In May 2017, three individuals unloaded millions of white silica “microspheres” into a permafrost thaw pond outside of Utqiagvik, Alaska, with the consent of the private landowner, the Alaska Native-owned Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation. Unbeknownst to most of Utqiagvik’s hunters, fishers, and gatherers who draw food and spiritual sustenance from the land, an ambitious startup was getting an early opportunity to conduct a small-scale field test for a much bigger prospective geo
