Hunt
for Life under Antarctic Ice Heats Up
Exploring the lakes
on the glaciers is an important exploration for scientist everywhere.
Determining if there is life in the form of bacteria could result in hundreds
of new species being found. These new species could carry chemical compounds
that could solve problems like diseases or could be the next energy source. I think that is important that the scientists
are taking a very cautious approach to the drilling of this hole when it comes
to cross contaminating it. The drill that is used is going to be wrapped in a
sterile bag until the drill is ready to be in the hole. The water that is going
to pumped into the hole will go through a five stage series of filters which
the scientist say will make the water more sterile the that ice that usually
forms over the lake. The time restraint
the scientists are dealing with is going to be the biggest factor in whether
they fail or succeed in my opinion. The drill teams have 24 hours to set the
probes and receive the samples before the ice freezes and cover the hole that they
drilled. If the hole is covered the scientists and drill teams have enough fuel
to pump hot water and make a second hole. The fact that Lake Ellsworth is a
puddle compared to other lakes in the glaciers of Antarctica make the possibility
of finding bacteria a lot better. This expedition is only one of the many
drilling expeditions that are going to occur. The lack of results in this
expedition could hinder more lake drillings to occur.
