Microbe hunt beneath Antarctic ice sheet
January 2, 2019 by Denise Hoepfner, Montana State University
Renowned Montana State University polar scientist John Priscu and a team of researchers from more than a dozen universities will begin the new year hunting for microbes and other living specimens in a lake far beneath the surface of the Antarctic ice sheet.
The expedition, known as SALSA (Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access), is highlighted in "The Hunt for Life Below Antarctic Ice," a story written by Douglas Fox in the Dec. 12 issue of Nature, an international science journal.
In the article, Fox shares details of the Priscu-led search for microorganisms and other living specimens that live in the dark waters of Mercer Subglacial Lake. The lake, which measures nearly 62 square miles, was discovered more than a decade ago through satellite images but has never before been explored.
https://phys.org/news/2019-01-microbe-beneath-antarctic-ice-sheet.html