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Many years of research seem to be beginning to bear fruit. Russian scientists said they found a completely new type of bacteria in Lake Vostok, which is located under a three-kilometer-wide stratum of Antarctic ice.
DNA analysis showed that this bacterium does not belong to any known type that had previously been found on Earth. The study found only 86 percent of similarities with other living organisms.
For several years, Russian scientists tried to get samples from Lake Vostok, “buried” under a thickness of ice several kilometers in length. And last year, they still managed to get through to the lake, but the resulting sample, which they got as a result, turned out to be damaged and was not found any signs of life.
New samples were just sensational. Scientists said they found literally a new form of life. Given that it is not similar to one of those life forms that are known to science, it is safe to say that this bacterium is not from a drilling rig and really was in an isolated lake. However, science does not tolerate speculation, so it was decided to conduct a few more tests to confirm this.
Lake Vostok was isolated from the world for millions of years. But the water under the many kilometers of ice, most likely due to geothermal energy, still remained in liquid form. There has never been light, so any form of life has to survive collecting any resources available there and eat only local minerals.
This finding is very important for scientists. After all, if life could maintain its existence in such super-extreme conditions, then most likely it can exist outside terrestrial conditions.
Scientists believe that very similar conditions exist under the icy ocean of Europe - one of the moons of Jupiter. This is one of the best candidates for finding extraterrestrial life in our solar system.
Source: Softpedia.com
The article is based on materials .
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