Last year, the team drilled through almost 4km (2.34 miles) of ice to reach the lake and retrieve samples.

Vostok is thought to have been cut off from the surface for millions of years.

This has raised the possibility that such isolated bodies of water might host microbial life forms new to science.

"After putting aside all possible elements of contamination, DNA was found that did not coincide with any of the well-known types in the global database," said Sergei Bulat, of the genetics laborator...
Continue reading ...

• Drilling successful as scientists break through into lake buried miles under Antarctic ice
• Scientists confirm breakthrough into buried lake
• Have raised sample of 40 litres of water
• Frozen sample will be removed in December in next Antarctic summer
  
• 'Like exploring another planet except this one is ours', scientist
  
• Lake has had no contact with man-made pollutants or Earthly life forms for millions of years

Continue reading ...

Continue reading ...

Washington Post National By Marc Kaufman, Published: January 31

After drilling for two decades through more than two miles of antarctic ice, Russian scientists are on the verge of entering a vast, dark lake that hasn’t been touched by light for more than 20 million years.

Scientists are enormously excited about what life-forms might be found there but are equally worried about contaminating the lake with drilling fluids and bacteria, and the potentially explosive “de-gassing” of a body ...

Continue reading ...