First samples of Antarctic lake reveal thriving life.

It seems that the "wetlands" of Antarctica are home to a thriving ecosystem. Samples taken from lakes under the sheet ice revealed some amazing results. Mostly the sheer ability for life to adapt and adjust to its surroundings. The complexity of life on this planet is truly amazing.

www.newscientist.com...|

"Our discovery proves that water is habitable space, even if it's at sub-zero temperatures and there is no sunlight," says John Priscu of Montana State University in Bozeman. He co-led the US team that drilled into Lake Whillans, 800 metres beneath the west Antarctic ice sheet.

The finding is good news for astrobiologists hoping to discover life elsewhere in the solar system: in the ocean beneath the frozen surface of Jupiter's moon Europa, for instance, or clinging on under the Martian polar ice caps.

Antarctica is home to about 400 subglacial lakes, many of which are linked in drainage basins. Priscu calls it "the planet's largest wetland".

Lake location.


Now they used a very specific process to not cross contaminate so thats been pretty much ruled out. Here is the process via their description .

Priscu's team broke into Lake Whillans in January 2013, using hot water to melt a 60-centimetre-diameter hole through the ice. The water used was kept sterile using filters, heating, ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide. That should lay to rest any suggestion that the microbes found were contaminants from the surface.

The scientist that did this work was surprised by the cell densities in the water samples.

"They are very similar to what you'd find in low-nutrient lakes on the surface or in the open ocean."

The team found almost 4000 species of single-celled organisms (Nature, DOI: 10.1038/nature13667). Most seem to be feeding on sediments on the lake bed, laid down when the area was last ice-free and under the ocean, at least 120,000 years ago.

Many of the microbes convert ammonium to nitrite. The most common species, accounting for about 13 per cent of the DNA sequences found, takes that nitrite and converts it to nitrate. Others seem to feed on methane.

Not only is this exciting for our earth-based ecosystems, it could imply a lot for astrobiologist. It seems Jurasic Park said it best " Life will find a way".

Now with this story and the one about plankton on the outside of ISS makes for an exciting week for the little guys, literaly.
(not sure if its been completely confirmed ) www.abovetopsecret.com...
So what say you ATSers, is this exciting and ground breaking? Is it just a meh..., or is it yawn worthy?
I personally find it very exciting.

Who cares about micro-organisms. Are there fish in those lakes and do I need a license to fish there? Now those are important questions.

a reply to: rickymouse

Well according to the state of Michigan your fishing licences now covers all species .
And make sure you get an enhanced licences so you can go there unmolested and you'll be set for a great trip.

originally posted by: CitizenJack
a reply to: rickymouse

Well according to the state of Michigan your fishing licences now covers all species

.
And make sure you get an enhanced licences so you can go there unmolested and you'll be set for a great trip.

I guess the UP is sort of like Antarctica. I would probably feel at home there.

I'd need a really long ice fishing auger there though.

This area has captured the imagination forever. I can't wait to see what they find next.

Day by day the "Not possible" crowd are being proven wrong

I wish I wasn't so old because I'd really like to place a bet on life being found elsewhere within our own solar system. Just a matter of time.

originally posted by: Iamthatbish
This area has captured the imagination forever. I can't wait to see what they find next.

Agreed.
Its a grab bag full of surprises and goodies waiting to be discovered.

Amazing things to read about...

Cant wait to read the next... what the deuce how is that alive here..

originally posted by: VoidHawk
Day by day the "Not possible" crowd are being proven wrong

I wish I wasn't so old because I'd really like to place a bet on life being found elsewhere within our own solar system. Just a matter of time.

Now I dont know how old you are but I would say if you could manage to stick around for another decade or so you could check that off your bucket list. The walls are closing in on this one.

With things like the arctilce that I present to you here and the one about plankton on the ISS
www.abovetopsecret.com...
To things like bacteria that eat pure electrons , evidence is plentiful that it is very likely to happen.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

We constantly adjust , change and redifine what conditions are right for life. Even the basics such as food sources are being redfined... I mean imagine, now we have a plausible scenario where an isolated group of microorganisms can survive independently of an another ecosystem , based entirely on the fact that they only need electricity as a food source. Mars has lightning friend , subzero temps arent a problem, lack of sun not a problem, lack of water not a problem. Anyhow you can see where I"m going with this friend.

