. 24/7 Space News .
ICE WORLD
Ancient ecosystem found in Antarctica

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only
by Staff Writers
 Bozeman, Mont., April 16, 2009
U.S.-led scientists have found that an ecosystem below an Antarctic glacier has survived millions of years by using sulfur and iron compounds for growth.

Co-led by Montana State University Professor John Priscu and Jill Mikucki of Dartmouth College, the scientists said the ecosystem lives without light or oxygen in a pool of brine trapped below Taylor Glacier, next to frozen Lake Bonney in eastern Antarctica.

Priscu said the ecosystem contains a diversity of bacteria that thrive in cold, salty water loaded with iron and sulfur. The water averages 14 degrees Fahrenheit, but doesn't freeze because it is three or four times saltier than the ocean. Since it has been isolated for so long in extreme conditions, the researchers said the ecosystem might explain how life could exist on other planets and serve as a model for how life can exist under ice.

Mikucki said the ecosystem has the "potential to be a modern analog to what geochemistry and biogeochemistry was like millions of years ago."

The study that included Peter Lee of the Hollings Marine Laboratory; Ann Pearson, David Johnston and Daniel Schrag of Harvard University; Alexandra Turchyn from Britain's Cambridge University; James Farquhar from the University of Maryland; and Ariel Anbar of Arizona State University appears in the journal Science.

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
 Beyond the Ice Age



Memory Foam Mattress Review
SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
 Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


ICE WORLD
UN agency sounds warning after Antarctica ice shelf rips
 Paris (AFP) April 7, 2009
 The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said the breakway of a Jamaica-sized ice shelf from the Antarctic peninsula could accelerate global warming in this already vulnerable region.






SPACE TRAVEL
  • Scientists Pinpoint The Edge Of Space
  • Kazakhstan Indefinitely Postpones Space Program Indefinitely
  • US scientists plan greenhouses on the Moon
  • Astronaut Tweets Provide Inside Look At Hubble Training

    • MARSDAILY
  • Mars Spacecraft Teams On Alert For Dust-Storm Season
  • Spirit Healthy But Computer Reboots Raise Concerns
  • Cleaning Event Boosts Energy For Mars Rover Opportunity
  • Opportunity Brushing and Examining an Outcrop

    • LAUNCH PAD
  • Arianespace To Launch New Dawn Satellite
  • PSLV Launch Plan Hurts Indian Fisherman
  • Europe sets May 6 for launch of Herschel, Planck telescopes
  • Russian launcher puts European telecoms satellite in orbit

    • EARTH OBSERVATION
  • NASA Goddard Orders Second Instrument For GPM Mission
  • Satellites Show Arctic Literally On Thin Ice
  • Angry British villagers stop Google maps car: report
  • Satellite Snow Maps Help Reindeer Herders Adapt To A Changing Arctic

    • OUTER PLANETS
  • The PI's Perspective: One-Third Down
  • New Horizons Detects Neptune's Moon Triton
  • The Lower Atmosphere Of Pluto Revealed
  • NASA And ESA Prioritise Outer Planet Missions

    • STELLAR CHEMISTRY
  • Active Galaxies Flare And Fade In Fermi Telescope All-Sky Movie
  • Cool Stars Have Different Mix Of Life-Forming Chemicals
  • Dissecting A Stellar Explosion
  • The Extended Region Around the Planetary Nebula NGC 3242

    • MOON DAILY
  • Indian Lunar Orbiter Sends Back Images To Establish Water Presence On Moon
  • NASA Twin Spacecraft May Reveal Secret Of Lunar Origin
  • Earthshine Reflects Earth's Oceans And Continents From Dark Side Of Moon
  • NASA Names 16th Annual Great Moonbuggy Race Winners

    • GPS NEWS
  • China Beidou Navigation System Expected To Cover World
  • China launches global positioning satellite: report
  • Norway joins EU's Galileo satnav project
  • GPS IC Shipments Growth Slowing To 15 Percent In 2009

    • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement