Educational Science

Massive Antarctic iceberg was ripped in two by powerful ocean currents

A swift change in ocean currents in the Southern Ocean likely snapped one of the largest icebergs in half like a twig. The gigantic ice mass — called A68a — was known as a tabular iceberg due to its rectangular shape. At its largest it was roughly the size of...

17-pound meteorite found in Antarctica, likely hidden for millennia, is perfectly intact

Scientists recently scooped up one of the heaviest meteorites ever discovered in Antarctica, as well as four other frozen space rocks that likely crashed into the icy continent thousands of years ago. The researchers found the minihoard of meteorites on the surface of the Nils Larsen blue ice zone near...

Underwater robots that peered under Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, nicknamed the Doomsday Glacier, saw that its doom may come sooner than expected with an extreme spike in ice loss. A detailed map of the seafloor surrounding the icy behemoth has revealed that the glacier underwent periods of rapid retreat within the...

Enormous river discovered beneath Antarctica is nearly 300 miles long

A river longer than England's Thames flows beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, draining an area the size of France and Germany combined, new research reveals. This under-ice river was discovered using ice-penetrating radar mounted on aircraft. In a series of aerial surveys, researchers discovered a river system snaking 285 miles...

Will Antarctica ever be habitable?

Antarctica is a freezing, inhospitable place, with average winter temperatures that plummet to minus 56 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 49 degrees Celsius), winds that reach 200 mph (321 km/h) and just 6.5 inches (166 millimeters) of annual precipitation. It's no surprise, then, that Earth's southernmost continent is also its least populated,...

'Factorian Deep,' the new deepest point in Antarctica's Southern Ocean, mapped for the first time

Researchers have published the most detailed map of Antarctica's frigid Southern Ocean to date, including the ocean's new deepest point, the Factorian Deep, which sits nearly 24,400 feet (7,437 meters) below the sea surface. Resting at a depth equivalent to about 17 Empire State Buildings stacked top to bottom, the...

50 amazing facts about Antarctica

Introduction (Image credit: Shutterstock/sergioluno)The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was minus 128.56 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 89.2 degrees Celsius), registered on July 21, 1983, at Antarctica's Vostok station. It's seriously dry (Image credit: NASA)The Dry Valleys of Antarctica are the driest place on Earth, with low humidity and almost no...

Widening chasm births Antarctic iceberg larger than Los Angeles

A widening chasm in Antarctica's Brunt Ice Shelf, which forced Britain's Halley Research Station to be moved to safety several years ago, has finally split in two and birthed a huge iceberg more than 20 miles (30 kilometers) across. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) reported on Monday (Jan. 23) that...

Discovery of 'hidden world' under Antarctic ice has scientists 'jumping for joy'

A never-before-seen ecosystem lurks in an underground river deep below the icy surface in Antarctica. Researchers recently brought this hidden world into the light, revealing a dark and jagged cavern filled with swarms of tiny, shrimplike creatures. The scientists found the secret subterranean habitat tucked away beneath the Larsen Ice...