Abstract: Sarah Payne and Alyce Hancock are part way through a 17 month posting to Antarctica to study changes in the microbial communities living in the lakes near Davis station. The University of New South Wales (UNSW) scientists are part of Professor Rick Cavicchioli's team, whose work at the lakes has recently featured in this magazine (Issue 25: 12-13, 2013). Here Sarah gives an insight into their research so far.