No Light, No Warmth : Extreme Life Thrives in Antarctic Lake

Wired Science

BBC

Scientists have found life in an Antarctic lake that was sealed off from the outside world by a thick sheet of ice several thousands of years ago. Brine collected from boreholes drilled into Lake Vida contains scores of bacteria that clung on to life despite making their home in one of harshest environments on Earth.The water in Lake Vida is acidic, starved of oxygen, and so salty that it remains liquid despite its temperature hovering around the -13C mark all year round.

Microbial life has been discovered sealed in a brine lake beneath 65 feet of Antarctic ice after spending nearly 3,000 years isolated from external energy sources.

The findings, detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, describe the microbes’ Lake Vida habitat as aphotic (with little or no light), anoxic (without oxygen), and slightly acidic brine with a temperature of -13C. Carbon dating has indicated that the inhospitable-sounding brine has been isolated for more than 2,800 years.

Any Thought ?
Doesn't this discovery of microbes thriving in the salty, sub-zero conditions of an Antarctic lake raise the prospects for life on the Solar System's icy moons ?

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i think it's cool that we have found new life where the climate is so harsh. btw you are allowed to post threads in different forums and i think the other one is in breaking news where yours is in science so no harm no foul.

reply to post by LittleBlackEagle


Thanks . Then we can continue with the discussion on this topic .
In my opinion , This discovery surely increases the possibility of ET life on other planets / moons . Then its quite possible those life form may have evolved into intelligent beings .
I guess after this discovery i can say with certainty : Where there is Water , There is Life .

Originally posted by UltraMarine
reply to post by LittleBlackEagle

 

Thanks . Then we can continue with the discussion on this topic .
In my opinion , This discovery surely increases the possibility of ET life on other planets / moons . Then its quite possible those life form may have evolved into intelligent beings .
I guess after this discovery i can say with certainty : Where there is Water , There is Life .

It's quite well understood already that life can adapt amazingly well, this may stretch it a bit further. But when talking about life in other planets, the question is how easy it is for life to start. And this doesn't really shed light on that.

I do find the lake very interesting. I remember watching a documentary about it many years ago, and finally I start to see the answers to the questions presented there.