This week at Mawson: 21 July 2023

Antarctica, the frozen continent at the bottom of the world, has long been a subject of fascination and speculation. Among the many mysteries surrounding this remote land, the existence of extraterrestrial life has captured the imaginations of conspiracy theorists and curious minds alike. Let’s delve into the intriguing claims and explore the possibility of aliens in Antarctica.

Some theorists believe that Antarctica may hold evidence of ancient alien civilizations. They point to unusual geological formations, such as pyramids and structures resembling ancient ruins, as potential signs of extraterrestrial influence. While these claims are intriguing, the scientific community remains sceptical, attributing these formations to natural processes and geological phenomena.

Antarctica has also been associated with alleged UFO sightings. Reports of unidentified flying objects darting across the icy skies have fuelled speculation about extraterrestrial visitations. However, it’s important to approach these claims with a critical eye, as many sightings can be attributed to natural phenomena, atmospheric conditions, or misinterpretations.

Another theory suggests the existence of hidden alien bases or underground cities in Antarctica. Proponents of this idea argue that the continent's extreme isolation and harsh conditions make it an ideal location for extraterrestrial activity. However, no concrete evidence has been presented to support these claims, and they remain pure speculation (/imagination).

While the notion of aliens in Antarctica may captivate the imagination, it's important to remember that the primary focus of scientific exploration in the region is centred around understanding Earth’s climate, geology, and ecosystems. Researchers from around the world collaborate to study the continent’s unique environment and its implications for our planet’s past, present, and future.

Although the existence of aliens in Antarctica remains unproven, scientists continue to search for signs of microbial life in the continent’s extreme environments. The discovery of microorganisms capable of surviving in Antarctica’s harsh conditions could provide valuable insights into the potential for life on other planets. Such discoveries would revolutionize our understanding of the universe and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

While the allure of aliens in Antarctica captures our imagination, approach these claims with scepticism and rely on scientific evidence! Antarctica remains a land of mystery that we are slowly unravelling through scientific exploration.

Albert Petersen
(Mawson BoM Technician)

This week on station saw the first round of the long-awaited inter-station darts competition kick off in epic style with Mawson versus Davis. Due to the time zone difference, for Mawson, these matches always end up being before just dinner on Friday after a long week of work … not the most relaxing time for our team, but I suppose we need to be nice to the other stations and not keep them up too late and away from their beds! To enable the match to happen across the expanse of ice between our stations, we linked in with Davis by video call up on the big screen in the bar area. Our 6 professional darts players – well, maybe 2 professional level and 4 of the least bad amateurs – then lined up for the 3 doubles games.

Game one, unfortunately, saw our star player Scottish unable to get the upper hand, resulting in a relatively quick win to Davis. In game 2, Davis again looked like getting an easy win, quickly racking up points against us. However, this turned into a slug-match as Mawson clawed their way back to within an inch of victory, dashed again by Davis after over an hour of play! Rallying the team, Mawson avoided a whitewash with a decisive, quick win in the third game. Well, it had to be fast, as dinner was quickly getting cold downstairs. Perhaps next week, we will have better luck against Casey.

On Saturday, the station gathered in the Green Store – our warehouse and one place which is relatively warm and has enough room to play more energetic games – to celebrate the birthdays of two of our plumbers. With Ryan and Jess sharing the same birthday date, it was an excellent reason to organise a bigger-than-usual celebration! The evening started off with a quick game of basketball and indoor frisbee while the roast finished cooking before heading into the warmer half of the store for dinner. Roast lamb kebabs and a specially requested ceviche salad again showed off our chef Nick’s culinary mastery.

However, The pièce de résistance was the birthday cake Nick had carefully (and secretly) put together. Perfectly set out in the shape of a toilet, with appropriately coloured jelly and chocolates in the bowl (I will leave that image to your imagination), it was the perfect cake for our 2 plumbers. The saying that your first bite is with the eyes may be better left aside here, as the cake was absolutely delicious despite its appearance!

The night then continued with further winter games put together by Scottish. Hockey goal shooting with homemade sticks and ice pucks was followed by a match of curling along a plastic sheet with the curling stones made from solid ice that had taken Scottish weeks to freeze and took us mere minutes to crack. With a final game of boot throwing, the scores were tallied, and against all odds – possibly with the help of some creative mathematics – the deputy station leader, Ben, and I came out victorious.

The fabulous weather of the weekend also gave a chance for some of the team managing to take a day trip to explore the local islands, while others took a day trip up onto the ice plateau to visit some of the frozen lakes. The low winds and clear sky also provided a rare opportunity to set up our cameras on Horseshoe Harbour’s sea-ice to capture the beautiful night sky, complete with Milky Way and the Aurora Australis, over the station.

With all the weekend activity, it was perhaps fortunate that Monday saw the return of wind and blowing snow, which limited our ability to get much outside work done. Such weather also continues to make our lives interesting by forcing snow into buildings and vehicle cabins through any tiny gaps.

Cat (Mawson Station Leader)