NASA Researchers Discover Ancient Microbes in Antarctic Lake
WASHINGTON -- In one of the most remote lakes of Antarctica, nearly 65 feet beneath the icy surface, scientists from NASA, the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Reno, Nev. , the University of Illinois at Chicago, and nine other institutions, have uncovered a community of bacteria. This discovery of life existing in one of Earth's darkest, saltiest and coldest habitats is significant because it helps increase our limited knowledge of how life can sustain itself in these extreme environments on our own planet and beyond. Lake Vida, the largest of several unique lakes found in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, contains no oxygen, is mostly frozen and possesses the highest nitrous oxide levels of any natural water body on Earth. A briny liquid, which is approximately six times saltier than seawater, percolates throughout the icy environment where the average temperature is minus 8 degrees Fahrenheit.
Keywords:
Lake Vida brine Desert Research Institute microbial nitrous oxide McMurdo Dry Valleys NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Ames Research Center microbial community Alison Murray degrees fahrenheit Adrian Ponce principal investigator ice cores unique Peter Doran water body Early Edition nonprofit research National Academy geochemical Higher Education current source Chicago international team subsurface Illinois bacteria ecosystem tents sediment habitat diverse molecular report abiotic ecologist the lake seawater harbors spore Antarctica pristine coldest Astrobiology collaborators lightless saltier percolatesPeople:
Alison Murray
Overall Sentiment: 0.182414
Relevance: 0.376321
Chris McKay
Overall Sentiment: 0
Relevance: 0.273464
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| 0.152429 | "This system is probably the best analog we have for possible ecosystems in the subsurface waters of Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa," said Chris McKay, ... |
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Peter Doran
Overall Sentiment: -0.0968119
Relevance: 0.256845
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Adrian Ponce
Overall Sentiment: 0.178186
Relevance: 0.253151
| Sentiment | Quote |
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| 0.105292 | "The microbial ecosystem discovered at Lake Vida expands our knowledge of environmental limits for life and helps define new niches of habitability," said Adrian Ponce, ... |
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Key:
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Additional Info:
GeographicFeature: Lake Vida
Overall Sentiment: 0.108054
Relevance: 0.854861
Disambiguation: Location | BodyOfWater | LakeReferences:
City: Chicago
Overall Sentiment: -0.502815
Relevance: 0.424653
Disambiguation: References:
Organization: NASA
Overall Sentiment: 0.015259
Relevance: 0.541107
Disambiguation: Company | GovernmentAgency | AirportOperator | AwardPresentingOrganization | SoftwareDeveloper | SpaceAgency | SpacecraftManufacturerReferences:
Organization: Desert Research Institute
Overall Sentiment: 0.0247788
Relevance: 0.439396
Disambiguation: CollegeUniversityReferences:
Organization: University of Illinois
Overall Sentiment: -0.440107
Relevance: 0.436898
Disambiguation: UniversityReferences:
Company: DRI
Overall Sentiment: 0.0905955
Relevance: 0.405033
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NASA Researchers Discover Ancient Microbes in Antarctic Lake
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In one of the most remote lakes of Antarctica, nearly 65 feet beneath the icy surface, scientists from NASA, the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Reno, Nev., the University of Illinois at Chicago, and nine other institutions, have uncovered a community of bacteria.
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