BBC News SCI-TECH Antarctic lake disappoints

Ralph_McCormick · July 20, 2001, 2:03am

BBC News | SCI/TECH | Antarctic lake disappoints

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  Wednesday, 23 May, 2001, 21:38 GMT 22:38 UK

Antarctic lake disappoints

Vostok lies beneath a Russian Antarctic science facility

By BBC News Online's Helen Briggs
Scientists say there is little chance of finding complex lifeforms at the bottom of a hidden Antarctic lake.

  They had hoped that the sort of primordial, bizarre organisms discovered in the depths of oceans around hydrothermal vents might be present in Lake Vostok.

        What is excluded is that there is some form of life, like that found in the deep ocean

Philippe Jean-Baptiste

  There is, though, a possibility that bacteria could still be found elsewhere in the lake, says the US-Russian team behind the discovery.

  "It does not exclude that there is some form of life inside the lake in terms of bacteria or microbes," said Philippe Jean-Baptiste, of the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, Saclay, France.

  "But what is excluded is that there is some form of life like that found in the deep ocean."

Strange animals

  Lake Vostok, a body of fresh water about the size of Lake Ontario, is arguably the most isolated aquatic environment on Earth. It is the largest of over 70 sub-glacial lakes on the white continent and has attracted intense interest from researchers.

  The lake was cut off from the rest of the biosphere at least a million years ago, and this could have provided a unique opportunity for life in the water to develop along a separate evolutionary path.

  But an analysis of ice drilled from just above the lake has found no evidence for the existence of superhot springs, which sustain life on the sea floor.

Satellite image of Lake Vostok

  Where these vents occur on the ocean floor, they support a variety of strange animals capable of living in the absence of sunlight, such as giant tubeworms.

  "There was a suspicion that this could also happen in lakes like Vostok," Dr Jean-Baptiste told BBC News Online. "From our measurements, we say that this is not the case."

Deep sealife

  The conclusion, reported in the scientific journal Nature, is based on a chemical analysis of ice drilled from the Antarctic lake.

  The ice was sampled at a depth of more than 3,500 metres (3,800 yards), the boundary between glacial ice and frozen lake water.

  They have been trying to establish whether the lake's bed might contain hydrothermal vents, through which warm chemical-rich water can flow.

John Priscu holding an ice core from an Antarctic lake

  "The lack of helium within the ice suggests that there is no flow of water or volcanic material from deep within the Earth," said a rival researcher, Robin Bell of Columbia University, New York.

  But she said she thought some form of life would still be found in the lake.

  "I don't think there are going to be tubeworms but there could be bacterial colonies associated with hotsprings coming from something other than volcanoes," Dr Bell told BBC News Online.

Life origins

  Hydrothermal vents form when seawater seeping into cracks in the Earth's crust becomes superheated by molten rock.

  The water takes minerals from the rock, rises and bursts out into the ocean through holes in the seafloor.

  Bacteria process the inorganic chemicals in the hot fluids to begin a food web that can eventually support more complex organisms like shrimps

  Some scientists believe that life on Earth first formed in a hydrothermal vent system about 3.5 - 3.8 billion years ago. There is even a possibility that vents could be harbouring life on one of Jupiter's moons, Europa. Pulled about by the gas giant's huge gravitational influence, the satellite is thought to have a liquid ocean under its ice-covered surface.

  This has prompted the American space agency (Nasa) to take a keen interest in Lake Vostok for what it might tell us about extra-terrestrial life.

  Measurements of isotopes (different types of the same atom) for the atmospheric gas helium suggest that there is no energy input from vents.

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See also:

  27 Sep 99 | Sci/Tech
  Hidden Antarctic lake links to alien life

  31 Mar 98 | Sci/Tech
  Lost lake beneath Antarctic ice-cap

  09 Feb 99 | Sci/Tech
  Ocean vents were "factories of life"

  24 Sep 98 | Sci/Tech
  Clues to life's origins

Internet links:

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Nature

Columbia University

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0108 · July 19, 2001, 12:24am

BBC News | SCI/TECH | Antarctic lake disappoints
List members,

this isn'texactly hollow Earth kmaterial, butwhy leave any stone untirned. If the title catches your interest, read on.

