Russians drill into Lake Vostok, begin search for life under Antartica's surface - Washington Post

Finding microbes may not sound like much. But they were the first form of Earth life eons before plants and animals existed.

If scientists find these tiny germs in Lake Vostok, it bolsters already strong hope that elsewhere in our solar system, life also might exist where once it didn’t seem possible.

There are plenty of examples of life forms existing in the most improbable of places:

—A tiny shrimp was captured on a NASA video floating under thick ice sheets in a different part of Antarctica.

—Tubeworms somehow get needed energy from violent hydrothermal vents in the deepest Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

—A germ called “the world’s toughest bacterium” by the Guinness Book of World Records and also termed “Conan the Bacterium” was found 55 years ago in a can of meat. It survives and even repairs itself in radiation that would be deadly to cockroaches.

Some in the scientific community expressed concern that the drilling techniques used to reach Lake Vostok could contaminate the pristine lake. As Marc Kaufman explained:

The long effort has met with controversy over some of the chemicals and techniques used in the drilling. Many have been concerned that pristine Lake Vostok — which hasn’t felt the wind for more than 20 million years and may well be home to previously unknown life forms — could be contaminated by the kerosene, Freon and other materials used in the drilling.

John Priscu of Montana State University, an Antarctica specialist who has been in periodic contact with the Russian team, said rumors are flying that the lake was indeed pierced but that no information has been formally announced.

“If they were successful, their efforts will transform the way we do science in Antarctica and provide us with an entirely new view of what exists under the vast Antarctic ice sheet,” he said in an e-mail.

Many scientists see Vostok as not only a last frontier on Earth but also a potential gold mine for learning about possible conditions on Jupiter’s moon Europa or Saturn’s moon Encedadus. Each is covered by a thick shell of ice with liquid water below, warmed by either the inner heat of the moon or by tidal forces.

The United States and Britain will begin drilling later this year into small subglacial Antarctic lakes. Scientists estimate that there are about 200 of these lakes beneath the ice sheet.

Reports emerged as the drilling effort continued that Lake Vostok had been the site of a secret Nazi base. As Elizabeth Flock reported:

When state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti released a report Monday that said Russian scientists had drilled into the deep, dark and previously untouched Lake Vostok, a curious detail was buried farther down in the story.

Ria Novosti reported that near the end of the World War II, the Nazis moved to the South Pole and began constructing a base at Lake Vostok. The agency quotes German Grand Admiral Karl Dontiz, who apparently said in 1943: “Germany's submarine fleet is proud that it created an unassailable fortress for the Fuehrer on the other end of the world,” in Antarctica.

Is there any truth to the Russian rumors? Or is this a case of a news agency implementing Godwin’s law — the longer a discussion goes, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis approaches.

Taken another way: Why isn’t it enough to relish in the sheer awe of reaching 2.2 miles below the surface of Antarctica to explore a hidden lake?

Discovery News scoffs at the idea of a Nazi base there, calling it “Nazi paranoia” and “World War II conspiracy theories” from Moscow. The Moscow Times dismisses the idea as just “rumors.” Most news sites, including The Post, ignored Ria Novosti’s theory.

More from The Washington Post

Sheltering abundant microbial life miles below icy surface

Graphic: The subglacial Lake Vostok

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Chile Mine Rescue to Begin Within Hours - New York Times

Workers at the mine site, in northern Chile, were testing the specially designed capsule that is meant to alternately lower a rescuer the half-mile down through a narrow hole to the haven of the trapped men — and then raise one miner to the surface of the earth. Each leg of the trip could take as little as 11 minutes, but each round trip could take an hour, and that is if all goes well.

The relatives’ makeshift tent city, Camp Hope, vibrated with a carnival-like atmosphere. “The day has finally arrived,” said Marta Mesías, 51, the aunt of one the miners, Claudio Yáñez, 34. She said she had traveled here from the capital, Santiago, to greet Mr. Yáñez when he emerges from under the earth. “We’re going to toast him with champagne, and feed him a bit of roasted chicken.”

The hundreds of journalists that have been crowding into the area began to broadcast reports and phone in news feeds, as officials made hopeful and patriotic declarations to a country — and a world — captivated by the resilience of men who have survived under thousands of feed of rock for 69 days.

Rescuing the miners has been an obsession for President Sebastián Piñera and his government, which has spared no expense, technological consultation or innovation — and has been rewarded with a national boost of popularity. Mr. Piñera, a billionaire media baron, arrived at the camp by helicopter in the later afternoon.

“Today I feel incredibly emotional — the same way that all Chileans feel,” the Telegraph of London quote him as saying.

The Bolivian leader, Evo Morales, was also expected. One of the miners is a young Bolivian who has become a hero back home.

The miners’ ordeal has presented Mr. Piñera, one of Latin America’s most conservative leaders, and Mr. Morales, one of its most radical, a high-profile opportunity to ease political tensions between their countries.

Laurence Golborne, Chile’s now very popular mining minister, said at a crowded, televised news conference here this afternoon that the first rescue would occur “toward the end of the day,” in the “last quarter” of Tuesday. Mr. Golborne cautioned that rescuing all the men would take about 48 hours. “We are not about declaring mission accomplished,” he said.

"Accidents can happen,” he also said, “but we trained a lot and we feel that we are very well prepared, and you will see the result of this preparation."

The men will be shielded from the crush of media as they emerge, with only a government photographer and Chile’s state television channel permitted access, The Associated Press reported. A 30-second transmission delay is to control for the unexpected.

News organizations in the United States planned large-scale coverage. CNN said its news shows would feature extensive coverage throughout the night and into Wednesday morning. MSNBC planned live broadcasts throughout the night. Fox News had an anchor on standby during the political shows that dominate its evening programming, with more anchors lined up through the night.

As the vast team of rescue workers, medical personnel, technicians and mining experts prepared to enter the final phase, the colorful scene reflected the huge scale of the operation that has captured the attention of the world: more than 1,400 journalists, together with anxious and elated family members of the miners, gathered to witness the rescue.

Hundreds of journalists swarmed family members for comments. Signs proclaiming “Strength, Miners!” dotted the camp, as red, white and blue Chilean flags waved wildly in the sunshine.

Against this backdrop, Mr. Golborne maintained a tone both calmly optimistic and cautious. Tests on the stability of the capsule were carried out on Monday, he said, and tests on the lifting system still have to be conducted in the next few hours on Tuesday before the rescue can begin. “The capsule has not gone down all the way to the floor of the mine,” he added.

The gold and copper mine, near the northern city of Copiapó, caved in on Aug. 5, and there was no word on the fate of the miners for 17 days. But when a small bore hole reached the miners’ refuge, they sent up a message telling rescuers they were still alive.

On Saturday, a more sizeable drill finally broke through to the miners, making way for a rescue shaft through which the miners will be raised, one by one, in a capsule especially designed to contain a human being.

Officials would not disclose the order of the rescue. They said that television cameras were placed at the bottom of the mine and at the top to monitor the operation. And when the miners are brought to the surface, two tent hospitals on site will administer to their immediate health needs, according to Jaime Mañalich, the minister of health.

As the authorities prepared the area for the 48-hour rescue, Lt. Col. Mario Rozas, a spokesman for the Chilean police, said that roads between the mine and surrounding towns would be closed to traffic starting Tuesday evening and lasting until the last miner was pulled from the rescue hole.

Simon Romero reported from the San José mine, and Liz Robbins from New York. Brian Stelter contributed reporting from New York.

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