Ancient Lakes Miles Below Antarctica May Hold Climate Clues, New Life Forms

All Antarctica photos: Subglacial Lake Ellsworth Consortium, Neil Ross/University of Edinburgh

Cocktail party fact incoming: There are hundreds of liquid lakes that lie miles beneath Antarctica. Unfrozen, but still-cold-as-hell, lakes. The largest, Lake Vostok, boasts three times the volume of the Great Lake Ontario, itself one of the biggest freshwater bodies in the world. Now, scientists are planning the first-ever research expedition to learn more about the underground water stores. They're hauling 80 tons of equipment down to Antarctica to attempt to drill two miles below the surface to Lake Ellsworth -- where they believe they'll find clues about the impact of climate change and, potentially, new forms of life.

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