Hidden Bacteria

There were a colony of strange bacteria living. They were hidden in the beneath an Antarctic glacier. Scientists were looking at the flow of blood red water from beneath the glacier. That's when they discovered the bacteria. The bacteria have survived for millions of years. The bacteria were living on sulfur and iron compounds. The researchers concluded that iron compounds provide the color. In their research, they discovered bacteria in the water. John Priscu goes to the Montana State University. He said that because the ecosystem has been isolated for so long in extreme conditions, it could help explain how life might exist on other planets, and serve as a model for how life can exist under ice. The researchers think that the pool of water was trapped about 1.5 million years ago. The glacier moved over a lake. It doesn't freeze because it is four times saltier than the ocean. The pool is so deep under the ice. It was also so far back from the edge that the researchers couldn't drill down to it. However, they were able to collect some of the outflow for testing. I think that this is interesting. It's kind of cool to know that there were bacteria surviving for millions of years.