--- description: A subglacial lake 800 meters beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet has been discovered to have "viable microbial ecosystems." title: Scientists find life beneath Antarctic ice image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e8f53c2dae8e9af/6986a066cd6848b684096267/christner_fig2c-highres.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Environment](/tag/environment/) ## Environment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Check Out the Freezing Cold Place Where Scientists Found Life by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 21, 2014 6:36 PM CUT  The microorganisms that came out of Subglacial Lake Whillans were “incredibly diverse,” and the microbial cells came in a variety of shapes. The yellow arrow in this image points to a rod-shaped cell as seen through a scanning electron microscope. . The microorganisms that came out of Subglacial Lake Whillans were “incredibly diverse,” and the microbial cells came in a variety of shapes. The yellow arrow in this image points to a rod-shaped cell as seen through a scanning electron microscope. .Montana State University/WISSARD by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 21, 2014 6:36 PM CUT A subglacial lake 800 meters beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet has been discovered to contain “viable microbial ecosystems,” according to the [National Science Foundation](http://www.nsf.gov/news/news%5Fsumm.jsp?cntn%5Fid=132267 "undefined"), which funded the project. The findings are the result of a 2013 drilling expedition in which researchers used a sterile, hot water drill to reach and collect samples from Lake Whillans, in the west part of the continent. Researchers for project Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) found organisms that feed off of rocks for energy and use Carbon Dioxide as a carbon source in water and sediment samples from the lake. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3154299/check-out-the-freezing-cold-place-where-scientists-found-life/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3154299/check-out-the-freezing-cold-place-where-scientists-found-life/"},"headline":"Check Out the Freezing Cold Place Where Scientists Found Life","datePublished":"2014-08-21T18:36:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:47:42.479Z","description":"There are close to 4,000 organisms living in the lake, which hasn’t seen sunlight for millions of years","url":"https://time.com/3154299/check-out-the-freezing-cold-place-where-scientists-found-life/","keywords":["Environment","Life","Science topic","ICE","antarctica","microbes"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e8f53c2dae8e9af/6986a066cd6848b684096267/christner_fig2c-highres.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Video","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-video/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8e8f53c2dae8e9af/6986a066cd6848b684096267/christner_fig2c-highres.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The microorganisms that came out of Subglacial Lake Whillans were “incredibly diverse,” and the microbial cells came in a variety of shapes. 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