Antarctic lake microbes have flexible survival strategies 

Genetic data reveal a hidden, subglacial ecosystem evolving in isolation 

A research team in white protective suits works on a platform in Antarctica with a red crane lowering equipment into the ice. Portable shelters and supply containers surround the site.

At a remote field camp in West Antarctica, scientists drilled through 1,100 meters of ice to reach the perpetually dark waters of the subglacial Lake Mercer.

SALSA

Scientists have gotten their closest-ever view of the denizens that inhabit a frigid underworld.