Animals and plants can live in vast hot caves dug by steam around Mount Erebus, an active volcano in Antarctica.
Ceridwen Fraser of the Australian National University said that forensic analyzes of soil samples from these caves have revealed intriguing DNA traces of algae, mosses and small animals: "It can be very hot inside the caves - up to 25 degrees Celsius some caves. You could wear a T-shirt and be quite comfortable. There is light near the mouths of the cave and deeper light filters in some caves where the ice coating is thin. "
Fraser explained that most of the DNA found in Mount Erebus caves was similar to the DNA of plants and animals - including mosses, algae and invertebrates - found elsewhere in Antarctica, but not all sequences could be completely identified .
"The results of this study give us a tempting preview of what could live under the ice in Antarctica, there might even be new species of animals and plants," he added.
Professor Laurie Connell, a co-investigator at the University of Maine, believes that these intriguing DNA traces did not conclusively prove that plants and animals are living in caves. "The next steps will be to take a closer look at the caves and the search for living organisms. If they exist, it opens the door to a new exciting world, "he said.
Another co-investigator, Craig Cary of the University of Waikato in New Zealand, recalled that previous research had found that various bacterial and fungal communities lived in Antarctica's volcanic caves.
Researchers also point out that it is not known for certain how many cave systems exist around Antarctica's volcanoes, or how interconnected these subglacial environments may be difficult to identify, reach for or explore.