After 30 Years of Drilling, Researchers reach Antarctic Lake

[ComputerGuru]

Specialists [..] predict they will find “the only giant super-clean water system on the planet.” The pristine water will be “twice cleaner than double-distilled water,” they believe.

Can anyone shed light on this claim? I understand why it would be clear of pollution, waste, germs, etc. but is there any particular reason it would not contain salts, minerals, etc?

[Lazare]

I think it's almost obligatory to link A Colder War every time this story comes up: http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/colderwar.htm

(Warning: Creepy.)

[samstave]

Why did it take 30 years to dig 4km?

[jameskilton]

It's explained quite well in the article. It took that long for the technology to come along that ensures we don't pollute this pristine ecosystem when we breach.

[TNO]

Better article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12275979

[cperciva]

Because for the first two decades they were there, they didn't know a lake existed and they weren't drilling.

[alantrick]

Days later, a husky is seen running in the snow from a helicopter.

[LearnYouALisp]

Sorry, could you explain that?

[squid_ca]

Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fhtagn!