Still Waters Posted February 3, 2012 #1 Share Posted February 3, 2012 A team of Russian scientists has mysteriously lost contact with colleagues in the U.S. as they drill into a lake buried beneath the Antarctic ice for 20 million years.The scientists had been battling conditions of minus 66C at Lake Vostok, as they raced to drill into a lake buried two miles beneath the ice before the weather closed in.The scientists hope the lake's untouched water will reveal more about life on our planet 20 million years ago. The lake, in the most inhospitable region of the planet, is kept liquid by geothermal heat under the ice and its conditions are often described as 'alien' because they are thought to be akin to the subterranean lakes on Jupiter's moon Europa. Their radio silence has conjured chilling echoes of classic horror film The Thing, where scientists dig up a buried spacecraft in the Antarctic ice, only to unleash an extraterrestrial horror within. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Commander Travis Posted February 3, 2012 #2 Share Posted February 3, 2012 *sigh* That's more Ancient Evil unleashed, I suppose .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bracket Posted February 3, 2012 #3 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Lovecraft was right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundew Posted February 3, 2012 #4 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Uh huh, aliens have wiped out the scientists because they were getting too close to the "secret lair". The answer is almost certainly the result of the minus 66 C temperatures which play havoc with men and equipment alike. Hopefully the men are o.k. and they can continue the research, because it would be interesting to find extremophile life forms under the ice. In the unlikely event such life is unrelated to other terrestrial life, it will be a good analog for life on some of the frozen moons of the outer solar system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biff Wellington Posted February 3, 2012 #5 Share Posted February 3, 2012 (edited) There's an episode of The X-files just like this. It's a bubonic carrying alien maggot killing everyone. Edited February 3, 2012 by Dosojin Midnight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Witness Posted February 4, 2012 #6 Share Posted February 4, 2012 [Contact not lost with Russian polar workers in Antarctica] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitat Posted February 4, 2012 #7 Share Posted February 4, 2012 The only evil likely to be unleashed is water under extreme pressure, they really don't know what to expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bison Posted February 5, 2012 #8 Share Posted February 5, 2012 A second source confirms Russian scientists at Lake Vostok not 'lost'. Goes into more detail on what they're doing, and hope to accomplish. It seems to be uncertain if they can reach the lake with their drill this season, before the weather worsens. They must leave while it's still possible to fly out. Link to article: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/02/03/fox-flub-russian-vostok-lake-scientists-safe?s_cid=related-links:TOP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBunker Posted February 5, 2012 #9 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatus1 Posted February 5, 2012 #10 Share Posted February 5, 2012 "What the...WHO UNPLUGGED THE RADIO? Bobby, you were playing with it last! Dammit, everyone's probably freaking out back home..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandlot Posted February 6, 2012 #11 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowman972 Posted February 6, 2012 #12 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Has everyone forgotten about this news article about "SUPERBUGS" being found in antarctica? Maybe they all died from this ancient bateria strain that our bodies aren't accustomed to... The artile link is here: http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/viewnews.php?id=221567 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeptic Chicken Posted February 6, 2012 #13 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Is the lake itself like in a cave? or is it litterally a bubble in the ground completely filled with water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeptic Chicken Posted February 6, 2012 #14 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Lovecraft was right! eg? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PfefferkornNV Posted February 6, 2012 #15 Share Posted February 6, 2012 "Lake Vostok is of particular interest to scientists as it contains one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the world and has been uncontaminated by modern pollutants due to its location deep down below the Antarctic ice." When the drill hits the water, wont it then be contaminated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bison Posted February 6, 2012 #16 Share Posted February 6, 2012 (edited) The linked article indicates that the lake may have been reached, or is about to be. A diagram shows how Lake Vostok lies under a 'lid' of kilometers of ice. The plan to prevent contamination of the lake involves lowering the pressure in the bore hole, so that water will rise upward through it, like someone sipping a drink through a straw. In this case the lake water in the bore hole will quickly freeze, and will eventually be removed and analyzed. link to