Warm caves
Australian scientists are exploring Erebus volcano, located on Ross Island in Antarctica, and are finding warm caves near it where animals and plants can live. Erebus— the southernmost active volcano in the world, rises 3,794 meters above sea level.
The vapors from the volcano melt the ice and create subglacial tunnels and cavities where temperatures can reach 25 °C, which is significantly warmer than the outside environment. Therefore, there is an assumption that animals and plants unknown to science can live in warm caves.
The ice cave. Erebus volcano. Photo: Phys.org
New types of bacteria
In 2016, Russian scientists discovered a new bacterium that survives in extreme conditions in the subglacial Lake Vostok in Antarctica. Its genetic composition differs significantly from those previously known.
Lake Vostok, located near the magnetic pole of Antarctica, is a non—freezing lake covered with ice. The reservoir has been isolated from the outside world for millions of years. A unique bacterium was found at a depth of more than 3.7 km. The bacterium has 86% genetic similarity to known living beings on Earth.
Million-year-old DNA
Researchers in Antarctica have discovered the DNA of ancient microorganisms, some of which are about a million years old. They were conducting a study of deep-sea sedimentary deposits. The extracted samples were preserved due to low temperatures, low oxygen levels and the absence of ultraviolet radiation.
Scientists are not sure which species the oldest samples belong to, but the “younger” ones are single—celled diatom algae that are protected by a shell of silicon dioxide, shaped like a soap dish. Such algae were common in the local marine environment during warmer climates.
Dinosaurs
Fossils are often found in Antarctica, and among them are the remains of dinosaurs. In 1989, paleontologists discovered the fossilized remains of a large dinosaur on Seymour Island, which is located near Antarctica. Excavations were completed only in 2017, when a significant part of the animal’s skeleton was found.
It turned out that this was an Elasmosaur that lived about 70 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period. The creature reached a length of about 12 m and weighed up to 15 tons, making it one of the largest known elasmosaurs. The find indicates that Elasmosaurs lived in this region until the mass extinction of flightless dinosaurs about 66 million years ago.
New fish species
In Antarctica, not only unknown microorganisms are found, but also new species of fish. For example, in 2024, American biologists from the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences discovered a new species of dragon fish with a unique color. These fish have two vertical stripes on their sides, which are absent in closely related species.
“We assume that the population of dragonfish could have been isolated in deep depressions under glaciers and survived on food that was pushed out by moving ice. After the glaciers retreated, this subpopulation turned out to be isolated enough to be reproductively incompatible with other species,” said researcher Andrei Corso.
Fish living under the ice
In 2021, a colony of 60 million fish was discovered in the ice-covered Weddell Sea, which is located in the west of Antarctica. The discovery was made aboard a German icebreaker exploring the depths of the Weddell Sea, whose waters are considered the cleanest on Earth. The purpose of the expedition was to study the currents, and this discovery came as a surprise to scientists.
It turned out that an ice fish lives here — the only vertebrate that does not have red blood cells, it has a transparent skull and transparent blood. The colony of this fish in the Weddell Sea covers more than 240 km2, which is comparable to the territory of the island of Malta. About 60 million nests were located at depths from 535 to 420 m, and almost every nest was guarded by one adult fish.
Ice fish nests. Photo: PS118, AWI OFOBS team/CNN
Hidden landscapes under the ice
In 2023, scientists discovered a vast area under the Antarctic ice, consisting of hills and valleys, which surpasses Belgium in area. Forests once grew here and even animals may have lived there.
This region with an area of about 32 thousand km2 was hidden under the ice for at least 14 million years, and it was discovered thanks to the analysis of satellite images and sensing data: scientists sent radio waves into the ice and analyzed the echo signals. As a result, it turned out to recreate the subglacial landscape.
Forests in Antarctica
In 2017, fossils of ancient trees were found in Antarctica. This means that the mainland was once covered with dense tropical forests. The excavations took place 900 km from Yuzhny. The scientists used a special rig to drill the seabed. Among the extracted samples was a network of fossilized tree roots from the Cretaceous period.
Recent research also proves that Antarctica used to have frequent forest fires. The main cause of forest fires in ancient Antarctica were active volcanoes. Apparently, the fires led to the complete burning out of vegetation, after which the ecosystem was forced to rebuild.
Antarctica is turning green
In 2024, UK researchers found out that over the past 35 years, the vegetation cover in the north of Antarctica has increased more than tenfold. Moreover, the rate at which plants appear on the coldest continent has increased by 30% over the past five years.
The peninsula is still dominated by snow, ice and rocks, and only a tiny part is inhabited by plants. “The plants that we find on the Antarctic Peninsula — mainly mosses — grow in perhaps the harshest conditions on Earth,” said researcher Thomas Roland.
A huge egg
One of the largest eggs laid by an animal has been discovered in Antarctica.
In 2011, Chilean scientists found an oval fossil, similar to a deflated soccer ball, measuring approximately 28 by 18 cm. The fossil could not be identified for years, and scientists among themselves nicknamed it “Something” in honor of the 1982 science fiction film of the same name.
Only in 2020, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found out that in front of them was a giant soft-shelled egg, which is about 66 million years old. Scientists believe that the egg was laid by an extinct giant marine reptile, a mosasaur at least 7 meters long. Previously, it was believed that huge sea lizards were viviparous, and did not lay eggs.
By Maria Perminova
