Update: Russian scientists have now confirmed that they have
indeed breached Lake Vostok. It is the first time one of
Antarctica's subglacial lakes has been penetrated. According to
an official statement [in Russian], the drill entered the lake
at 20.25 Moscow time on 5 February. Thirty to forty metres of
water rose into the borehole, confirming that the drill had
reached the lake itself and not a small pocket of liquid water
above the lake surface. Original story (7 February 2012): A
Russian drilling team is trying to confirm that they have
finally hit Lake Vostok, a vast subglacial body of water hidden
3.5 kilometres beneath the surface of the Antarctic ice sheet
(see map and diagram). A spokesperson for the Russian Antarctic
Expedition in St Petersburg told New Scientist this morning that
the drill made contact with water late last week and then
automatically withdrew up the borehole, as planned. That
suggests the lake has been breached, but the team are now
checking the level of water in the borehole and