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3000-year-old Microbes

Posted by michael on from the stuff-you-found-at-the-back-of-your-refrigerator dept.

marga writes "Science Daily is running a story about a group of researchers the have been drilling into the Antarctic ice and discovered 3000-year-old microbes that could come back to life if put in contact with liquid water. And not only that, they claim that they have uncovered a whole new ecological system lying beneath the Lake Vida."

2 of 34 comments (clear)

  1. "contaminate" by 216pi · · Score: 1, Redundant

    does anybody else wory about that this 3000 year old stable ecological system could now have been "contaminated" by alien DNA? Or that it at least had to be polluted? What do you need to keep a drill head moving/to not make it freeze in the ice? petrol? Alcohol?

    Was it that smart to brake the ice?

  2. Ancient Microbes In The Wild by MyDixieWrecked · · Score: 0, Redundant
    If some of these revived microbes were to escape into the wild could that pose a threat? I mean much like the epidemics of introducing insects to other continents and nearly wiping out other species, could these microbes attack helpful ones?

    What if they cause disease?

    I guess that this isn't as much of an issue as say, 100,000 year old microbes, but still...

    Time to fetch the bio suit and build a shelter to preserve life as we know it. =)

    --



    ...spike
    Ewwwwww, coconut...