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WISSARD Project
Lake Whillans lies beneath a 66-foot (20-meter) wide ice stream that moves about a meter per day, as opposed to something like a meter per year for the surrounding icecap. Little is known about the possible relation between ice streams on the surface and subglacial river systems, which have only been discovered – and charted through radar – over the past couple of decades.
By Becky Oskin
LiveScience
Blobs and smears of microbial life growing in clear plastic disks are confirmation of a community living in a lake buried beneath the Antarctic ice, scientists studying the lake have said.
Water retrieved from subglacial Lake Whillans contains about 1,000 bacteria per milliliter (about a fifth of a teaspoon) of lake water, biologist John Priscu of Montana State University told Nature News. Petri dishes swiped with samples of the lake water are already growing colonies of microbes at a good rate, Nature News reported.
Lake Whillans is 2,625 feet (800 meters) below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. After breaking through the ice on Jan. 28, researchers are returning to the United States with 8 gallons (30 liters) of lake water and eight sediment cores from the lake bottom. These samples will be tested for signs of microbial life, which could shed light on the types of extreme life that is able to thrive in such harsh environments.
Reach Becky Oskin at boskin@techmedianetwork.com. Follow her on Twitter @beckyoskin. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebook and Google+.
Leave a Comment:
As long as whatever it is doesn't eat their dog then becomes the dog I'm good with it.
Haha. Thank you thing...
Release the Kraken!
Every time I read an article like this I wonder what this means for microbial life on Titan or Mars.
Then, I begin to worry that one of these days we're going to be living one of several Sci-Fi movies if we aren't careful.
Eh? How about you keep that stuff in the Antarctic until you figure out that it's safe?
I would not be surprised at all if they found life on Titan. It has plenty of energy and plenty of organics and is the only other body in the Sol system with a vary thick Nitrogen atmosphere like earth. I also would expect to find some form of life on Ganymede but likely purely microbial life.
Nice, Indigo-Rage. I was thinking more along the lines of the X-Files episode "Darkness Falls" but yours was better.
I'd be more shocked if life wasnt found under the ice.
Seriously, am I missing something here...havent we already proven time and time again that life can exist in the most harshest of environments?
We should be assuming that life exists, not the other way around.
It should be news worthy when we find that life CANT exist in some extreme or another, for one reason or another.
Ahhhh, the mystery of where Bigfoot came from has been determined.
Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out life can be found in extreme circumstances. Wonder how much their "research" cost the taxpayers.
Exactly, Dick. What if it was something that only really started reproducing at 50°?
The endurance and resilience of bacteria and micro-organisms living in the harshest conditions of our planet has been not only acknowledged but proven many times. Life manifest itself everywhere in our planet, even in places humans judge inhabitable.
To some "commenters" here, I would like to ask, if your only interest is politics or denigrating others why are you in Science threads, and what are you trying to accomplish here? Obviously you're not interested in new discoveries.
I hope that they are treating these samples as level 4 biohazards, at least until they figure out what they are and how dangerous they might be to people. To do any less would be an incredibly stupid risk to take. Who knows how long some of these microbes have been around and what they might do to anyone exposed to them.
Given the current liberal mindset they'll want to bring it to the US, give it citizenship and a full ride at taxpayer expense to show 'we are the world, we are the people' blah blah
@ Jessica-1170252 post 1.7,
I thought we or scientist had already established there are places on earth that can not support life. Places in our oceans called Dead Zones?
So, what is the point?
Actually, the dead zones aren't really dead. Lots of bacteria live there. Just no fish, shrimps, crabs - you know, things that require oxygen.
Or just as scary - once warmed to 50 degrees+ we discover this microbial life reanimates the dead! Let loose the zombie apocalypse!
Gives some interesting speculation for life on other planets. What is their source of nourishment? Are they bacteria that we see on the surface or is it something new?
Thought they could hide from us half a mile under Antarctic ice, huh? We got 'em now!
This is so awsome and should be front page news
and the top story on news shows.
They should send down a camera next!
It would have to be a very small camera and honestly no one would tune in to watch tiny specs of semi solid fluid moving around. It is life, but not the sort life that people really care to watch.
LOL
Well we knew there was life down there. Now its time for the interesting part of discovering where on the evolutionary timeline these bacteria fit, if at all.
Actually, this is the first confirmation I have seen, so we really did not know before.
If they can find the timeline, my bet is it's still around the time of the glaciation, 35-40 million years ago.
I thought they were not going to actually punch through for fear that the drilling fluid (diesel fuel) would contaminate the water with microbial spew. Did they forget this little tidbit and say what the hell, were 20 feet from the honey pot, Vern bump that lever over there by accident and oops it went through. Now quick take a sample...
