To all who are posting comments on this thread which express concern over their bringing this strain of bacteria to the main-land.

Don't you think that they might be taking every quarantine precaution necessary with this strain, since it is supposedly unknown?

There has to be a protocol that they follow in order not to risk their own health, let alone ours. This could be a breakthrough discovery, or it could be just another form of bacteria. And not all bacteria is bad.

Besides... Ill bet there is a plethora of research techniques that they could not feasibly house in the Antarctic due to costs etc.

Oh jeebus!
I can just see the ship foundering an a hurricane, and the bacteria getting loose in the ocean.....ice 9 anyone?

I'm sort of bugged by the amount of people saying its unsafe to transport such unknown bacteria. They aren't sailing back to the land holding these bacteria in their pockets, the samples are contained very safely in vessels that will ensure nothing can get in to tamper with the bacteria and that the bacteria cannot get out.

I'm not sure why this is so shocking. I don't mean to sound stupid or if i'm wrong, but, a large majority of the planet is unexplored, it can't be that shocking and incredible that we found a new type of bacteria can it? All I can say is it were to happen sooner or later, and in a few years, it will probably happen again and we will find more interesting types of bacteria, it's all a matter of time really.

Originally posted by Senduko
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?

They probably did, but got their knuckles rapped for saying so.

Now they're just backpeddling ?



In the news May 2013:
"Russian scientist trips on his shoelace while carrying a delicate glass tube of Lake Vostok water sample.... stay tuned in for more updates."

Originally posted by Celestica
I'm sort of bugged by the amount of people saying its unsafe to transport such unknown bacteria. They aren't sailing back to the land holding these bacteria in their pockets, the samples are contained very safely in vessels that will ensure nothing can get in to tamper with the bacteria and that the bacteria cannot get out.

Please tell me how the bacterias' life is sustained.

Originally posted by forall2see
Besides... Ill bet there is a plethora of research techniques that they could not feasibly house in the Antarctic due to costs etc.

Certainly they would not be able to do everything down there, but they could do a lot of preliminary testing. And I imagine they should to do so in order to learn enough to be able to just keep them alive during the month long trip. Their sample may get ruined because it was not provided the energy it survives on.

Aside from that, has anybody explained why there is a sub-glacial lake? Unless there a geologic process that provides heat to this area I don't see why this water is not frozen. The heat source would probably also be the source of nutrients.

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.

Damn right it's alien. You guys never saw the movie The Thing? Thawed out the monster and it killed everybody. I'm just saying, maybe new and different ain't always better.

All sorts of stuff maybe be living underneath that ice that is melting.

You think you know disease. You don't know disease. Something there is no immunity to. Like the Indians with small pox. But this being the entire human population.

I wouldn't get to happy.

Well you don't believe in God, but you believe in Zombies huh...?
Lol x 10. I'm sure the Russians have every possible precaution in place, they must get the specimen to a 'clean room' and do everything in the most artifical environment with the most advanced of precautions to prevent contamination. Probably every bit, or more uncontaminated that where technicians build the most complex of optical or computer components. The Russians are every bit as careful as we would be with this bacteria. I see no cause for alarm.

Anybody remember 'AMALGAM'?? All rings very true to this latest turn of events.

Awesome news I had a feeling they would find something down there, I'm an optimist not the opposite that many on here. I'd be willing to guarantee that most man made chemicals are 1000000x more harmful to humans then this bacteria will ever be. But you know go hide in doomsday bunkers since clearly the day must be coming!