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An ecosystem has been discovered under the Antarctic, raising hopes that life could exist in extreme environments, such as on other planets.

Researchers established that tiny life forms were thriving in a lake beneath half a mile of pack ice, even though the habitat has not seen sunlight or fresh air for around a million years.

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The discovery has led to excitement in the scientific community, which had theorized that micro-organisms could survive in extreme conditions by evolving novel ways to generate energy.

It raises the possibility of similar life on Mars or on other planets and moons, especially Jupiter’s icy satellite Europa.

“It’s the first definitive evidence that there’s not only life, but active ecosystems underneath the Antarctic ice sheet, something that we have been guessing about for decades,” said Brent Christner, a professor of biology at Louisiana State University and the lead researcher.