Is there life beneath the ice? Antarctica’s mysterious caves![](http://d3adcc0j1hezoq.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_1778-640x360.jpg)
Hidden beneath the surface of the coldest, driest, windiest continent lie mysterious caves - some so warm, you could comfortably wear a T-shirt within them.
Now, a team of scientists has revealed evidence that animals and plants might exist in these extensive cave systems that have been hollowed out around Mt Erebus on Antarctica's Ross Island, the home of New Zealand's Scott Base.
Forensic analyses of soil samples from these caves, carried out by an international team including Kiwis, have turned up intriguing traces of DNA from algae, mosses and small animals.
"It can be really warm inside the caves - up to 25C in some caves," said Dr Ceridwen Fraser, of the Australian National University's Fenner School of Environment and Society.
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http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11919575https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/09/volcanic-ice-caves-on-antarctica-may-host-complex-life/