Antarctic Research Stations in Chaos
Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency has been rampaging through the US federal government at an alarming pace, leaving seemingly no stone unturned.
As Wired reports, even scientists at the United States Antarctic Program (USAP), which operates three permanent stations on the southernmost continent, are feeling the hurt.
Over a thousand people visit these stations each year, conducting important scientific experiments, from studying climate change to peering into the earliest days of the universe with the help of the South Pole Telescope.
Scientists are now worried that the funding for their research could soon be cut off. Managers who were in charge of Antarctic projects at the National Science Foundation, which manages the USAP, were fired last week as part of a much broader culling by Musk's DOGE.
These managers serve a crucial role in keeping track of the projects' budgets, while ensuring that funding allows scientists to keep their work going.
"Without them, everything stops," one affected scientist told Wired. "I have no idea who I am supposed to report to now or what happens to submitted proposals."
The National Science Foundation as a whole is facing an up to 50 percent staff reduction, a massive hit to the country's reputation as a place to conduct scientific research.
Worse yet, experts are concerned that other powerful nations, most notably Russia and China, could soon take advantage of the power vacuum and exert their influence, including in places like Antarctica.
"Presumably it would be humiliating for anyone who wishes to promote 'America First' to witness China offer to take over the occupation and management of the base at the heart of Antarctica," Royal Holloway University of London geopolitics professor Klaus Dodds told Wired. "China is a very determined polar power."
Besides shifting geopolitics, scientists are worried DOGE's cuts could trigger a brain drain.
"Foreign countries are actively recruiting my colleagues, and some have already left," one Antarctic scientist told Wired. "My students are looking at jobs overseas now... people have been coming [to the US] to do science my whole life. Now people are going the other way."
More on DOGE: There's Something Very Sketchy Going on With the Government Trying to Buy $400 Million in Armored Teslas
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