LSU scientists to study life under Antarctic

Associated Press - November 25, 2009 11:24 AM ET

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - An expedition is gearing up to drill through ice sheets in Antarctica to study what lives underneath, and LSU researchers are playing a key role.

LSU's scientists are part of a team using a $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation to drill through the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

Brent Christner, an LSU assistant professor of biological sciences, said the team expects to find new microbial species and ecosystems under the ice sheets thriving in permanent cold and darkness.

The researchers say the subglacial environment may be 1 of the last unexplored aquatic areas on the planet. They also say this subglacial region could yield insights into whether extraterrestrial life could exist on Mars.