What secrets does the oldest ice on Earth hold?

World history could be rewritten thanks to a new discovery that reveals the world's oldest piece of ice . According to scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in Cambridge, it could be more than 1.5 million years old.

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This piece of frozen water arrived in the UK to be melted, which experts hope will reveal vital information about the Earth's climate.

To keep it frozen, this piece was placed in the University of Cambridge's -23°C cold storage, where scientists are only allowed to remain for 15 minutes because the temperature can be physically hazardous to those entering.

In an interview with the BBC, Dr. Liz Thomas, head of ice core research at the BAS, said scientists are only allowed inside wearing thermal overalls , boots, hats, and gloves.

How long will it take to melt them?

According to information Thomas provided to the media outlet, it was highlighted that, over seven weeks, the team will slowly melt the ice in order to release ancient dust, volcanic ash, and even tiny marine algae called diatoms, which were trapped inside when the water turned to ice.

According to the scientist, these materials can provide scientists with information about wind, temperature, and sea level patterns from more than a million years ago.

How was the piece of ice removed?

The chunk of ice was removed from Antarctica by two institutions, one from Germany and the other from Switzerland, which cut the frozen water into one-meter blocks, which were transported by ship to England.

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Within these blocks, experts expect to find information on carbon dioxide concentrations, which could be higher and greater than current ones.

They also hope to study this discovery to understand what will happen in the short term with regard to climate change.

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