From Google News

According to new study in the National Academy of Sciences, scientists discovered the reasons for the survival of microbes in such a cold weather with temperature -4 degree Fahrenheit.

Vest fold Hills is a deep lake in Antarctica, which is 3,500-year-old. It is considered the world's saltiest lake, which is best suited for the survival of haloarchaea.

Haloarchaea are the small micro organisms and members of the halophile community, which require high salt concentrations to grow.

Rick Cavicchioli, scientist at the University of New South Wales in Australia, said the Haloarchaea are the famous as 'promiscuous', which further mean that they can exchange their DNA among themselves.

"Our study demonstrated that this exchange occurs at a much higher level than has previously been documented in nature. They communicate, share, specialize, and coexist", said Rick Cavicchioli.

Other scientist from Australia had US along with the Cavicchioli sequenced the DNA samples of the haloarchaea. They compared these DNA samples with that of the microbes, which are found at the depth of five,
13, 24 and 36 meters in the lake.

Scientists said that in order to survive in such a difficult environment, the microbes swap DNA, in a "horizontal gene exchange" manner.