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

People walking on an ice sheet in Antarctica.
(Image credit: Handout/Getty Images)

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.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.