Slime in Antarctic Lake May Hold the Secret of Life
Most people would probably purposefully steer clear of green slime, but for scientists, it can hold many exciting possibilities. An Antarctic lake has recently presented a prime example, and researchers believe that
Slime in Antarctic Lake May Hold the Secret of Life
Most people would probably purposefully steer clear of green slime, but for scientists, it can hold many exciting possibilities. An Antarctic lake has recently presented a prime example, and researchers believe that it could actually provide enough data for them to be able to develop a much firmer understanding of what the world was like 2.4 billion years ago. In other words, a sample of Antarctic slime could end up changing science and history books worldwide.
Where Was the Slime Found?
Lake Fryxell, which is located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, is one of the estimated 200 lakes in Antarctica that are permanently frozen. Scientists now have a solid reason to believe that the conditions that exist deep within these lakes are very similar to those from billions of years ago. It has already been determined that our planet was not always the oxygen rich habitat that it is today, and the thin layer of slime that was found in Lake Fryxell has provided a big clue about the early days of Earth’s oxygenation.
Image of Lake Fryxell provided by Eli Duke, via Flickr
What Makes the Slime Such an Important Discovery?
According to the research team, the slime contains oxygen, even though the deep water that it resides within is oxygen free. This appears t