News

**Ðґℙ☺ṧ⊥мαη**

Earlier this year, a team of Russian scientists completed a technological first – they successfully drilled to the surface of Antarctica’s Lake Vostok. The lake is buried under ice that’s over 2 and a half miles thick – meaning that any life that might still exist in the lake hasn’t been seen on the surface for thousands of years.

In February, when the drill reached the lake’s surface, the pressure differential caused water to shoot up close to 40 meters up the borehole. At that point, the water froze, and the team waited a few months to collect it. Now they have collected it – and the results are so far a disappointment.

Based on “very preliminary results,” Sergey Bulat reported to the 12th European Workshop on Astrobiology that the water found in the lake was lifeless so far.

Read The Rest HERE

**Pokoia** · **Pokoia** Subscriber User ID: 16873 10-21-2012 04:24 PM **Posts: 3,070**

Thanks Postman, I would not be surprised if they do find life on the bottom of the lake.

Bump

**FaFaFooey**

That's a lie. There is a whole village of Nazis living in that lake. I've vacationed with them

**tethys**

It may be that there are insufficient nutrients in the water to support life based on chemosynthesis and at that depth no light for photosynthesis.

Some microbes were found according to the article below -

fewer than 10 microbes per milliliter, according to a report at Nature.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/no-life-...21019.html

**Timetraveler**

I thought they plugged it for the Antartic winter, and will continue investigating this January/ Feb.? They filled the borehole with kerosene to keep it from freezing over.
I think we will have to wait till they get the cameras down there. I am looking forward to it,

**Ðґℙ☺ṧ⊥мαη**

No matter what they find the process and problems they've overcome
just getting to the bottom of the ice without contamination has huge
implications for any probes we send to study the oceans on Europa.

**Ahkronn**

Lies!!

**Yoyodyne**

DrPostman Wrote:

No matter what they find the process and problems they've overcome
just getting to the bottom of the ice without contamination has huge
implications for any probes we send to study the oceans on Europa.

If they filled the hole with kerosene it's contaminated.....

**tethys**

DrPostman Wrote:

No matter what they find the process and problems they've overcome
just getting to the bottom of the ice without contamination has huge
implications for any probes we send to study the oceans on Europa.

On Earth the red algae live in deeper waters which filter out the longer wavelengths of light a situation which would be similar to Europa which is further from the sun -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis

In red algae, the action spectrum overlaps with the absorption spectrum of phycobilins for red blue-green light, which allows these algae to grow in deeper waters that filter out the longer wavelengths used by green plants.

The red streaks on Europa are certainly thought-provoking.

[Image: A804_5084123B.jpg]

**PrincessBride**

DrPostman Wrote:

No matter what they find the process and problems they've overcome
just getting to the bottom of the ice without contamination has huge
implications for any probes we send to study the oceans on Europa.

Yep! Made me think of Europa right away. Thanks for adding that. I'll read the article now.

tethys, Excellent point about the red streaks on that moon.
Heartflowers

**Ðґℙ☺ṧ⊥мαη** · (This post was last modified: 10-21-2012 06:19 PM by Ðґℙ☺ṧ⊥мαη.)

Yoyodyne Wrote:

DrPostman Wrote:
No matter what they find the process and problems they've overcome
just getting to the bottom of the ice without contamination has huge
implications for any probes we send to study the oceans on Europa.

If they filled the hole with kerosene it's contaminated.....

They didn't use kerosene all the way down. Not since 2004.

According to the head of Russian Antarctic Expeditions, Valery Lukin,
new equipment was developed by researchers at the St. Petersburg
Nuclear Physics Institute that would ensure the lake remains
uncontaminated upon intrusion. Lukin has repeatedly reassured other
signatory nations to the Antarctic Treaty System that the drilling will
not affect the lake, arguing that on breakthrough, water will rush up
the borehole, freeze, and seal the chemical fluids out.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12275979

tethys Wrote:

The red streaks on Europa are certainly thought-provoking.

I would even say "tantalizing"!

**LoP Guest** lop guest User ID: 75721 10-21-2012 06:20 PM

I remember seeing a little shrimp! What happened to that guy?

**Ðґℙ☺ṧ⊥мαη**

LoP Guest Wrote:

I remember seeing a little shrimp! What happened to that guy?

See if you can find a reference. I don't remember that.

**Yoyodyne**

DrPostman Wrote:

Yoyodyne Wrote:
[quote='DrPostman' pid='4413294' dateline='1350831672']

If they filled the hole with kerosene it's contaminated.....
They didn't use kerosene all the way down. Not since 2004.

According to the head of Russian Antarctic Expeditions, Valery Lukin,
new equipment was developed by researchers at the St. Petersburg
Nuclear Physics Institute that would ensure the lake remains
uncontaminated upon intrusion. Lukin has repeatedly reassured other
signatory nations to the Antarctic Treaty System that the drilling will
not affect the lake, arguing that on breakthrough, water will rush up
the borehole, freeze, and seal the chemical fluids out.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12275979

They didn't use it all they way down since 2004? Well then it's been contaminated since 2004.......

**Ðґℙ☺ṧ⊥мαη**

Yoyodyne Wrote:

They didn't use it all they way down since 2004? Well then it's been contaminated since 2004.......

I don't think they were even halfway through the ice to the actual
lake back then. They didn't break through until just recently.