Researchers found evidence of diverse ancient life forms hiding in the sediment of an Antarctic sub-glacial lake.
Receding ice sheets have allowed researchers to take a look at the 100,000-year-old critters for the first time, a British Antarctic Survey press release reported.
The layers of mud at the bottom of the mud acted as a "time capsule," it contained the DNA of tiny microbes that have survived in the brutal conditions for countless centuries.
"What was surprising was the high biomass and diversity we found. This is the first time microbes have been identified living in the sediments of a subglacial Antarctic lake and indicates that life can exist and potentially thrive in environments we would consider too extreme," Lead author David Pearce, of the University of Northumbria, said.
Scientists have been fascinated with the idea that life could survive in extreme climates such as the lake's frozen depths for decades.
Now, areas that have been frozen for at least 100,000 years are emerging, giving researchers the opportunity to see what is lurking below.
After the last ice age, Lake Hodgson on the Antarctic Peninsula was covered with 1,312 feet of ice. Today, only about 13 feet remain.
"The fact these organisms have survived in such a unique environment could mean they have developed in unique ways which could lead to exciting discoveries for us. This is the early stage and we now need to do more work to further investigate these life forms," Pearce said.
Researchers found traces of Fossil DNA that indicated the presence of extremophiles, which are a type of bacteria known for adapting to normally-lethal environments. The microscopic thrill seekers have been known to use a "variety of chemical methods" to survive where oxygen is absent.
The team even found DNA believed to be related to the oldest-known organism on Earth, 23 percent of the DNA had never been described.
Scientists believe studying these extremophiles could help us better-understand how life could survive on other planets.
