The whereabouts of life found under a kilometer thick ice!

The Dhaka Times Desk What if life can be born under the thick layer of ice in Antarctica? That's exactly what happened. This time the whereabouts of life found under a kilometer thick ice!

What if life can be born under the thick layer of ice in Antarctica? That's exactly what happened. This time the whereabouts of life found under a kilometer thick ice! Now the question may arise in Antarctica under the thick layer of ice if life can be born? Can that life develop again?

According to a very recent research, it is possible. Life can survive under a kilometer-thick sheet of ice in Antarctica, where a light, airless environment prevails.

According to media reports, there are several sub-glacial lakes or lakes in West Antarctica, 600 kilometers away from the South Pole. Mercer is one such lake. Where was found the location of the rare life!

The name of this expedition team is 'Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access' or 'Salsa' for short. The group penetrated the thick layer of ice of Lake Mercer and reached far down. With the help of a special device and camera. There they found numerous corpses of small animals like possums in the snow.

What are subglacial lakes?

Such lakes or lakes are usually under a thick layer of ice in polar regions. The cold water of this lake under the ice is liquid. Because such lakes exist under large glaciers or glaciers, they are called subglacial lakes. Antarctica continent has many subglacial lakes like Lake Mercer, Lake Whelans, Lake Vostok.

"It's really unexpected," said micropaleontologist David Harwood of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a member of the Salsa expedition, after finding life under the ice. University of California glacier expert Sljek Tulajic said, 'This research result really surprised us all.'

What kind of animal carcasses were found there?

The animal carcass that the researchers found deep in the thick layer of ice looks a lot like a poppy. The researchers said that they are basically 'Tardigrade' animals. If you put your eyes under the microscope, you can see that the body structure of this 8-legged animal is very similar to an earthworm.

Researchers believe that the animals may be sea dwellers. The Trans-Antarctic Mountains are located 50 km from Lake Mercer. About 10,000 to 120,000 years ago, the earth became terribly warm. At that time the water of these lakes under the ice was completely liquid. Tardigrade animals lived in those lakes then. Towards the end of that warm period, the earth began to cool slowly. Then the fauna of that area disappeared.

However, to know exactly how many years ago these animals were alive, the researchers will carbon dating their bodies. Attempts are also being made to sequence the animal's DNA. When these two works are completed, the researchers believe that more information about the life cycle of the animal and its duration of existence will be available.

Earlier in 2013, another research team conducted such an expedition in Lake Whelans. But that time they found nothing but some micro-organisms. From that point of view, this is the first high-class animal to be found in that region.

Researchers believe that this discovery will be able to show new directions in the search for life outside the Earth. Because this is the first time animals have been found in the sub-glacier. Such sub-glaciers are found in some planetary satellites beyond Earth. However, scientists continue to research the issue.