Latest Subglacial lake Stories

British scientists have been given the go-ahead to drill through the Antarctic ice sheet into Lake Ellsworth, which has been sealed off for thousands of years.The main goal of the project is to determine whether there is life in the lake, The Independent reported. The lake, one of about 150 that have been found under the ice sheet, has been covered for at least 400,000 years -- and possibly form as long as 2 million years.It is a dark, cold place that has been sealed from the outside world...

Scientists say that enormous floods beneath the Antarctic ice sheet can now be linked directly to the speed at which that ice moves towards the ocean.The giant Byrd Glacier in east Antarctica sped up just as two lakes under the ice overflowed, according to Leigh Stearns and colleagues. They say the floodwater acts as a lubricant, easing the ice over the bedrock.Experts believe the more ice the Polar Regions dump in the ocean, the higher the waters will rise.Ice behavior in response to a...

Scientists have long known that life can exist in some very extreme environments. But Earth continues to surprise us.At a European Science Foundation and COST (European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research) 'Frontiers of Science' meeting in Sicily in October, scientists described apparently productive ecosystems in two places where life was not known before, under the Antarctic ice sheet, and above concentrated salt lakes beneath the Mediterranean. In both cases,...

New research in Antarctica has revealed cells that might repair their DNA at extremely cold temperatures and, in doing so, could effectively be 'immortal'. If confirmed, the findings would have implications for the potential for life in the ice of worlds like Mars and Europa.LSU - If confirmed, "immortal cells" could prove potential for life on Mars and Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.Antarctica is home to the largest body of ice on Earth. Prior to approximately 10 years ago, no one...

Just as explorers once searched the vast reaches of Africa's Nile River for clues to its behavior and ultimate source, modern-day scientists are searching Antarctica for its hidden lakes and waterways that can barely be detected at the surface of the ice sheet. In a new study, researchers have unearthed how water from this vast subglacial system contributes to the formation of ice streams, and how it plays a crucial role in transporting ice from the remote interior of Antarctica toward the...

By Christian LoweMOSCOW -- Hidden about 2.5 miles beneath the ice near the South Pole lies a lake that scientists believe represents a lost world, harboring organisms sealed off from the rest of the planet for millions of years.Russian researchers are drilling down through the ice toward Lake Vostok as they seek to unlock the secrets of what some say is the last great unexplored frontier on Earth.The lake under the Antarctic ice is uniquely important precisely because it is so pristine, but...

By Christian Lowe MOSCOW (Reuters) - Hidden about four km (2.5 miles) beneath the ice near the South Pole lies a lake that scientists believe represents a lost world, harboring organisms sealed off from the rest of the planet for millions of years. Russian researchers are drilling down through the ice toward Lake Vostok as they seek to unlock the secrets of what some say is the last great unexplored frontier on earth. The lake under the Antarctic ice is uniquely important precisely...

By Christian LoweMOSCOW (Reuters) - Hidden about four km (2.5 miles) beneath the ice near the South Pole lies a lake that scientists believe represents a lost world, harboring organisms sealed off from the rest of the planet for millions of years.Russian researchers are drilling down through the ice toward Lake Vostok as they seek to unlock the secrets of what some say is the last great unexplored frontier on earth.The lake under the Antarctic ice is uniquely important precisely because it is...

Ancient water bodies may contain ecosystems adapted to life beneath more than two miles of ice Columbia -- Lying beneath more than two miles of Antarctic ice, Lake Vostok may be the best-known and largest subglacial lake in the world, but it is not alone down there. Scientists have identified more than 145 other lakes trapped under the ice. Until now, however, none have approached Vostok's size or depth. In the February 2006 issue of Geophysical Review Letters, scientists from the...