Scientists have discovered a collection of ancient microbes in a frozen lake in Antarctica that is thought to be entirely frozen from top to bottom. The findings, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, reveal that water exists 11 meters below the surface and contains various types of microbiota that are likely thousands of years old.
The research team, led by the National Research Council of Italy, extracted a sample from the lake’s ice core and found evidence of life that has been separated from the rest of the world for millennia. The microbes are believed to be descendants of ancient life forms that thrived in the lake before it became permanently frozen.
This discovery raises more questions than answers about the lake’s unique ecosystem. Despite being located in an area where water should have dried up long ago, the lake remains hydrated and suggests the presence of a previously unknown water source. The findings also provide valuable insights into the conditions that can support life on other planets, such as Mars.
The discovery is particularly significant because it challenges our understanding of what can survive in extremely cold and dry environments. The fact that microbes were able to thrive in this lake for thousands of years suggests that they found a way to adapt and survive in conditions that would be hostile to most known forms of life.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/mysterious-lifeform-emerged-bottom-lake-143000246.html