Scientists are set to explore the world’s highest fresh water lake 4 miles up in the Licancabur volcano near Antofogasta in Chile.

Their aim is to find out how the organisms that live there can survive in such a hostile environment. They will do this by taking samples and diving to the bottom of the lake.

Although the lake at Licancabur volcano is covered with almost two feet of ice during much of the year, the expedition will take place in the southern hemisphere's spring, when the lake is not completely frozen.

The information they hope to gather will help astrobiologists devise strategies and technologies to search for life on planets like Mars during future missions.

The Beetle likes cityguide.travel-guides.com

Here you can select from a number of cities around the world and compile your own guide, for free. There is a very diverse set of headings from which to chose, e.g. history, cost of living, getting around, shopping, excursions, major sites, tourist information, street maps, nightlife, sport, culture, special events etc.

If you are going away for the weekend and don’t want to buy a guidebook or just want to do some digging around, this is an excellent resource.

Recent press reports state that a Houston store for space buffs is helping the Russian Space Agency find potential space tourists who have $20 million to spare. This seems to be the going rate for space tourists, paid by the two last space tourists, American Dennis Tito and South African Mark Shuttleworth. The Russian space industry appear to have decided that offering space trips to incredibly wealthy people is a good way to continue to finance its participation in building the space station. Vladimir Fishel, vice president of Russian programs for Spacehab, a US spacecraft and living space manufacturer and parent company of The Space Store, acknowledged the few wealthy people enough to pay the tab likely would approach Russian space officials themselves. But marketing efforts could add that extra bit of encouragement. “Russians are in dire need of cash,” he said. “This helps not only them, but everybody.”

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London, England, United Kingdom and London, Ontario, Canada, as the crow flies: 3662 miles (5893 km) or 3182 nautical miles

Expedia.com’s lowest return fare flying from London, England to London Ontario, on 1st December costs US $875.28, which is equivalent to around 24c a mile.

Founded in 1828, and incorporated as a town in 1840, London now has a little over 250,000 people. Several suburbs, bridges and places around London, Ontario were patriotically named after the UK in the 18th and 19th centuries: suburbs such as Ealing and Chelsea, there is a Blackfriars bridge and a Covent Garden market.

What to see and do in London, Ontario? There is The Grand Theatre, Orchestra London, the London Regional Art and Historic Museums plus a whole host of special events focused on the visual and performing arts. There are beautiful parks and pathways and good sporting facilities in the Forest City. Family entertainment takes many forms from the lively new Covent Garden Market in the heart of the downtown to the ever-popular Storybook Gardens in Springbank Park.