DNA points to new species of bacteria under Antarctic ice

Deep beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, there is water. Now, that might not seem surprising to you, but this isn’t just any water. First theorized in 1959, the existence of Lake Vostok was confirmed in 1993. This reservoir of water lies 13,000 feet below the surface of the glacier, and now we know a little more about what’s in there. A sample analyzed by Russian scientists appears to contain a never before seen bacterium.

Russian scientists succeeded in 2012 by drilling the world’s longest ice core to reach the surface of Lake Vostok. This body of water is notable because of its size at 160 miles long by 30 miles wide, but it is also a bit of a time capsule. The water in Lake Vostok has been sealed off from the outside world since Antarctica froze over 14 million years ago. Scientists were very anxious to get a look at what, if anything, was down there.

There was concern over contamination as the Russian team reached the lake. The borehole was lubricated with kerosene, which contains bacteria. When the drill hit liquid water, it pulled back and the kerosene was pushed up to the surface by the geyser of water. The samples taken from the drill bit did have substantial contamination, though. At first it seemed nothing of note would be found in this first sample. Then — success.

Of the 20 species of bacteria detected through DNA testing, 19 proved to be contaminants from the modern world. The last one, however, is unlike anything we have on record. The genetic samples show less than 86% similarity to the known major bacterial groups. Anything less than 90% is understood the be worthy of its own classification.

It is not yet clear what this means. The organism could be a distant cousin of an existing bacteria, which would be cool, but not all that Earth shattering. One possible alternative is that the Vostok bacteria is a representative of a previously unknown group of organisms. If this is the case, its genes could prove useful for biotech applications.

The work continues, but one thing is clear: science is awesome.

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