Researchers discovered that rare glacial floods deliver critical carbon pulses into Lake Untersee, a sealed Antarctic lake. These pulses feed microbial reefs that resemble some of Earth's oldest fossils, allowing life to persist in a carbon-starved environment. The study shows how these microbial mats lock carbon into layered structures over thousands of years. This process provides a natural record of environmental disturbances and offers clues about how life might exist on other icy worlds like Mars or Enceladus.