Hope you plan on sticking around for a while, I'll be waiting right here with ya ready to celebrate

originally posted by: CitizenJack

originally posted by: VoidHawk
Day by day the "Not possible" crowd are being proven wrong

I wish I wasn't so old because I'd really like to place a bet on life being found elsewhere within our own solar system. Just a matter of time.

Now I dont know how old you are but I would say if you could manage to stick around for another decade or so you could check that off your bucket list. The walls are closing in on this one.

With things like the arctilce that I present to you here and the one about plankton on the ISS
www.abovetopsecret.com...
To things like bacteria that eat pure electrons , evidence is plentiful that it is very likely to happen.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

We constantly adjust , change and redifine what conditions are right for life. Even the basics such as food sources are being redfined... I mean imagine, now we have a plausible scenario where an isolated group of microorganisms can survive independently of an another ecosystem , based entirely on the fact that they only need electricity as a food source. Mars has lightning friend

, subzero temps arent a problem, lack of sun not a problem, lack of water not a problem. Anyhow you can see where I"m going with this friend.

Hope you plan on sticking around for a while, I'll be waiting right here with ya ready to celebrate

You know, for years its been my dream that one sunny morning we'll get up from our beds, look out the window, and floating in the sky will be ship so big that it'll blot out the sun over an entire continent.
I dont wish that because I want to believe in aliens, its because I'm so disappointed that so many people refuse to accept that life could be anywhere else other than on this planet.
I'll be just as happy when they find even the smallest microbe on another planet, but it sure would be interesting to see the unbelievers faces if there was a huge ship in the sky

Yeah, I hope I'll see another decade or two

a reply to: CitizenJack

Yes, very interesting news. Now hopefully humans will leave these lakes alone and not let in anything which will kill off yet another entire ecosystem.

a reply to: rickymouse

It is important because of Europa. Also, Enceladus

You may not care about the are we alone question, but many do. This basically proves life can be on either of those moons, and is probably likely. That is just for starters. :-)

originally posted by: Not Authorized
a reply to: rickymouse

It is important because of Europa. Also, Enceladus

You may not care about the are we alone question, but many do. This basically proves life can be on either of those moons, and is probably likely. That is just for starters. :-)

They should send a rover up there with an ice auger and a fishing pole. I bet the NASA scientists would go for that.

a reply to: rickymouse

I would love that. I have serious suspicions about Titan as well. The Methane clouds come from somewhere. :-)

originally posted by: VoidHawk
Day by day the "Not possible" crowd are being proven wrong

I wish I wasn't so old because I'd really like to place a bet on life being found elsewhere within our own solar system. Just a matter of time.

Can you show me where people said this was impossible?

originally posted by: Not Authorized
a reply to: rickymouse

I would love that. I have serious suspicions about Titan as well. The Methane clouds come from somewhere. :-)

Could be life, not needed to explain the methane though.

I wonder what will happen when all the ice defrost and the old isolated life is mixed with the common life, doom?

Shouldn't be surprising really..... We always relate things to human life, thinking, "ooh, freezing water, I would die in that!"

But reality is that humans have quite a narrow window of operation without extra equipment. We can only naturally live in maybe a 30°F range. Beyond that we need special clothing or protective gear.

From what we've learned by now, life should be regarded as the rule, not the exception.

a reply to: 8675309jenny

I'm leaning towards agreeing with you on this. I know there is no evidence of life else where yet but I feel in the next decade or so we will find that which we seek.

Our human view of life is drastically changing, it is not so ecologically centralized anymore. I feel that we are in at the cusp of breaking though the " glass ceiling " and finally answering the big .

I hope we are both right , man I wish I was an Astrobiologist

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04

originally posted by: VoidHawk
Day by day the "Not possible" crowd are being proven wrong

I wish I wasn't so old because I'd really like to place a bet on life being found elsewhere within our own solar system. Just a matter of time.

Can you show me where people said this was impossible?

Are you suggesting that people haven't said it? Many religious people believe life only exists on earth, and I'm sure if I thought it was worth the effort I could find many posts on ats saying as the same.