natural studies, before working at the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences in the early 1920s.

In 1925, she published her first book on molluscs and marine invertebrates, but her career focussed mainly on research into starfish.

Over the course of her career, Bernasconi described a number of new genera and species, revising the taxonomy of a number of starfish families — including the Pterasteridae, Luidiidae, Odontoceridae, Gonisasteridae, Ganeriidae, Asterinidae and the Echinasteridae.

In 1968, at the age of 72, she was asked to lead a research mission to Antarctica. While she was there she was joined by three other female scientists, including microbiologist Maria Adela Caria, marine biologist Elena Martinez Fontes and botanist Carmen Pujals.

During the expedition, Bernasconi and her team collected over 2,000 echinoderm specimens and discovered an entirely new echinoderm family.

In 1969, the Embassy of Women in America awarded the team a commemorative medal and, on International Women’s Day in 2018, the National Directorate for Antarctica, the Argentine Antarctic Institute and the Naval Hydrographic Service also recognised the team.

Bernasconi was honoured with the Bernasconi Cove, named in her honour.

Following a prolific career that spanned over 50 years, Bernasconi died on July 7, 1989 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Where is Bernasconi Cove?

Bernasconi Cove is located in the south-east of the Jason Peninsula in Antarctica.


What are echinoderms?

Echinoderms are part of the Echinodermata family and they are recognised by their symmetry, as many of them have five points.

Starfish are the most famous of the echinoderm family, but other members include brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers.

There are approximately 7,000 different species of echinoderms which can be found on the sea bed at every ocean depth.

Most are able to reproduce asexually as well as regenerate tissue, organs and limbs — some can regenerate their whole bodies from just one single remaining limb. Due to this, they are very important in scientific research.