They used a water jet to break through the ice which did not require drilling. They decided to do that a few months ago for fear of environmental impact.
What is meant by harsh? If you are not adapted to it , then it is harsh. Like a fish living on land or us living in the ocean or at 29 thousand feet. If yo are adapted to it then it is normal.
How bout living in very different conditions.
I thought that was Vostok that was contaminated with fuel. I know they did reach the liquid water in Vostok but I don't know what their results were. I'll have to look into that.
Vostok was a much deeper drill I think and they found nothing.
That was Lake Vostok that had the concerns about contamination. Dunno if there has been confirmation about the fuel contamination yet though.
I think people are confusing this with lake Vostok...much, much deeper.
Pretty harsh conditions, and there's life?
Amazing.
Every turn there's something that just creates Awe.
I'm concerned for the potential of these microbial/ bacterial life-forms to multiply at an astronomical rate in slightly warmer conditions, and then contaminate drinking water sources with strains by far more harmful for human and animal consumption than ever seen before.
It would be nice to know the scientists in the Antarctic, studying these specimens, are doing everything in their power to ensure the safety of human/ animal life. At least until the microbial/ bacterial substance is understood in its entirety. Something 2,625 feet below the surface could be ancient in comparison to the existence of homo sapiens.
Nah, never could happen. Our government would never let that happen. I mean have you ever heard of our water supplies ever being contaminated by any invading species? Oh wait!
Highly unlikely. Bacteria in the outside world have had so much more time to adapt to the present conditions. These things have been in quarantine for thousands of years. It is the welfare of this bacteria that we need to worry about. :P
I wouldn't be too concerned. These scientists do have experience with keeping potentially dangerous stuff secure. The CDC for example has colonies of Smallpox and Ebola and all sorts of nastiness, and they have well established containment and safety protocols, and these scientists will use similar safety standards I'm sure. Certainly, there could still be an accident of course - but I'd be surprised if anyone is being unnecessarily casual with this - I would expect they are taking all the necessary precautions. :)
Darn it...one less place I can drop the "lifeless" wife....
Now that was harsh!
One fine day these jokers are gong to let something lose they can't control. Not all Science Fiction is Fiction all the time. Yesterdays SCi-Fi is today's reality.
It was politicians that already did that, its a monster called the deficit....
God planned it that way! Right
Better call Kurt Russell ! Tell him to bring extra flame throwers! Ok, lets hope they find something useful,? other than Oil. 2600 feet down,pretty amazing. I am still waiting for the "shadow" in a Curiosity pic.
Extreme conditions? The bacteria live in lake WATER, meaning it's above 32F. The lake has a source of heat from inside the earth keeping it liquid. There are microbes living in the cracks of mountain rocks in Antarctica at -60F. THAT's living in extreme conditions!
I don't see the need to bring 8 gallons of this water to us. Wouldn't it be safer to take more research equipment to antarctica? I don't want it anywhere us until they know more about it.
No, joke, Laura. Whatever "life" is there has probably been evolving for hundreds of thousands of years without contact with present life forms. Who knows what damage it could do in the current ecosystem?
Some people spend far too much time watching old Netflix.... This is not virus bacteria...
Is it an Ancient?
Are you a Goa'uld?
Amazing ...
Awesome that they found some. I wonder why Lake Vostok was sterile, yet this lake was relatively abundant? 1/8 the bacterial concentration in ocean water!
I also don't see why people are so concerned that it is going to be the bacteria that destroys humanity or something. Pathogenic bacteria that depend on living in other organisms ≠ extremophiles. Time to lay off the science fiction movies. ;)
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a clear and present danger.
True, but they are most certainly not going to be coming out of the ground without being in contact with humans for thousands of years.
Interesting article about Lake Vostok: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/10/19/first-lake-vostok-samples-lifeless-but-american-scientist-says-thats-not-conclusive
It sounds like the freezing of the samples from Vostok could have forced out any organisms. I'll be curious to know if they will continue to sample Lake Vostok...
Now if we can teach the microbes to pilot a space ship, we can colonize Mars!
Was thinking about that Ice Hunters tv show. All that ice is supposed to be so pure... hmmmm....
Hope they don't bring back the microbes that knocked out the dinosaurs. Or a new breed of bed bug.
Can we grab our guns and hunt them?
New to WallMart
Isolated Glacier Lake water in a bottle, only $300 each...
by the makers of evian...
Mother Nature has many ways to eradicate the vermin infecting her planet and when she is ready ....bye bye .