Russia poised to breach mysterious Antarctic lake- Success

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.vancouversun.com/technol...+mysterious+Antarctic+lake/4228657/story.html

Russia poised to breach mysterious Antarctic lake
By Alissa de Carbonnel, Reuters February 5, 2011 4:31 AM

MOSCOW - For 15 million years, an icebound lake has remained sealed deep beneath Antarctica's frozen crust, possibly hiding prehistoric or unknown life. Now Russian scientists are on the brink of piercing through to its secrets.

"There's only a bit left to go," Alexei Turkeyev, chief of the Russian polar Vostok Station, told Reuters by satellite phone. His team has drilled for weeks in a race to reach the lake, 3,750 metres (12,000 ft) beneath the polar ice cap, before the end of the brief Antarctic summer...

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Russia poised to breach mysterious Antarctic lake

Re: Russia poised to breach mysterious Antarctic lake

Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

Researchers found nearly 10,000 species by analyzing water samples



By Rachel Rettner
LiveScience

updated<abbr style="display: inline;" class="dtstamp updated" title="2009-11-05T19:58:01">11/5/2009 2:58:01 PM ET</abbr> 2009-11-05T19:58:01

Antarctica's icy lakes are home to a surprisingly diverse community of viruses, including some that were previously unidentified.



At first glance, Antarctica's freshwater lakes don't seem very hospitable to life. They remain frozen for a good nine months out of the year, and they contain very few nutrients. Some of these lakes have little animal life and are dominated by microorganisms, including algae, bacteria, protozoans and viruses.

more..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33676044/ns/technology_and_science-science/from/ET

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Russia poised to breach mysterious Antarctic lake- Russian Scientists Lost?

Re: Russia poised to breach mysterious Antarctic lake- Russian Scientists Lost?

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012...sts-lost-in-frozen-land-lost/?intcmp=features

Russian scientists seeking Lake Vostok lost in frozen 'Land of the Lost'?
Published February 02, 2012
| FoxNews.com

A group of Russian scientists plumbing the frozen Antarctic in search of a lake buried in ice for tens of millions of years have failed to respond to increasingly anxious U.S. colleagues -- and as the days creep by, the fate of the team remains unknown.

"No word from the ice for 5 days," Dr. John Priscu professor of Ecology at Montana State University, told FoxNews.com via email.

The team from Russia's Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) have been drilling for weeks in an effort to reach isolated Lake Vostok, a vast, dark body of water hidden 13,000 ft. below the ice sheet's surface. The lake hasn't been exposed to air in more than 20 million years.

Priscu said there was no way to get in touch with the team -- and the already cold weather is set to plunge, as Antarctica's summer season ends and winter sets in...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Russia poised to breach mysterious Antarctic lake- Success

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/02/06/russian-scientists-reach-buried-antarctic-lake-vostok/

Russian scientists reach buried Antarctic Lake Vostok
Published February 06, 2012

| FoxNews.com

A group of Russian scientists in Antarctica has succeeded in drilling to a lake buried two miles beneath the icy landmass, Russian news service Ria Novosti reported -- following a week of radio silence from the team that had some scratching their heads.

?Yesterday, our scientists stopped drilling at the depth of 3,768 meters and reached the surface of the sub-glacial lake,? the source reportedly said in a story posted Monday, Feb. 6...