Antarctica

Three decades after the creation of the ATS, the Protocol on Environmental Protection was signed in Madrid in 1991, designating Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science.” Before 2048 — except if it is modified by unanimous agreement of all Consultative Parties — the protocol forbids all actions…

Paleontologists have described new fossils of pelagornithid birds from the middle Eocene Submeseta Formation on Seymour Island, Antarctica. An artist’s depiction of ancient albatrosses harassing a pelagornithid as penguins frolic in the oceans around Antarctica 50 million years ago. Image credit: Brian Choo. Pelagornithids are an extinct group of large…

Brian Choo/Smithsonian MagazinePaleontologists recently uncovered a bone fragment from a species of bony-toothed sea birds, called pelagornithids, that might be the largest flying bird ever discovered. Where an albatross has a wingspan of about 10-12 feet, those of the pelagornithid reached up to 20. The bird also had a terrifying…

A new international study led by Monash University climate scientists has revealed that ice loss in Antarctica persisted for many centuries after it was initiated and is expected to continue. “Our study implies that ice loss unfolding in Antarctica today is likely to continue unabated for a long time —…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new international study led by Monash University climate scientists has revealed that ice loss in Antarctica persisted for many centuries after it was initiated and is expected to continue. "Our study implies that ice loss unfolding in Antarctica today is likely to continue unbated for…

A blast of wintry weather brought snowfall and strong winds to Dunedin, New Zealand, causing the springtime temperatures to plummet well below the average. The nation’s weather bureau MetService issued a strong wind and heavy snow warning for the Dunedin area, as well as South Island’s southern edge. Conditions were…

The Antarctica’s ozone hole has now reached its maximum size, according to an analysis of data collected by ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite. This year’s ozone hole over Antarctica is one of the largest in recent years. Image credit: ESA. Each year for the past few decades during the southern hemisphere…

IMAGE: The participants of Homeward Bound Cohort 4, the largest all-female expedition to Antarctica. view more  Credit: Will Rogan The Western Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming places on earth. It is also home to threatened humpback and minke whales, chinstrap, Adélie and gentoo penguin colonies, leopard seals, killer…

A dead Soviet satellite and a discarded Chinese rocket body seem to have avoided a collision on Thursday night, after satellite-tracking company LeoLabs calculated a 10% chance they would crash. It was impossible to intervene to prevent a collision, since both objects are dead and can't be maneuvered. Satellite collisions…

There’s something about stories. We cherish them. Teach them. Pass them down to the next generation. Stories create a sacred space that humans have always respected. And science fiction takes us one step further. It gives us the space to imagine what we could be, could do, could make. And…