The Mirs on Baikal expedition members made another scientific discovery. On August 11, 2010, during their submersion in one of the Mir vessels near the Saint Petersburg underwater mud volcano (Olkhonskie Vorota strait), the scientists from the Institute of Limnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences discovered spherical forms of organic life as yet unknown to science.

“Previously unknown spherical forms have been found in the areas where numerous releases of gas-hydrates are observed. We were able to collect samples of these jellylike structures. The first tests we made show that there is a great number of microorganisms inside, mainly of nitrate form. I must say that we’ve never come across such a form of life in Baikal before”, commented Tamara Zemskaya, Secretary of the Council of the Institute of Limnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

“By now, the laboratories of the Institute of Limnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences have already managed to identify the DNA cells of the microorganisms. We’re performing these research activities in cooperation with the Siberian branch of the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine of the Russian Academy of Sciences. We plan to present the results at the international scientific conference that will take place on Baikal in September 2010”, she said.