What did they find under the ice in Antarctica?
Published: Friday 19 February 2021 Researchers have accidentally discovered life under the ice shelves of the Antarctic — in extremely cold and harsh conditions. They discovered sessile sponges — a pore bearing multicellular organism and other alien species — attached to the sides of a rock beneath the ice sheets.
What was found at Lake Vostok?
A 2013 study discovered more than 3,000 “unique gene sequences” in subsurface ice associated with Lake Vostok. Nearly half of this genetic material was identifiable; around 94 percent came from bacteria. The authors said they’d also found evidence of more complex organisms, like fungi and small crustaceans.
Has Lake Vostok been penetrated?
Update: Russian scientists have now confirmed that they have indeed breached Lake Vostok. It is the first time one of Antarctica’s subglacial lakes has been penetrated. According to an official statement [in Russian], the drill entered the lake at 20.25 Moscow time on 5 February.
Does Antarctica have land under the ice?
BedMachine also revealed the world’s deepest land canyon below Denman Glacier in East Antarctica, at 11,000 feet below sea level. That’s far deeper than the Dead Sea, the lowest exposed region of land, which sits 1,419 feet below sea level.
Is it illegal to live in Antarctica?
No-one lives in Antarctica indefinitely in the way that they do in the rest of the world. It has no commercial industries, no towns or cities, no permanent residents. The only “settlements” with longer term residents (who stay for some months or a year, maybe two) are scientific bases.
Why is no one allowed to go to Antarctica?
Antarctica is the only continent on Earth without a native human population. Since no country owns Antarctica, no visa is required to travel there. If you are a citizen of a country that is a signatory of the Antarctic Treaty, you do need to get permission to travel to Antarctica.
Is Vostok lake real?
Lake Vostok is one of the largest freshwater lakes on Earth in size and volume, rivaling Lake Ontario in North America, according to NASA. The lake is roughly 149 miles (240 km) long and 31 miles (50 km) wide, and hundreds of meters deep, according to a blog authored by glacial scientist Bethan Davies.
Are there fish in Lake Vostok?
Lake Vostok, Antarctica’s biggest and deepest subsurface lake, might contain thousands of different kinds of tiny organisms — and perhaps bigger fish as well, researchers report.
Does Antarctica have a flag?
Antarctica has no universally-recognized flag as the condominium that governs the continent has not yet formally selected one, although some individual Antarctic programs have formally adopted True South as the flag of the continent. Dozens of unofficial designs have also been proposed.