Russians drill into Lake Vostok, begin search for life under Antartica’s surface:

Russian researchers reported Wednesday that they had reached Lake Vostok, which is located in the central part of Atartica, approximately 800 miles East of the South Pole. This ancient freshwater lake was buried under 12,365 feet of ice, and is believed to have been cut off from the atmosphere for at least 14 million years - a pristine body of water untouched by light or wind. They want to know what type of microbial life — bacteria too small to see — might exist there.

If scientists find these tiny germs in Lake Vostok, it bolsters already strong hope that elsewhere in our solar system, life also might exist where once it didn’t seem possible.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/russians-drill-into-lake-vostok-begin-search-for-life-under-antarticas-surface/2012/02/09/gIQARwn31Q_story.html