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Photo by MICHAEL S. BECKER/AFP/Getty Images

Most of the DNA, Fraser admits, is similar to that of species living on the surface. However, not all the sequences studied could be linked to a particular animal or plant group, meaning Fraser may be on the cusp of discovering new lifeforms as well.

“Our study gives us a really exciting, tantalizing glimpse of the sorts of plants and animals that might live beneath the ice in Antarctica,” she said. “Some of the DNA evidence that we found suggests that maybe there are things living in these caves that we know nothing about.

“There could even be new species.”

Because there are several active volcanoes in the Antarctic, co-researcher Charles Lee, from the University of Waikato in New Zealand, said similar unexplored subglacial cave systems could exist across the continent. The research, originally published in the international journal Polar Biology, said there are another 15 volcanoes in Antarctica that are currently active or suggest signs of recent activity.

“We don’t yet know just how many cave systems exist around Antarctica’s volcanoes, or how interconnected these subglacial environments might be,” he said.

Co-author Laurie Connell, a professor from the University of Maine, shared her colleagues’ excitement but said the DNA evidence doesn’t prove anything — especially that plants and animals are still living there. The next step is to explore the caves themselves, hoping to find the living proof the team needs.

“If they exist, it opens the door to an exciting new world.”