What was found under Lake Vostok?

A 2013 study discovered more than 3,000 “unique gene sequences” in subsurface ice associated with Lake Vostok. Nearly half of this genetic material was identifiable; around 94 percent came from bacteria. The authors said they’d also found evidence of more complex organisms, like fungi and small crustaceans.

Is there a monster in Lake Vostok?

Description. Organism 46-B is an enormous 33ft (10m) long, 14-tentacled squid-like creature which lived in Lake Vostok, a subglacial lake located under two miles of ice beneath Vostok Station in the Antarctic.

Is there life in Lake Vostok?

There is something alive in Lake Vostok, deep beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet, and we don’t know what it is. Water samples from the lake contain a bacterium that does not seem to belong to any known bacterial groups – although whether it truly is a new form of life remains to be proven.

What is the legend of Lake Vostok?

Scientists say samples from the lake could tell us something about how life evolved in the distant past, perhaps back hundreds of millions of years. The lake also could open a window onto conditions existing on less hospitable places around the solar system, such as on Mars or Jupiter’s moon Europa.

What do many people find surprising about Antarctica’s Lake Vostok?

Most interesting is that the life they found is not entirely bacterial. Several hundred species of eukaryotic organisms also live in the water, including over 100 multicellular species.

Are there fish in Lake Vostok?

The possibility is raised by scientists who have sifted genetic material in ice drilled from close to Vostok’s surface. They found signatures for organisms such as bacteria that are often associated with marine molluscs, crustaceans and even fish.

How was Vostok discovered?

Almost 4 km beneath the East-Antarctic ice sheet, Lake Vostok, a vast freshwater lake was discovered 1996 by using ice-penetrating radar and artificial seismic waves. Lake Vostok is the oldest, most pristine lake in the world and it never has been disturbed by humankind yet.

Does anyone live in Vostok Antarctica?

Researchers don’t just work at the Vostok Station — they also live there. Each year, during the summer period — in Antarctica that’s December, January, and early February — around 30–35 researchers come to stay at the station. The rest of the year, there are 12–13 winterers living there.

Who discovered Lake Vostok?

Andrei Kapitsa
Subglacial lakes were suspected to exist beneath the continent’s ice for decades. This particular lake’s existence, in the vicinity of Vostok Station in East Antarctica, was first postulated in the 1960s by Andrei Kapitsa, a geographer and Antarctic explorer.

Has anyone been murdered in Antarctica?

Rodney David Marks (13 March 1968 – 12 May 2000) was an Australian astrophysicist who died from methanol poisoning while working in Antarctica….

Who owns Vostok?

Russia
Established by the former Soviet Union in 1957 and now operated by Russia, the station is located about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the geographic South Pole on top of approximately 3,700 meters (2.3 miles) of ice. During the summer research season, Vostok Station supports about 30 people.

Does Lake Vostok have fish?

Bacteria, fungi, shellfish, and maybe even fish live in Lake Vostok, the buried Antarctic lake that’s been likened to habitats that might exist on other planets or moons, a new study says.

What is Lake Vostok?

Russia’s Vostok Station, shown in this image from the 2000-2001 field season, is the center of activity for studies of Lake Vostok, a subglacial body of water in Antarctica. Josh Landis / National Science Foundation

Did Russia drill into previously untouched Lake Vostok?

“Russians drill into previously untouched Lake Vostok below Antarctic glacier”. The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 February 2012. ^ Amir Khan (15 January 2013). “Buried Lake Reached: Lake Vostok Water Retrieved After 14 Million Years”. International Science Times. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.

Why is there so much gas in Lake Vostok?

The sheer weight and pressure around 345 bars (5,000 psi) of the continental ice cap on top of Lake Vostok is estimated to contribute to the high gas concentration. Besides dissolving in the water, oxygen and other gases are trapped in a type of structure called a clathrate.

Is there bacteria in Lake Vostok in Antarctica?

“New Type of Bacteria Reportedly Found in Buried Antarctic Lake”. LiveScience. Retrieved 8 March 2013. ^ Staff (9 March 2013). “No unfamiliar microorganisms found in Lake Vostok water – researcher”. Interfax. Russia Beyond the Headlines.