Antarctic bugs - Will a prehistoric plague be swimming in a sea near you?

Antarctic bugs - Will a prehistoric plague be swimming in a sea near you?

environment.independent.co.uk

Locked in ice for millions of years, Antarctic bacteria are thawing – and they're alive. So will a prehistoric plague be swimming in a sea near you?

(visit the link for the full news article)

Apparently Not!

However this is interesting...

''Bidle et al have shed light on how life on Earth began – or at least undermined a popular theory. Some scientists suggest a comet carrying the raw material for life crashed into the planet millions of years ago. But Bidle's team claim that, as the DNA in the old ice samples degraded massively as a result of exposure to cosmic radiation, life on Earth is unlikely to have come from outside the Solar System. A comet carrying life from beyond our immediate planetary neighbours would take so long to reach us that all the genetic material on it would be sterilised.''

But could the ice containing life have been encased/protected by other material from the cosmic radiation?...A bit like a chocolate icecream lolly!


environment.independent.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Arctic sea ice melts to its lowest level ever

The sea ice of the Arctic shrank to its lowest-ever level this week, shattering the previous record, set two years ago, by an enormous amount, American scientists have confirmed.

In what will be widely seen as one of the most alarming signs yet of accelerating global warming, the summer melt-back exceeded the September 2005 low point by 22 per cent – an area of 1.2 million square kilometres – more than 385,000 square miles. This represents an area five times the size of the UK.

just wondering... as arctic ice melts, does more ice form in antarctica?

Originally posted by scientist
just wondering... as arctic ice melts, does more ice form in antarctica?

No, it doesn't. In fact they are both declining at similar rates.