Russian scientists discover unidentified bacteria in sub-glacial Lake Vostok

Russian scientists discover unidentified bacteria in sub-glacial Lake Vostok

rt.com

Russian researchers have found previously-unknown bacteria in waters of the unique sub-glacial Lake Vostok, isolated by 4km-thick layer of ice for around the past 20 million years. Now it could offer an incredible insight into our planet’s past.

(visit the link for the full news article)

The finding from the water sample taken in May 2012 showed that the bacteria do not belong to any of the existing classes of bacteria. Before the latest discovery, science knew only one species of bacteria that can live under these conditions.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW.

So this is just in, i'm amazed this news came out.
Wonderfull news

rt.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Senduko


Smart move, let's take some of this unknown bacteria to the surface, maybe ship it to St. Petersburg, and have a look see. The stupidity of man hopefully is cancelled out by the intelligence of Mother Nature, and this bacteria is as safe as mom's apple pie.

From the RT source:

“The last analysis was completed a week ago - there will be another, but the results are unlikely to change anything. After exclusion of all known contaminants - extraneous organisms - bacterial DNA was detected, which does not coincide with any of the known species in the world,” RIA Novosti quotes Sergey Bulat of the St. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute in Russia.


All water samples will be brought to St. Petersburg in May on board the research ship Academic Fyodorov, which is currently working in the Antarctic.

reply to post by Aleister


Its a double sided sword agreed, however risks like these are needed to advance.
Its to early to comment much...

Edit: More news in

“The last analysis was completed a week ago - there will be another, but the results are unlikely to change anything. After exclusion of all known contaminants - extraneous organisms - bacterial DNA was detected, which does not coincide with any of the known species in the world,” RIA Novosti quotes Sergey Bulat of the St. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute in Russia.

All water samples will be brought to St. Petersburg in May on board the research ship Academic Fyodorov, which is currently working in the Antarctic.


So how alien is this then? Funny I watched Evolution last night,synchronicity FTW.

Before anyone start claiming that this is evidence of alien life realize that this is just an unknown 'class' of bacteria at this stage. It is not evidence of a second occurrence of abiogenesis, at least not so far. This just proves that the original cell that started off life on this planet is very adaptable.

Originally posted by PhoenixOD
Before anyone start claiming that this is evidence of alien life realize that this is just an unknown 'class' of bacteria at this stage. It is not evidence of a second occurrence of abiogenesis, at least not so far. This just proves that the original set of DNA that started off life on this planet is very adaptable.

By definition its Alien. Alien doesn't mean it has to come from space.

Originally posted by Senduko
reply to post by Aleister

 

Its a double sided sword agreed, however risks like these are needed to advance.
Its to early to comment much...

Still a sword though. I'm as pro-science as the next guy (standing next to Stephen Hawkings), and am very interested in any analysis and DNA work-up of the new bacteria. Yet hopefully the procedures on containing the samples will be as strict as the strictest CDC containment quality precautions.

I have to ask though,
Does bacteria have DNA? I always assumed that DNA comes at a later stage of the evolution?
I mean bacteria are either one cell organisms or multie cell right?

reply to post by Senduko


Single cells yes, but DNA is smaller than cells. Cells themselves CONTAIN nuclei, which are the nerve centres of the cell, and carry the cells DNA. This DNA instructs all the other pieces of the cell as to how to behave. Single cell does not mean single molecule for instance. You are confusing scale I believe.

www.bbc.co.uk...

Heres a diagram featuring the different parts of a cell.

Just go to google images and type in single cell bacteria for more detailed and specific diagrams about different single cell critters, and regular google for detailed descriptions of the different biomechanisms within them.

glad this was released been waiting on news from vostock but has anyone heard anymore on the magnetic anomaly that is supposedly down there?

reply to post by Senduko


I don't see why they have to bring it to a populated continent. Haven't they ever watch Sci-Fi?

I thought that there were some pretty fancy labs in Antartica that could perform experiments without risking the rest of the world.

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by Senduko

 

I don't see why they have to bring it to a populated continent. Haven't they ever watch Sci-Fi?

I thought that there were some pretty fancy labs in Antartica that could perform experiments without risking the rest of the world.

I thought that as well... Ever read "The demon in the cupboard" - Think that was the name of the book, same author as the "hot zone"-
Anyhow, in the book he talks about doing these experiments in places like Antarctica because if something does go wrong not only is it pretty much zero population- But they can cut the power/heat and everything freezes back into a "safe" state. The book was about weaponized anthrax but I would imagine unknown bacteria that 99% will cause a zombie outbreak would fit that criteria as well. =P

reply to post by DarKPenguiN


Can anyone explain to me what the obssession is lately with everyone blathering on about some zombie plauge? I mean, such a thing has NEVER happened before, certainly not as a dead certain result of a bacterial or virus based illness. Rabies is about the closest you get, and still not the same thing.

