Scientists have discovered a community of bacteria living in the lake beneath an Icelandic glacier. The chilly world provides a model of martian terrain and may boost speculation about the red planet’s potential inhabitants. This is the first unequivocal example of life in a subglacial lake. “Yet another habitat on Earth that could be colonized by microbes, is colonized by microbes,” says Eric Gaidos from the University of Hawaii, who was part of the research team.