| Geologist James Smith wasn't looking for anything other than sediment when he drilled through a half mile of Antarctic ice shelf. But when he lowered a GoPro down the borehole, it struck not soft seafloor, but rock. As the camera panned out, it revealed something scientists thought to be extremely improbable, if not nearly impossible: life. The boulder was studded with all kinds of creatures, some long and stalked, others more stout. Bathed in total darkness, the rock is hundreds of miles away from a light source and even farther from a productive ecosystem that could supply it food. So how on earth could these animals exist? By analyzing ocean currents around the frozen continent, Smith's colleague, biologist Huw Griffiths, worked out that ecosystems powered by sunlight along the edge of the ice shelf could jettison food that'd float to the boulder. What exactly that food is, the researchers can't yet say, as they weren't able to collect specimens from the rock. But this much is sure: The finding changes science's understanding of where life can thrive in Earth's dark, frigid oceans. Read the full story of the incredible discovery here.
Matt Simon | Staff Writer, WIRED | 
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