article: http://rt.com/news/antarctic-million-secrets-lake-583/ Edited February 6, 2012 by bison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaneSilvermoon Posted February 6, 2012 #17 Share Posted February 6, 2012 "Lake Vostok is of particular interest to scientists as it contains one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the world and has been uncontaminated by modern pollutants due to its location deep down below the Antarctic ice." When the drill hits the water, wont it then be contaminated? However in 1998, drilling had to be halted just 130 meters from the lake’s surface after the alarm was raised over concerns that the ancient and unblemished waters risked being polluted if special precautions were not taken.The relevant technology was developed in 2003 in St. Petersburg. Work resumed in 2005 after tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Particle Noun Posted February 6, 2012 #18 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Yeah, lets just say all of these scientists need to be strapped to chairs and their blood tested in petri dishes with a hot needle before they are allowed back on the mainland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftcoastgal Posted February 6, 2012 #19 Share Posted February 6, 2012 (edited) yes, another Ancient Evil messing things up, scaring people, no one ever believing them, all the same stuff... my thoughts exactly! Edited February 6, 2012 by Leftcoastgal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bison Posted February 6, 2012 #20 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Fortunately, H.P.Lovecraft and and John Campbell were writing fiction... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reggie2011 Posted February 7, 2012 #21 Share Posted February 7, 2012 omg so there using kerosene to lube the hole OMG this is discusting and should be stopped immedetly before they absolutly destroy any chance for future generations to explore what is in that lake "one microbe or drop of contamination will distroy the entire lake" im absolutly shocked at this i really am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Am Not Resisting Posted February 7, 2012 #22 Share Posted February 7, 2012 There's an episode of The X-files just like this. It's a bubonic carrying alien maggot killing everyone. I think that's the same episode I just watched last week! *X-files song plays* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithisco Posted February 7, 2012 #23 Share Posted February 7, 2012 omg so there using kerosene to lube the hole OMG this is discusting and should be stopped immedetly before they absolutly destroy any chance for future generations to explore what is in that lake "one microbe or drop of contamination will distroy the entire lake" im absolutly shocked at this i really am Why would you say that You do know the properties of Kerosene dont you? Its specific gravity etc? Do you even understand the sheer size of this lake? Do you understand the method of extracting water from this lake?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundew Posted February 7, 2012 #24 Share Posted February 7, 2012 omg so there using kerosene to lube the hole OMG this is discusting and should be stopped immedetly before they absolutly destroy any chance for future generations to explore what is in that lake "one microbe or drop of contamination will distroy the entire lake" im absolutly shocked at this i really am So how do you think "future generations" will get down to the water? Teleport in? The best scientists can do is sterilize their equipment and proceed with caution. Whatever they are using for lubrication most or all of it will likely be forced upward into the drill shaft by the pressure of tons of ice above the water. Given the size of the lake and the relatively small amount of lubrication needed, you are talking parts/per/billion of contamination at the very least. It is quite possible that the only thing living in the lake (if anything) will be a few varieties of extremophile bacteria or bacteria-like organisms. It is unlikely they will pose a threat to anything given the conditions under which they live are quite alien to surface life and vice versa and it is also unlikely that bacteria from the surface (should they accidentally contaminate the drill rig) would find conditions in the lake suitable for their growth as well. When we go into caves to study extremophile bacteria that thrive on sulfuric acid we undoubtedly take many organisms with us: bacteria, fungi spores, algae spores, perhaps even insects. But the whole ecosystem of the cave is not altered because most life on the outside is not adapted to the cave's harsh conditions, and likely it will be the same with this lake. In fact if we recover any organisms from the lake, the problem may be keeping them alive under lab conditions for study. There is risk in science, but hopefully that has been thought out and will yield interesting results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paracelse Posted February 8, 2012 #25 Share Posted February 8, 2012 This was on cheatsheet tonight (French Time) http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/02/08/scientists-bore-into-antarctic-lake.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_afternoon&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_afternoon&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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