Puzzle of Antarctica's 'waterfall of blood' solved after more than 100 years
Scientists have discovered a hidden network of pressurized channels that unlocks the secret behind Antarctica's 'waterfall of blood', with Blood Falls potentially also providing a fascinating case study to be used in other parts of the Solar System.
Blood Falls has continued to mystify scientists for over a century now, as its unique, almost macabre flow of water from the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica has remained unexplained until now.
Publishing the research in the journal Antarctic Science, a team of scientists have managed to crack the code behind this fascinating natural wonder, pointing towards a hidden network of tunnels that cause iron-rich brine to be expulsed from the source, oxidizing and staining the ice with its now recognizable rust-like color.
The channel itself remains open by the saltiness of the water that flows through the network of tunnels as it lowers the freezing point and warms the ice within the glacier, causing the water to remain flowing all these years.
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As per ScienceAlert, this makes the Taylor Glacier the "coldest known glacier to have persistently flowing water," according to glaciologist Erin Pettit, who was on the team that discovered the vital network inside.
Water travels through a roughly 300-meter-long (985 foot) path towards the heart of the glacier, which was sealed off roughly 1.5 million years ago with an ancient pocket of seawater trapped inside — causing the brine-like liquid to continue to grow and evolve into what we can see today.
On top of this, researchers were able to discover a microbial ecosystem that continues to thrive within the dark by feeding on sulfate, and this could prove to be a vital case study that shows how microorganisms can exist in extreme environments, which can then be extended towards outer space.
It's expected that this colony of bacteria has been able to survive for over a million years – long before humans ever existed – and they've done so without any light or oxygen whatsoever, persisting solely on the sulfate that's been available to them.
Considering the extreme conditions of space that we know of – alongside the numerous areas that feature currently unexplained phenomena and miraculously icy habitats – there's a chance now that experts can use what was learned inside of Blood Falls to explore further and find life where you might not expect it.
It might not necessarily be the aliens that most people would think of or be hoping to communicate with, but if it's taken us this long to find something hidden on our own planet, it's hard not to believe that there's a form of life that's similar obscured out there in space too.