Well, at least the continent’s striking Blood Falls are. According to a study published today in the journal Nature Geoscience, the water flowing through Blood Falls has a distinct community of marine organisms. Previous geochemical studies of the area suggested that the water source that feeds Blood Falls likely originated when seawater flooded the Taylor Valley during past warm periods. The water source was then isolated beneath the advancing Taylor glacier when sea levels fell. To learn more about the origin of the microbes at Taylor Glacier and Blood Falls, the team analyzed 167 samples of water, sediment, and air.