I hope that you all don't get overloaded.Remember that there is a daily summary instead of one-by-one mail. Just let me know by sending a separate e-mail and I'll get you on it. Always look atthe titles and then choose.

DD

···

----- Original Message -----

From: "June Black" [email protected]

To: "Dean De Lucia" [email protected]

Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2001 8:36 PM

Subject: Fw: [RealUFOs] UNDERGROUND BASES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

UNDERGROUND BASES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA There has been a great deal of
new
information about UFO activity in Southern California, specifically in the
vicinity of Lancaster, Palmdale and Edwards AFB. It appears that three
research facilities operated by Northrop, McDonnell-Douglas and Lockheed
are
involved with developing new types of aircraft which possibly utilize
anti-gravity propulsion. There are also reports by people who say they
work
at (or used to work at) these facilities. They describe huge, elaborate,
underground complexes that are linked together by tunnels. Not only that,
but some local residents have told UFO researchers that they have been
abducted and taken to an underground facility where they report seeing
humans in military uniforms and small grey-skinned "alien" beings. An
outline of my preliminary on-site investigation follows: The Northrop
facility goes by the name of "The Tejon Ranch" (pronounced tay-on). It is
sometimes referred to by UFO researchers as the "Tehachapi Ranch." It is
located in the foothills of the Tehachapi mountains, at the mouth of
Little
Oak Canyon, about 25 miles northwest of Lancaster, California. It is not
under restricted airspace. Although the public is told that this is a
cattle
ranch, no livestock are visible anywhere on the property. UFO researcher,
Bill Hamilton says that if asked, Northrop Corporation will say that this
is
an "electromagnetic research facility".

UFO Researcher, Norio Hayakawa, reports that the signs at the main
entrance
gate read:

"PRIVATE PROPERTY-NO TRESPASSING." Other signs read: "DANGER! POISON
DEVICES
IN THE AREA! THESE DEVICES ARE DANGEROUS. THEY CONTAIN DEADLY CYANIDE.
STAY
AWAY AND KEEP YOUR DOGS AWAY. THESE DEVICES ARE THE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED
STATES GOVERNMENT AND ARE USED FOR PROTECTION OF LIVESTOCK AND GAME
ANIMALS.
TAMPERING WITH THESE DEVICES OR THIS SIGN IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE. THE UNITED
STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE."

It is the opinion of some researchers that there is no cyanide and these
signs merely serve as a deterrent. This facility does not appear to have
anything to do with livestock. Another sign attached to the cattle gate
reads: "NORTHROP CORPORATION-PICO RIVERA." Norio Hayakawa also reports
that
a white van with government plates is seen entering the cattle gate daily
at
7am, 3pm, and 11pm. It is driven by a uniformed guard with a Northrop arm
patch, and usually contains additional military personnel in uniform. In
the
aerial photos, the long, wide surfaces are not runways. There are
white-painted diamond-shaped openings on these surfaces. A white pylon is
visible in the center of one diamond shape. A pylon "rack" and antenna
array
are located near the main buildings. One obvious purpose of this and the
other facilities operated by McDonnell- Douglas and Lockheed is for
"Stealth" aircraft research. Various objects or aircraft shapes can be
placed on the pylons and radar or other types of energy can be projected
at
the aircraft shapes so that the reflected energy can be measured or other
types of experiments can be made. There may be other purposes for this
arrangement. The Northrop facility is rumored to have at least 42
underground levels and is said to connect to other underground facilities
by
an extensive network of subterranean tunnels. Many strange aircraft have
been seen flying over and around the area, including glowing disks,
triangle
shapes, large boomerang shapes, elongated shapes with lighted windows, and
small glowing spheres. There is one report from a woman who lives about 10
miles east of the Northrop facility. She says that she saw a very large
glowing disk hovering over the buildings at the northwest end. The disk
was
described as being as wide as the group of buildings, which would make it
several hundred feet in diameter! Small disks have been reported to be
seen
coming and going, from the area near the base, perhaps using the white
diamond shapes on the "runways" for entry and exit. Black helicopters are
commonly seen flying around. While Bill Hamilton and I were near the
cattle
gate entrance, we saw a dark colored UH-1 "Huey" helicopter approach the
area from the direction of Edwards AFB. We lost sight of it as it flew
into
a canyon just north of the area. We did not see it land at the base. There
is rumored to be a disguised entrance in the Tehachapi mountains that may
be
used by helicopters and perhaps other types of craft. The McDonnell
Douglas
facility is sometimes referred to as the "Llano" facility. It is located
at
the site of the old Gray Butte Airport, about six miles southwest of El
Mirage dry lake and about nine miles northeast of Llano, California. It is
not located under restricted airspace. The original triangular runway
configuration is still visible but the runways are no longer used for
conventional aircraft takeoffs and landings.

