Signs of life in a mud hauled from the bed of an ice-covered lake in Antarctica have been discovered by researchers, which they described as a time capsule of life, as they cultured 20 microbes that were able to survive the extreme environment.
The ice covering the lake in Antarctica used to be more than 500 meters or 1,600 feet but the layer thinned down to three to four meters or 10 to 13 feet making it easy for the scientists with the British Antarctic Survey to drill through the ice sheets to obtain sediment samples – which were deposited when the lake was still entombed beneath the thick ice -- from the bed of the Lake Hodgson – which is 93 meters or 305 feet deep.
David Pearce, from North Umbria University and author of the study, told LiveScience, "It's the first time any subglacial lake sediment has been studied.” The scientists found a “time capsule of life”, a term in reference to microbes that may be almost a 100,000 years old from the sediment.
The scientists reported that they have cultured 20 microbes discovered in topmost layer of the sediment core, verifying presence of viable extremophiles--life that bloomed in tremendous environments. They have also discovered hardened remains of DNA from a variety of microbes that most likely have adapted to Antarctica’s bed maybe more than a million years ago.
The study of microbes found in tremendous and secluded environments could aid scientists recognize how life may have succeeded in the cruelest places on Earth.
Recognizing how different forms of life bloomed in such extreme and unhealthy environment beneath the thick ice sheet could aid scientists understand the origins of life on Earth and the promise of life on other worlds.
The variety of the life forms in Lake Hodgson has engrossed and surprised scientists.
The researchers also highlighted that a quarter of the genetic sequences identified in the study were new and unique, suggesting a variety of life forms we have never encountered may be lurking beneath Antarctic lakes.
However, more investigation and studies are needed to be conducted to get to know more about many of the species in this secluded environment.
The details of the study were published in the online journal Diversity.
