Lake Vostok is a frozen lake in Antarctica that has been cut off below the ice for 15 million years. Having its story of its own, researchers have found traces of a heat-loving bacterium that may live beneath the frozen lake!
Must have been isolated from our planet’s atmosphere for millions of years, Lake Vostok is covered by more than 3km of ice. And the bacteria appeared in sediment mixed with a core of ice drilled by Russian and French researchers. Thus, hydrothermal vents exist on the lake floor – this can be concluded by the find of the heat-loving, or thermophilic bacterium.
To add to this, a new ice core has been drilled this season. And it may reveal whether there is also life in the lake itself!
Via: BBC News