Antarctic Subglacial Lakes May Not be Isolated 40
core plexus writes "Plans to drill deep beneath the frozen wastes of the Antarctic, to investigate subglacial lakes where ancient life is thought to exist, may have to be reviewed following a discovery by a British team. In a Letter to Nature they report that rivers the size of the Thames have been discovered which are moving water hundreds of miles under the ice. The finding challenges the widely held assumption that the lakes evolved in isolated conditions for several millions years and thus may support microbial life that has evolved 'independently'. It has been suggested that if microbes exist in the lakes, they could function in the same way as those in the subsurface ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa or within subsurface water pockets on Mars."
They also may be (Score:1, Funny)
Or, in short: (Score:4, Funny)
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Carry the water at the bottom of the ocean
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean
Letting the days go by, letting the water hold me down
Letting the days go by, water flowing underground
Into the blue again, after the money's gone
Once in a lifetime, water flowing underground.
Re:Or, in short: (Score:3, Funny)
Life on Europa & Mars already an established f (Score:4, Insightful)
Perhaps this is an oblique reference to an SF novel?
Re:Life on Europa & Mars already an establishe (Score:3, Informative)
Or several, perhaps. The Europa reference would be Arthur Clarke. The Mars reference would be Kim Stanley Robinson.
Either way, neither of these things is science fact.
Re:Life on Europa & Mars already an establishe (Score:2)
"hundreds of miles under the ice?" (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:"hundreds of miles under the ice?" (Score:5, Informative)
It means hundred of miles horizontally from pond to pond.
That would indeed make more sense... (Score:2)
Re:"hundreds of miles under the ice?" (Score:3, Informative)
The 4-kilometer-thick ice sheet goes afloat as it crosses the lake, just as ice sheets become floating ice shelves at the grounding line
From TFA (the second one)
In a Letter to Nature they report that rivers the size of the Thames have been discovered which are moving water hundreds of miles under the ice.
It goes to show you shouldn't believe everything you read in the press, even if it is on line - or should that be especially when it's on line
Re:"hundreds of miles under the ice?" (Score:2)
Uh, you're just parsing the sentence incorrectly. The lakes are moving water, under the ice, for HUNDREDS OF MILES. Get a brain cell.
Re:"hundreds of miles under the ice?" (Score:2)
And was the get a brain cell realy neccessary. At least you had the manners to give your ID unlike the AC.
Re:"hundreds of miles under the ice?" (Score:2)
Laterally.. (Score:5, Informative)
40,000 Leagues Under The Sea wasn't about diving deep, it was about going far.
Re:Laterally.. (Score:2)
Ahem (Score:4, Funny)
[I think you mean 20,000
Re:Ahem (Score:2)
or, according the google calculator (Score:2)
Re:"hundreds of miles under the ice?" (Score:2)
Hundreds of miles would be through the earth's crust, surely?
ParseError: ambiguous binding detected: phrase "hundreds of miles" can apply to "moving water" or "under the ice"
Applying logic unit to disambiguate... done
Yeah, I got that... (Score:2)
Not that I am a computer of any sort.
Does that question interest you? Please go on.
Re:Yeah, I got that... (Score:2)
I realized that as I typed it. But the word "logic" flows better, and a "logic unit" could incorporate knowledge to deduce from (at the least you need some axioms).
So who's more pedantic, the pedant or the pedant who follows him? :)
Would still be interesting (Score:1)
Re:Would still be interesting (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Would still be interesting (Score:2)
Re:Would still be interesting (Score:3, Interesting)
This really should come as no surprise (Score:2, Interesting)
As the Earth's outer temperature continues to rise over the coming decades, we'll be seeing more of the 'cracked ice-cube effect'. The same affect that we see in glasses of water when we drop ice cubes in it. The warmer water causes the ice to expan
Re:This really should come as no surprise (Score:1)
Ice under, I guess it is 50 mts or so, is not brittle. Rather it can flow due to the high pressure above it. It is viscous (but not much).
This is the reason for all glacial movements. But, ice above this 50 mt range actually break up rather than flow.
Hopefully, we are both attacking the same thing.
Fascinating (Score:5, Informative)
Microbes? Never mind them! (Score:1)
Re:Microbes? Never mind them! (Score:2)
Re:Microbes? Never mind them! (Score:1)
Re:Microbes? Never mind them! (Score:2)
microbes (Score:1)