It is permanently covered by a massive cap of ice up to 27 meters thick, is six times saltier than normal sea water, and at −13 °C is one of the coldest aquatic environments on Earth — yet Lake Vida in Antarctica teems with life.
This is what the Vostok drilling is possibly going to be notable for: life, hopefully, but even better, life that resembles nothing we've ever seen. (Preliminary reports have found nothing yet.) Vida has been sealed for 2800 years -- Vostok has been for millions. I'm extremely excited to see where that goes.Genetic analysis suggests that most of the cells — both those of standard size and the microcells — are related to known types of bacterium. However, one abundant bacterium of normal size seems to have no close relatives among cultivated bacteria, and so may represent a new phylum.