A new discovery about the Antarctic has smashed the age-old thought that sub-glacial lakes had been completely sealed for millions of years, and it enables evolution of unique species in them. The buried lakes of Antarctica are surprisingly found to be connected by a network of rivers, with water moving far beneath the surface.
It is now only the international plans to drill into the lakes that may have to be reviewed; experts reported this in the journal Nature. But, any attempt to drill into one body of these rivers may contaminate the whole network!
According to BBC News, Duncan Wingham, the lead author from University College London;
What this paper shows is that not only could you contaminate a lake; you could contaminate the whole drainage system.
Any life found in these water bodies, might open up breakthrough information on extreme environments on outside worlds as well. It may help predict if there is life on the ice-bound ocean on Europa, the Jupiter’s moon. Scientists seem optimistic about the finding but this discovery of the outer world might be made at the expense of the virgin areas of our own planet!
Via: BBC News