[Igor Antunov]

Analysis of ice cores obtained from the basin of Lake Vostok, the subglacial lake that Russian scientists drilled down to in 2012, have revealed DNA from an estimated 3,507 organisms.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -life.html

Politics aside for once, this is fairly major news. This means Jupiter's moon Europa is a very enticing proposition, in regards to further exploration for life in our solar system.

[Figlio di Moros]

Odd, I was just doing a shallow review of colonization proposals and issues for different places. I think Europa's a bit further down the line, but yes, it means a lot. Though, I'm not sure why we're particularly surprised, given the amount of life that exists at the polar ice caps and Volcanic vents, and even in arsenic.

[Magnetonium]

Would be pretty awesome to have human civilization on moon Europa. Since warping space and traveling at/faster speed of light is highly unlikely, I think that the best think humankind can do when it comes to space exploration and finding other species/living forms is to populate these regions one by one, like building a chain, gradually.

[Verv]

When they discovered that sea creatures exist near the sea vents so far deep down and that other bacteria lifeforms existed in the hot, hot, hot springs of Yellowstone it was pretty much the same thing. So, in one sense, this is not really "new" but simply showing the other side of this coin.

While I appreciate that the ramifications for science are perhaps large, call me back when you find a new creature visible to the eye or a bacteria that kills cancer. I just fail to get super excited at small variations of the same principle and there's no tangible creature or benefit.

[Suska]

I've been waiting for this news.

It begins to seem like you could drop a sandwich in orbit and it'd come back green.

[Rugoz]

The russians probably sterilized their instruments with vodka.

[Dagoth Ur]

Life is an unstoppable juggernaut. We are the flood.

[Figlio di Moros]

While I appreciate that the ramifications for science are perhaps large, call me back when you find a new creature visible to the eye or a bacteria that kills cancer. I just fail to get super excited at small variations of the same principle and there's no tangible creature or benefit.

Will a virus do?

[youtube]h6SzI2ZfPd4[/youtube]

[Rainbow Crow]

I don't know about life on Europa, the high amount of radiation on the surface might kill things before they could work their way into the lower levels of the (theoretical) ocean beneath the surface.

[Igor Antunov]

I just fail to get super excited at small variations of the same principle and there's no tangible creature

Bacteria are the most important and hefty (by biomass) element of life on earth. They have the capacity to terraform. They are responsible for our existence. They exist inside us, helping us function. Bacteria are the bees knees.

[Figlio di Moros]

To elaborate on what Igor jut said, 90% of the cells in the human body are bacteria. We wouldn't be able to function without them; they do everything from breaking down nutrients to fighting infections.