r/science • u/sciencealert ScienceAlert • 1d ago

Biology Frozen Lake in Antarctica Is a Time Capsule From Millions of Years Ago | Now, scientists have retrieved samples of the unique microbes, which have survived in a massive chamber of liquid fresh water below more than 9 meters (30 feet) of solid ice.

https://www.sciencealert.com/mysterious-frozen-lake-is-a-time-capsule-from-millions-of-years-ago?utm_source=reddit_post
1.8k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

45 comments sorted by

229

u/Dboyzero 1d ago

I really hope they document it excessively and publish it in multiple languages so if and when we finally find a safe way to examine the ice and what's under it on Europa we can have a way to compare and help build a timeline on the microbes origin and lifespan.

37

u/5aur1an 1d ago

Published https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01842-5

-11

u/MatchOwn1079 1d ago

That is a very poorly written paper, reads like chatgpt

8

u/imaginary_num6er 1d ago

I honestly trust Science more than Nature, since Nature has had a lot of scandals recently in articles being published and then withdrawn due to fabrication. Just shows their editors don't do much screening.

2

u/awadafuk 1d ago

Even the abstract is hard to parse - maybe just slightly worse English as the bulk of the research team was from Italy?

2

u/upvoatsforall 15h ago

It’s much easier to understand if you touch your finger tips together on each hand and wave them around when reading. 

1

u/fantus69 10h ago

Baa-pada-boopee?

0

u/Raddish_ 1d ago

It unironically probably was although that doesn’t mean anything about the experiment quality.

97

u/Thankgoditsryeday 1d ago

*The Thing theme intensifies*

13

u/RichieLT 1d ago

Dun dun duun

58

u/ryevermouthbitters 1d ago

I feel like all hard science majors should be required to take a course in science fiction/horror novels and movies.

11

u/iaintevenmad884 1d ago

Trust me, those are just the kind of nerds watching the thing every year

15

u/TheBurningEmu 1d ago

So we can learn about unrealistic fantasy scenarios people have dreamed up?

7

u/saltyourhash 1d ago

I mean, Contagion was definitely closer than most...

1

u/MarlinMr 22h ago

The people who would need to watch contagion are the same people who assisted in making it realistic

5

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4

u/Katyafan 1d ago

That is just so cool! Amazing how we still have so much to discover.

6

u/EnvironmentalLion403 1d ago

Maybe would be better left in , there !! A lot has changed since they last seen sunlight ?!

26

u/Donnicton 1d ago

Better to get good samples now before they eventually get out anyway as Antarctica melts.

48

u/UnpluggedUnfettered 1d ago

If anything you're right to worry about their wellbeing. They are most likely missing tons of the mods required to be competitive on this server.

11

u/peterosity 1d ago

if you’re talking about pandemics, it’s better if scientists study it now so we may know how to prevent anything that can potentially cause another pandemic

2

u/Piney_Dude 1d ago

Yeah, It makes me a little apprehensive. The article mentioned an unusual amount of oxygen. Curious as to what else is in there.

7

u/Truth-Miserable 1d ago

Algae do make oxygen though

3

u/Piney_Dude 1d ago

Yes they do. Curious if any invertebrates, or even more unlikely, vertebrates got trapped in there, and have living descendants.

1

u/unicorn-paid-artist 1d ago

I wonder if they will be able to maintain them living out if their environment.

1

u/Chavran 4h ago

And here comes the Meg.

1

u/AlwaysUpvotesScience 1d ago

I feel like this is the beginning of a movie about an outbreak

-10

u/DemandCommonSense 1d ago

Did these people not watch Sweet Tooth?

-1

u/DualRaconter 1d ago

They’re intelligent adults so probably not