Ice, which is likely the oldest ever discovered, has been extracted from deep within Antarctica.
As per BBC, this ice is estimated to be about 1.2 million years old.
A group of scientists, while working in extremely cold conditions of -35C managed to extract a long cylinder (core) of ice measuring 2.8 kilometer in length.
The ice core is being compared to the combined length of eight Eiffel Towers placed end-to-end.
The ice contains ancient air bubbles that were trapped inside it long ago.
Scientists believe that these bubbles can provide important clues to help solve a long-standing mystery about Earth’s climate history.
European scientists spent four summers working in Antarctica, trying to be the first to reach the solid rock beneath the frozen surface.
The team of scientists was organized by the Italian Institute of Polar Sciences and consisted of researchers from 10 European countries.
Prof Carlo Barbante at Ca' Foscari University of Venice who co-ordinated the research said in a statement, noting, "It's an amazing achievement. You have in your hands a piece of ice that is a million years old.”
He added, “Sometimes you see ash layers coming from volcanic eruptions. You see the tiny bubbles inside, some bubbles of air that our ancestors breathed a million years ago.”
The ice core was gradually extracted from the ice sheet using drilling equipment.
After extracting it, scientists gently cleaned the ice by wiping it with cloths to remove any impurities for further analysis.
The ice core is being divided into one-meter sections to be transported from Antarctica at a temperature of -50C by boat.
Once the pieces arrive at various European institutions, including the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, scientists will start analyzing them.
