Ancient Microbobe Found in Buried Antartic Lake

Summary:
     Sixty-feet below Antartica's icy surface, a diverse amount of microbes have been found living in extremely salty water without oxygen or sunlight. It is said that these organisms have lived and survived in the seawater-freezing temperatues for a millennia. Scientist believe that this discovery may shed light on the range of extreme enviornments that life can exist in, not just on Earth but in other alien worlds such as below the surface of Mars. The brine in this lake has been dated to be isolated from the surface for at least 2,800 years old. Due to the lake's saltiness, which is about five to six times more salty than the saltiness of ocean water, it keeps the water from freezing like freshwater or seawater would. The discovery of these extremophiles also backup the theory that "wherever you find water, you find life." The brine has very high levels of carbon-compounds that are the building blocks for life.This brine also contains molecular hydrogen which might serve as the feul to support microbial life.

Relevance:
     This article shows that life can exist in extreme enviornments. These organisms, like the ones that we have learned about, are considered to be extremophiles, or organisms that live and survive in extreme conditions. Specifically, these organisms are considered to be halophiles because they are 'salt-loving'. We have also discussed how some microbes are able to survive in enviornments without oxygen, making them anaerobic, and how when some organisms evolved to make oxygen, it most likely caused a mass extinction of anaerobic microbes but some were able to survive.


13 December, 2012 copyright: OurAmazingPlanet
http://news.discovery.com/earth/oceans/life-in-lake-vida-antarctica-121127.htm