Russians "Close" to Drilling Into Antarctica's Lake Vostok
Would be first to breach a subglacial lake on the frozen continent.
The Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported today that the team has in fact breached the Lake Vostok.
However Mahlon C. Kennicutt II, a professor of oceanography at Texas A&M University who leads several Antarctic research groups, said the report should be viewed with skepticism until an official announcement is made.
"I would be surprised if it was announced officially this quiet. Also, the one source [in the article] is unnamed, so it is hard to tell," he said.
Montana State ecologist John Priscu echoed Kennicutt's caution. "There are a lot of rumors going around about penetrating the lake, and we need the Russian program to make the official announcement," Priscu told National Geographic News via email.
Scientists have been drilling
