Russian Scientists May Have Drilled into Previously Untouched Subglacial Lake
International scientists teeter between excitement and concern after
reports from Russian news agency RIA Novosti that Russian scientists
have drilled into the untouched Lake Vostok, 2.2 miles below the surface
of Antarctica.
The lake, discovered in the mid-1990s, is the world’s third largest
and could hold a vast amount of scientific data, both about how lakes
function below the surface of the ice in Antarctica and about the
possibility of discovering previously unknown life forms. That is, if
the kerosene, Freon and other chemicals used in the 20-year drilling
process didn’t leak into the water and ice and contaminate the area.
Russians drill into Lake Vostok, begin search for life under Antartica’s surface
Thursday, February 9, 1:45 PM
Scientists are taking the search for life in extreme environments to the ends of Earth and beyond. On Wednesday Russian scientists announced they had reached Lake Vostok, a subglacial lake under Antarctica. As AP reported:
Russian researchers reported Wednesday that they had reached Lake Vostok, a pristine body of water untouched by light or wind for about 20 million years. They want to know what type of microbial life — bacteria too small to see — might exist there.
SOURCE: WASHINGTON POST
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