Scientists’ brains shrank a bit after an extended stay in Antarctica

The effects of isolation and a monotonous environment may be to blame

German polar research station

Snow and sky that surrounds a German polar research station called Neumayer III go on for kilometers. A crew of nine that stayed through the dark winter lost some brain volume, possibly due to the monotonous conditions.

Alexander Stahn/University of Pennsylvania, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Socially isolated and faced with a persistently white polar landscape, a long-term crew of an Antarctic research station saw a portion of their brains shrink during their stay, a small study finds.