Race to drill into Antarctic lake!!

[hellheaven1987]

Russian scientists are racing to beat US and UK rivals and be first to drill into an Antarctic sub-glacial lake.

The team has been drilling down to Lake Vostok, the largest of more than 100 bodies of liquid water buried under Antarctica's ice.

The lake has been sealed off from the surface for millennia, so it may contain life forms new to science.

Scientists are racing against the fast-approaching bitter cold and total darkness of Antarctic winter.

Source

While Russian government is battling in UN, Russian scientists are battling in South Pole. Anyway, the most exciting thing is:

The lake has been sealed off from the surface for millennia, so it may contain life forms new to science.

Complete new ecosystem?? Sound so awesome to hear.

[Jaketh]

Ive been keeping up with the story and the last update i got was that they lost contact with the drilling team 6 days ago.

[MathiasOfAthens]

Ive been keeping up with the story and the last update i got was that they lost contact with the drilling team 6 days ago.

The beginning of the thing movie?.

[Angrychris]

exciting. I would like to drink the water

[Exarch]

it'll be like the andromeda strain all over again, except with a glacial microbe rather than an extraterrestrial one.

or The Thing, gods, have you ppl learnt nothing??!!!

[Space Wolves]

So its either

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

X-Files Black Oil


Attacked by a hidden force of Imperial troops


Cthulhu


or are favourite

Take your pick folks.

[DisgruntledGoat]

They've broken through. So now we get to wait a year before they come back and pull the ice sample out.

[hellheaven1987]

They've broken through. So now we get to wait a year before they come back and pull the ice sample out.

From what I have read there is considerable space under the ice, so they have to remove the ice layer before actually enter the space that contains not just the lake.

[DisgruntledGoat]

From what I have read there is considerable space under the ice, so they have to remove the ice layer before actually enter the space that contains not just the lake.

Now that drilling has reached the lake, enough of the kerosene that keeps the two and a half mile hole from freezing has been extracted for the water to naturally rise a bit up the hole. That water will then be left to freeze over the winter, and extracted when scientists return next season. This ice plug method will allow scientists to analyze Vostok's water without risking contaminating the lake.

http://gizmodo.com/5882649/we-finall...ath-antarctica

“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.

http://www.popsci.com/science/articl...en-lake-vostok

[Pontifex Maximus]

Somehow I don't think scientists should be "racing" or "competing" over this if we want the best results possible.

[Phier]

Just think of the amazing disappointment if it turns out to be a sterile environment.

[removeduser_4536284751384]

Just think of the amazing disappointment if it turns out to be a sterile environment.

that would be awful.

I'm dying for extraterrestrial life to be discovered in my lifetime.

[Armatus]

They might find Atlantis.

[Angrychris]

or that we are Atlantis...

[Armatus]

Just think once global warming heats up the arctic enough to melt the ice it's going to be a whole new realm for archeology, of course sea level would rise..

[Holger Danske]

Mass Relay, please!

[Phalanx300]

20 Million years?! There might be life I gues, or rather there is life. But I don't think it will be that impressive, not more so then what we have in our oceans at that depth.

Or maybe we will awaken a alien war machine.

[Phier]

20 Million years?! There might be life I gues, or rather there is life. But I don't think it will be that impressive, not more so then what we have in our oceans at that depth.

Its not that the life would be spectacular like the thermal vents were, but more it would be something perhaps completely different due to the conditions. Basically we have a piece of earth thats been isolated for 20 million years theoretically. Being humanity and chimps were still having a common ancestor 5 millions years ago, it shows that a heck of a lot could have changed.

It all depends on if there is a strong energy source or not. If there is it might be spectacular, if not, there might be little but what there was would be definitely worth study.

[Chocoman]

Hang on is this Antarctica? I thought there was some sort of protocal signed by most nations not to mine or drill the place. Is Russia a signatory?

[DisgruntledGoat]

Hang on is this Antarctica? I thought there was some sort of protocal signed by most nations not to mine or drill the place. Is Russia a signatory?

Scientific mission that several nation's scientists were all attempting. I don't think it really falls under that treaty, seeing as they were not mining or drilling for resources.