Researchers have found signs of life in mud pulled from the bottom of an ice-covered lake in Antarctica.
Studying microbes in such extreme and closed-off environments could help scientists understand how life may thrive in the harshest places on Earth and potentially other planets.
The Sheldon Glacier with Mount Barre in the background, is seen from Ryder Bay near Rothera Research Station, Adelaide Island, Antarctica, in this NASA/British Antarctic Survey handout photo. Sea levels could rise by 2.3 metres for each degree Celsius that global temperatures increase and they will remain high for centuries to come, according to a new study by Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, released on July 15, 2013. (Photo : REUTERS/NASA/British Antarctic Survey/Handout via Reuters)
"What would actually be surprising would be if we looked in these places and they were completely sterile," Pearce told LiveScience. But the diversity of the life forms in Lake Hodgson was still surprising. Nearly a quarter of the genetic sequences identified in the study did not match with any known sequence, the researchers reported, suggesting a diversity of never-before-seen life forms may lurk beneath Antarctic lakes.
Further investigation is needed, but the researchers say many of the species in this isolated ecosystem are likely to be new to science.
With continued research, Pearce said, "We can start to build a picture of what limits life in extreme conditions and then start thinking about what might limit life on other planets."
