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After two decades of drilling, Russians reach Antarctic lake

In this Monday, Feb. 5, 2012 photo provided

Photo credit: AP | In this Monday, Feb. 5, 2012 photo provided by the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of St. Petersburg, Russian researchers at the Vostok station in Antarctica pose for a picture after reaching the subglacial lake Vostok.

After more than two decades of drilling in Antarctica, Russian scientists have reached a gigantic freshwater lake hidden under miles of ice for some 20 million years — a pristine body of water that may hold life from the distant past and clues to the search for life on other planets.

Finally touching the surface of Lake Vostok, the largest of nearly 400 subglacial lakes in Antarctica, is a...

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