In the heart of Antarctica nothing stirs On the fringes of the continent there are penguins seals and birds aplenty But up on the great white plateau in the interior life has no foothold Except that is in a vast hidden expanse of freshwater named Lake Vostok which lies beneath nearly 4 kilometres of ice directly below the coldest spot on earth The water has been isolated from air and sunlight for up to 25 million years Biologists can hardly wait to probe its mysterious depths and discover what strange organisms lurk within Geologists and glaciologists are hot on their heels For two years now researchers round the world have been plotting ways to uncover the lakes secrets and if they get their wish in the next few years we will witness the decade of Lake Vostok