"A new type of microbe has been found at a lake buried under Antarctica's thick ice, according to news reports. The find may unveil clues of the surrounding environment in the lake, according to scientists.
The bacteria, said to be only 86 percent similar to other types known to exist on Earth, was discovered in a water sample taken from Lake Vostok, which sits under more than 2 miles (3 kilometers) of Antarctic ice. The freshwater lake has likely been buried, unaltered, under the ice for the past million years.
Russian scientists reportedly obtained the water samples in 2012 when they drilled all the way down to the lake's surface. They ran the bacteria's composition through a global database and were not able to find anything similar to its type. Scientists couldn't even figure out the bacteria's descendents.
"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,"
"We are calling this life form unclassified and unidentified,"
The 86 percent similarity figure, to Murray, is a plausible indicator that this could be a new type of bacteria. Since all Earthly life is related to each other in some way, anything below about 80 percent would draw concern, Murray added.
At least one other scientist, however, expressed caution about the finding, saying that more information is needed before drawing conclusions.
"If this is real, it is very exciting," Peter Doran, a microbiologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, wrote in an e-mail to OurAmazingPlanet.
"I would caution, though, that this type of 'press release' science is a little dangerous. It really needs to go through the rigor of peer review by other experts in the field before I'll jump on board," he said. "Having others looking at their methods and data will provide support for their conclusions." YahooNews
2 Observations:
1) This bacteria COULD possibly be from between the fall of man & the flood
2) But whatever it is--if it is not quite like other bacteria-maybe we should leave it alone....who knows what they dug up....
The bacteria, said to be only 86 percent similar to other types known to exist on Earth, was discovered in a water sample taken from Lake Vostok, which sits under more than 2 miles (3 kilometers) of Antarctic ice. The freshwater lake has likely been buried, unaltered, under the ice for the past million years.
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| The World After the Flood--- And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. Genesis 7:18 |
"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,"
"We are calling this life form unclassified and unidentified,"
The 86 percent similarity figure, to Murray, is a plausible indicator that this could be a new type of bacteria. Since all Earthly life is related to each other in some way, anything below about 80 percent would draw concern, Murray added.
At least one other scientist, however, expressed caution about the finding, saying that more information is needed before drawing conclusions.
"If this is real, it is very exciting," Peter Doran, a microbiologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, wrote in an e-mail to OurAmazingPlanet.
"I would caution, though, that this type of 'press release' science is a little dangerous. It really needs to go through the rigor of peer review by other experts in the field before I'll jump on board," he said. "Having others looking at their methods and data will provide support for their conclusions." YahooNews
2 Observations:2) But whatever it is--if it is not quite like other bacteria-maybe we should leave it alone....who knows what they dug up....