Large letters on one runway read "NO TRESPASSING UNSAFE FOR LANDING."
Signs
attached to the perimeter fence read: "TRESPASSING-LOITERING FORBIDDEN BY
LAW. RIGHT TO PASS BY PERMISSION AND SUBJECT TO CONTROL OF OWNER." The
main
buildings and antennas are at the west end. A large building with internal
crane slides on two tracks and can be positioned over a fixed pylon in
order
to place an object on top of the pylon. Unusual glowing objects are seen
mounted on this pylon at night. I myself have seen a glowing object on
this
pylon that varied in intensity from a dim white to brilliant red/orange.
Small glowing spheres have been reported to approach curious onlookers at
night. It is thought that these glowing objects might be some type of
monitoring device. The maneuvering abilities of these spheres defy
explanation. The Lockheed facility is called the RCS (Radar Cross Section)
test range. It is sometimes referred to as the "Hellendale" facility. This
is a genuine underground base. It also may function as a C.o.G.
(continuity
of government) facility. It is located next to the site of the old
Hellendale auxiliary airport, six miles north of Hellendale, California
and
two miles south of the southern edge of the Edwards AFB restricted
airspace.
It is shown as a circle with an X on the Los Angeles aviation sectional
chart. The triangular runway configuration is visible to the west. The
main
buildings and main antenna array are at the south end. The main
underground
entrance is visible to the north. Two lighter colored gray diamond shapes
are visible on the prepared surface. Most straight surfaces are angled
away
from the antennas. There appear to be numerous openings to the underground
visible in the photos.

There is a sliding door arrangement at the north end, just above where the
road leads underground. Just a few yards to the north is a dark colored
square that appears to open like the petals of a flower. Signs at the
perimeter fence read: "TRESPASSING-LOITERING FORBIDDEN BY LAW. TRESPASSERS
ARE SUBJECT TO PROSECUTION. PRIVATE PROPERTY-NO TRESPASS. LOCKHEED CORP."
When I flew over the area, an elliptically-shaped object was mounted on
top
of the northern pylon and was slowly rotating. I estimate the height of
the
pylon to be at least 100 feet. The elliptical object is at about 30 feet
long. The object is similar in shape to half an almond, flat on the
bottom,
pointed at both ends, with a curved flange running along each side. What
it
is I can't be sure, but it is my guess that it is a full-sized "something"
rather than a component of something else. On a different day, Bill
Hamilton
and I observed the Lockheed Hellendale facility from the road just west of
the perimeter fence. As we watched, two large doors opened up and a pylon
with elliptical object attached rose up out of the ground. The large doors
are still open in the photos and video. This object could be the same as
the
one seen from the air, but since it was only seen from one side, it is not
known for certain if it was actually disk- shaped, but it is possible. In
August, I was in the Los Angeles area and met with Gary Schultz and Norio
Hayakawa.

They reported that on a recent visit to the same area, they saw a definite
disk-shaped object on the pylon. So what does all this mean? It means that
for the first time, we have verifiable evidence of high-technology
aircraft
being designed or built by U.S. aerospace corporations at secret
underground
installations. These aircraft do not depend on aerodynamic lift from
wings,
propellers, jet thrust, etc. Does this mean that all UFOs/flying saucers
are
really American high-tech aircraft that have been kept secret all these
years? Are aliens from other planets just a convenient cover story? Not on
your life! Unexplained craft have been seen for thousands of years. Are
these craft made by "us," "them," or some combination? Who knows? Perhaps
it
is true that we have discovered how to build aircraft similar to "alien"
flying saucers, but did we have help from someone else? What, if anything
did we trade for this help? Who oversees these "Deep Black" programs? How
much do they cost? And most importantly, what is the purpose? We do not
yet
have the answers. At any rate, the test programs are becoming bolder and
more intense.