Life Found Beneath Antarctic Ice

Beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet, at about 600 feet, NASA surprisingly found a small shrimp-like creature swimming in the frigid waters while they were on a mission to examine the underside of the ice sheet.



The complex critter was identified as a Lyssianasid amphipod, about three inches in length.
It was the first time they drilled so far down into the ice sheet, and they were never expecting such an amazing find.

It was originally thought that the only life to be able to survive such cold temperatures were microscopic creatures, so you might imagine what finding this little shrimp might mean for the idea life on this planet, and even on other planets. It seems life can flourish in much more extreme conditions than was originally thought. A discovery like this should give us a whole new perspective on our own existence.

If you want to read the original story from March 17 on this great discovery, along with video of the event, go to the NASA story here:  NASA Spots Surprising Shrimp Beneath Antarctic Ice


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