Originally Posted by The_Heretic

The ice of the north pole isn't likely to contain microbes more than a few thousand or, possibly hundreds of thousands of years old. Bare in mind that even in normal global average temperatures some of the floating ice sheet melts, and even that which persists through the summer will melt a little on the underside while weather adds new layers on top.

Now the Antarctic is another matter entirely. There are glaciers and immobile ice sheets that are a couple miles thick and due to low precipitation are hundreds of thousands to millions of years old. It'd be less dramatic than John Carpenter's The Thing, but still something to consider.

Originally Posted by The_Heretic

Imagine if there's life in that ocean; life that evolved with complete independence of solar energy and phtosynthetic producers organisms.

Originally Posted by Ouroboros

It's the algae that concerns me.

Originally Posted by The_Heretic

You mean ancient strains of algae?

Originally Posted by Ouroboros

Yes, something that thrives in a warmer climate, say 6 or so degrees warmer then the current average. Of course, we are once again roaming into science fiction here, but what if a strain of algae, or fungus for that matter, could survive a long-term deep-freeze?

Originally Posted by The_Heretic

In the case of more resiliant algae it wouldn't be fiction. However, all the fungi are waiting for is for the solar light to go out for a week or two. Once that happened they'd go berserk in their growth, taking over all ecosystems completely, and then give up all that ground as the sun shone again. The only bugger of it is what to eat while the lights are out, and which of those fungis won't kill you stone dead either by ingestion or simply inhaling spores.

Originally Posted by Ouroboros

But, what if Alison Algae from 100 million years ago, meets up with Freddy Fungus from whenever, and they take a lichen to each other?

ba-dump-bump-tssssh

Originally Posted by jowey

http://www.itchmo.com/scientists-clo...cent-cats-4210

Okay what would happen if red fluorescent cat gets it on with ancient thawed saber kitty......

Originally Posted by The_Heretic

I'm betting those kitties would end up on the menu. Though the saber tooth might do a doubletake beforehand.