Zombie in the traditional movie sense, means that the sufferer is:

a) Already dead, having been killed by infection with the sickness that creates zombies.

b) Cannot be incapacitated unless beheaded, shot in the head, or having its central nervous system blown out in some way.

c) Creates further zombies by biting the uninfected.

d) Is ripe for having a piano dropped on its head by a middle aged woman.

If the issue creates any other circumstance, then you do not have a zombie issue. So anyway, whats the rub here? Why all the chatter on this subject?

Originally posted by Senduko

Originally posted by PhoenixOD
Before anyone start claiming that this is evidence of alien life realize that this is just an unknown 'class' of bacteria at this stage. It is not evidence of a second occurrence of abiogenesis, at least not so far. This just proves that the original set of DNA that started off life on this planet is very adaptable.

By definition its Alien. Alien doesn't mean it has to come from space.

No, by definition it is unclassified. That's not alien. If it is native to that area it is endemic. Dont try to muddy the waters on this subject.

Originally posted by TrueBrit
reply to post by DarKPenguiN

 

Can anyone explain to me what the obssession is lately with everyone blathering on about some zombie plauge? I mean, such a thing has NEVER happened before, certainly not as a dead certain result of a bacterial or virus based illness. Rabies is about the closest you get, and still not the same thing.

Zombie in the traditional movie sense, means that the sufferer is:

a) Already dead, having been killed by infection with the sickness that creates zombies.

b) Cannot be incapacitated unless beheaded, shot in the head, or having its central nervous system blown out in some way.

c) Creates further zombies by biting the uninfected.

d) Is ripe for having a piano dropped on its head by a middle aged woman.

If the issue creates any other circumstance, then you do not have a zombie issue. So anyway, whats the rub here? Why all the chatter on this subject?

LOL- Sarcasm?

Honestly if you want a truthful answer- here it is... zombies are Representative of "any" disaster. The zombie apocalypse isnt really about Zombies, but about humans banding to survive a world where the rules were rewritten.
George Romero (back when he was relevant and good) created the modern 'zombie" (walking dead) to interject political statements and explore the nature of man and humanity in film using the zombie as the medium. he actually said (paraphrase) "The Zombie can be a plague, a hurricane, a riot, political unrest, the fall of everything we know, the breakdown of society- The zombie represents chaos and the complete change in the rule of law due to societal breakdown"

...Really.

Now obviously I was being sarcastic and I thought it was evident. But as far as why Zombies are being used so much- That is the real reason. Its tacking a problem where society is breaking doesnt and the rules have changed overnight- Its not about the Zombie- But about us humans...
EDIT: Its also not "new" its just popular now. I have been a "zombie fanatic" since myy first viewing of NOTLD in 1983 on Halloween night when I was a youngster- I am thrilled that there are so many films now and everyone is on the bandwagon (Great way to prepare and think about disaster preparation and survival using your imagination...the whole 'what if",,,) but mostly zombies in todays films are clown to be "mowed down"- The walking dead though (and Dead set from the UK) are top notch. =)

reply to post by DarKPenguiN


I like zombies as a fictional plot device as much as the next fella. But I just think its better not to offer one the oppertunity of trivialising a possible threat.

Lets face it, the ebola virus is much worse than zombies. You cannot out run ebola. You an easily outrun a traditional movie zombie (Im not a fan of the runners).

Maybe they will introduce it into the water supply of one of their communities to see how it effects people Maybe they will sell it to a Pharma company here in the USA for testing on us. Who knows, it might be a cure for something or it may reduce the world population, you won't know till it's tested.

Something about this screams Monsanto, it could help soy production in oil polluted areas

Okay so either this article got to much attention, or its just that.

The article has been updated.

However, the discovery turns out not to be that sensational.

“There has been one strain of bacteria which we did not find in drilling liquid, but these bacteria could in principal use kerosene as an energy source,” the head of the laboratory of the same institution, Vladimir Korolev said. "That is why we can’t say that a previously-unknown bacteria was found,” he stressed.

So i find this confusing did they find an unknown bacteria or what?

Two weeks ago, the meteor, now this discovery.
I find this odd. Extra-terrestrial stuff has always been suspected pf carrying bacteria, virus, etc.

Well, it may seem that way but these are tests carried out back in 2012; It could also be a cover up to examine the rocks from the meteor in russia, but why all the fuss about it then.