Controversy erupts over Antarctic lake

[indigobusiness]

Controversy has erupted over Lake Vostok, one of Earth's last unexplored frontiers, which lies deep under the Antarctic ice.

Last week a team of Russian and French scientists claimed the lake is sterile. But American scientists insist that it is a potential source of undiscovered life forms, and are worried that Russian plans to drill right through the ice will contaminate it.


Drilling for life

At the heart of the dispute is a small but diverse group of microbes found in the single core that has been drilled from the ice above the lake. The Russians and French say these are contaminants from the drilling and testing of samples in the labs. They also argue that the lake itself is too toxic to sustain life because of its extremely high levels of oxygen.

If they are right, it would be the first lifeless water body found on Earth. As such, it could help us hone our techniques for the search for life under the polar ice caps on Mars, and in the oceans under the frozen surface of Jupiter's moon Europa.


http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996238

[phantom power]

1. Wow, the Russians are acting quite recklessly

It's one thing to have a theory that the lack might be sterile, but it seems like damned poor science to just plow ahead on the assumption that their theory is guaranteed to be correct.

I hope they come to their senses.

And, personally speaking, I think they're smoking crack if they believe that life couldn't adapt to that environment.

[indigobusiness]

2. Bad on so many fronts.

This is a brawl of controversy.

[PeaceForever]

3. It's nice to see the US argue for the responsible view, for a change.

Sad but true that our country is usually on the wrong side of environmental issues. Shame on the French and Russians, by the way.