Antarctica is known as a barren landscape, and has been considered a fairly harsh environment for creatures to inhabit. For that reason, most scientists believed there was little to no wildlife present other than seals, penguins and those that live above water. However, scientists teamed up with NASA have been digging (rather, drilling) for any sight of wildlife deep in the sea, and as of last week, have proven any prior assumptions wrong. Last week, one NASA drilling team found a jellyfish, as well as a tiny shrimp, 600 feet below the ice. This discovery leads scientists to wonder what other kinds of microorganisms might very well be thriving in other untouched areas of Earth, and beyond.
In about a year, NASA drilling teams, some of which have been drilling through the thick ice for over 50 years, expect to hit a large deposit of fresh water, and hope to find more undiscovered life below. From the Lindblad Explorations Blog:
The ocean of fresh and low-salinity water beneath the Antarctic is among the last areas on earth untouched by humans for eons. NASA is extremely excited about what kind of life could develop and thrive in these sunless, harsh environments, because it gives them insight into what kind of alien life could exist on other planets.
While searching for new forms of life in the name of scientific research is undoubtedly beneficial, the issue of drilling through one of “the last untouched areas on earth” is arguably a bit concerning. Humans have managed to “touch” nearly every part of the planet, and in doing so, have contributed to several areas’ demise. Drilling through the ice in Antarctica is a topic of debate, considering its potential to harm wildlife that has survived there for thousands of years. That being said, is drilling for the sake of exploration an environmentally responsible act? Or is it merely contributing to the planet’s pile of problems? The comments section is below.
[Via: Nat Geo Expeditions]
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