Antarctica is the Perfect Place to Study Snowball Earth
Hundreds of millions of years ago, temperatures cooled on Earth to the point that almost the entire planet was covered in glaciers: snowball Earth. Just how life survived has perplexed scientists for some time! A team of researchers believe they have found answers in Antarctica's tiny meltwater ponds, discovering thriving ecosystems packed with diverse microbes, algae, and microscopic animals. These ice bound oases show how ancient life could have weathered Earth's deepest freeze, and not just survived, but flourished.
Hundreds of millions of years ago, temperatures cooled on Earth to the point that almost the entire planet was covered in glaciers: snowball Earth. Just how life survived has perplexed scientists for some time! A team of researchers believe they have found answers in Antarctica's tiny meltwater ponds, discovering thriving ecosystems packed with diverse microbes, algae, and microscopic animals. These ice bound oases show how ancient life could have weathered Earth's deepest freeze, and not just survived, but flourished.
