Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Antarctic Lake Actually Two in One

Posted by michael on from the double-your-pleasure dept.

Scoria writes "USA Today reports: Scientists have discovered that Lake Vostok, a liquid freshwater lake which has been isolated from the world beneath 4 km of ice for approximately 500,000 years, contains two separate basins. They believe that the basins, which are divided by a ridge that limits water exchange, may host individual ecosystems that are home to ancient microbes."

6 of 332 comments (clear)

  1. Maybe by wideBlueSkies · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's really one giant organism in the process of dividing....

    wbs.

    --
    Huh?
  2. I'm looking forward to... by Scoria · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... Vostok bottled water, a pleasant alternative to Evian. ;-)

    --
    Do you like German cars?
    1. Re:I'm looking forward to... by Landaras · · Score: 5, Funny

      Am I the only one who finds it fitting that Evian is "naive" backwards?

      - Neil Wehneman

      --
      My legal education, in nifty podcast format
  3. Re:Careful by mr.scoot · · Score: 5, Funny
    We humans aren't going to have any immunity to these microbes that have been isolated for 500000 years. I hope whoever's studying these lakes takes appropriate precautions against both accidental release and theft by terrorist organizations.


    Just remember - every new supermicrobe is another potential blockbuster disaster movie.
  4. Re:how old? by pyrrhonist · · Score: 5, Funny
    How do the scientists determine this in a way using the scientific method?

    How theories evolve:

    1. Observe how ice accumulates.
    2. Take core sample.
    3. Compare with observations.
    4. Count accumlated ice.
    5. Craft beautiful research paper about the observations taken at the lake using careful measuments and research dating back almost 100 years culminating in theory that Lake Vostok is probably beneath about 500,000 years worth of ice give or take + or - 5%.
    6. Get forced to summerize paper to PR.
    7. Read spin in paper, "Lake untouched for 500,000 years!"
    8. Cry.

    "???" and "Profit!" are left as an exercise for the reader.

    --
    Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
  5. Re:Careful by cranos · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you're actually scared of that, you should probably live in fear of terrorists raiding your fridge.

    Ahh in Australia our government is prepared for that, we got special Fridge Magnets