Hidden structures under frozen Arctic lake could point to existence of life in space

Lake Enigma in Antarctica has been somewhat of a… well… enigma for scientists, but researchers have now discovered unfrozen water underneath its surface, as well as bacteria which has been able to survive in such an extreme environment.

The abstract for the study - carried out by Italian, American and Northern Irish researchers and published in the Communications Earth and Environment journal last week – notes the scientists had discovered “a massive body of unfrozen stratified oligotrophic water in Lake Enigma, a permanently ice-covered lake previously thought to be frozen from top to bottom”.

‘Oligotrophic’ refers to a lack of plant nutrients, by the way, so it’s a pretty extreme environment – and that’s not the only thing they found, as they also discovered bacteria in the water.

“It is likely that Patescibacteria are important components of the Lake Enigma microbiome and may express unique metabolic traits in order to thrive under hyperoxic conditions,” the academics write.

It comes after Italian scientists drilled into Lake Enigma during an expedition to Antarctica between November 2019 and January 2020.

Daily Galaxy helpfully explains what such a find means for our understanding of life on Earth, but also on other planets such as Mars, Jupiter and Saturn which share similar conditions to that of Lake Enigma.

Lydia Amazouz writes: “The microorganisms found in Lake Enigma may provide crucial insights into how life could exist under similar conditions on other planets.

“Moreover, this study raises exciting possibilities about the adaptability of life. The microbes thriving in Lake Enigma show that life can not only endure in the most extreme environments but can also develop complex, self-sustaining ecosystems.”

It's not the only bizarre find concerning Antartica which has been shared in recent months, as strange structures have been discovered lurking beneath the ice in the continent, and scientists have solved the mystery of its 'bleeding waterfalls'.

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