There could be a gigantic lake hidden under Antarctica's ice

Researchers say a massive lake may lie under the surface of Antarctica's ice sheet, possibly harboring life forms that have spent millions of years in isolation.

Looking at satellite images, researchers spotted grooves in the ice, which could be evidence of a large lake, New Scientist reports. It would likely be smaller than the deepest and largest subsurface lake in Antarctica, Lake Vostok, but researcher Martin Siegert says it's only 100 kilometers away from a research station, making it easier to study in-depth.

Researchers from China and the United States recently went to the area and collected ice-penetrating radar data that will most likely confirm if there is a sub-glacial lake, Siegert said, and the teams will meet in May to go over the data. "It's really nice to see some new techniques for revealing the characteristics of the last 'pole of ignorance,'" Christine Down of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center told New Scientist. "The potential discovery of large canyons and lakes could have a big impact on our understanding of tectonic and hydrological evolution in this part of the ice sheet."

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