Hot methane seeps could support life beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet

Microbes living beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet may survive on methane generated by geothermal heat rising from deep below Earth’s surface. The discovery could have implications for assessing the potential for life to survive on icy worlds beyond Earth.

“These could be hotspots for microbes that are adapted to live in these areas,” says Gavin Piccione at Brown University in Rhode Island.

We already know that there is methane beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet. Other…