Antarctica news stories on Newser

Scientists Count 600K Penguins From Space

John Johnson — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:25:29 CDT

It's a pretty nifty science story to begin with: Scientists used a new technique to conduct what National Geographic calls the "first-ever penguin census from space." They pored over satellite images of Antarctica with resolution sharp enough to count about 600,000 emperor penguins on the continent. The best part,...

Fire Destroys Antarctic Research Base

Rob Quinn — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:07:00 CST

A fire has wiped out a Brazilian research station on an island near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Two soldiers were killed as they battled the blaze at the Comandante Ferraz base, which started in a machine room, the BBC reports. The station's dozens of scientists were safely evacuated...

Russians Reach Antarctic Lake Sealed 15M Years

Rob Quinn — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:00:00 CST

Russian scientists have successfully drilled through more than two miles of ice to reach a "lost world" under Antarctica, according to a Russian newswire. Lake Vostok has been sealed off for some 15 million years. While some fear it has been contaminated by kerosene and other materials used by the...

Woman Skis Solo Across Antarctica

Kevin Spak — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:55:06 CST

British adventurer Felicity Aston became the first woman to ski across Antarctica today, finishing a 59-day, 1,084-mile trek across the continent, the AP reports. She made the trip using only her own muscle power, something no person traveling alone has ever done—though a couple managed it once. She...

S. Korean Ship Burning Off Antarctica

Rob Quinn — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:21:00 CST

Three crew members were killed and several others severely burned when a fire swept through the living quarters of a South Korean fishing boat near Antarctica. The Jung Woo 2's sister ship managed to save 37 crew members from the stricken vessel, which is still burning and appears to be...

Stunning Finds at Antarctic Deep-Sea Vents

Rob Quinn — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:20:54 CST

Stunned scientists taking their first-ever look at deep-sea vents in the ocean that surrounds Antarctica spotted new species clustered in vast numbers 8,000 feet below. A new species of yeti crab—dubbed the "Hasselhoff crab" because of its hairy chest—was found in huge piles near the outflow, as...

US Climber, 15, Sets 7-Peak Record

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 08:14:40 CST

While most of you were busily sucking down eggnog, Jordan Romero, the boy mountain climber who became the youngest to scale Mt. Everest , was down in Antarctica setting a seven-peak record. The 15-year-old reached the summit of Mt. Vinson Massif yesterday, making him the youngest to climb the tallest peak...

Colossal New Antarctic Iceberg Forming

Rob Quinn — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:24:38 CDT

An iceberg the size of New York City is expected to break away from a western Antarctic ice sheet any day now. Scientists have spotted an 18-mile-long crack in the sheet of floating ice in front of the Pine Island Glacier, and believe the sheet is about to calve a...

Seriously Ill US Engineer Could Leave South Pole Soon

Rob Quinn — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:56:12 CDT

A sick American engineer who has been stranded at the South Pole since late August could be on her way home as soon as Friday. Renee Douceur—who suffered what she initially thought was a stroke but doctors now say may be a brain tumor—hopes to fly out on...