UK scientist's remains found on Antarctic glacier 66 years on
They were identified by DNA-testing as those of Dennis "Tink" Bell, who died aged 25 when he was working for the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, which became the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the UK's polar research institute.
Bell died on Admiralty Bay on King George Island, located 120 kilometers (75 miles) off the coast of Antarctica on July 26, 1959.
He was stationed on the island for a two-year assignment at a small UK research base.
Bell and three other men had set out to climb and survey a glacier, when he fell through a crevasse — a deep chasm in the ice. His body was never recovered.
The remains, which were exposed by a receding glacier, were found on January 19 by a team from the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station.
"This discovery brings closure to a decades-long mystery and reminds us of the human stories embedded in the history of Antarctic science," said BAS director Jane Francis.
The bone fragments were carried to the Falkland Islands by the BAS Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough, and then brought to London for DNA testing.
Alongside his remains, the Polish team also found over 200 personal items including radio equipment, a flashlight, ski poles, an inscribed wristwatch and a Swedish-brand knife.
Bell's brother David Bell, who lives in Australia, said the discovery after 66 years left him and his sister "shocked and amazed".
"Dennis was the oldest of three siblings and was my hero as he seemed to be able to turn his hand to anything," said his brother.
Francis said the confirmation of the remains "is both a poignant and profound moment for all of us at British Antarctic Survey".
Bell "was one of the many brave ... personnel who contributed to the early science and exploration of Antarctica under extraordinarily harsh conditions," she added. —Agence France-Presse
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
6 days ago
- GMA Network
UK scientist's remains found on Antarctic glacier 66 years on
LONDON, United Kingdom - The remains of a British meteorologist who died in an Antarctic expedition in 1959 have been recovered six decades later from a glacier, the British Antarctic Survey said Monday. They were identified by DNA-testing as those of Dennis "Tink" Bell, who died aged 25 when he was working for the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, which became the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the UK's polar research institute. Bell died on Admiralty Bay on King George Island, located 120 kilometers (75 miles) off the coast of Antarctica on July 26, 1959. He was stationed on the island for a two-year assignment at a small UK research base. Bell and three other men had set out to climb and survey a glacier, when he fell through a crevasse — a deep chasm in the ice. His body was never recovered. The remains, which were exposed by a receding glacier, were found on January 19 by a team from the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station. "This discovery brings closure to a decades-long mystery and reminds us of the human stories embedded in the history of Antarctic science," said BAS director Jane Francis. The bone fragments were carried to the Falkland Islands by the BAS Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough, and then brought to London for DNA testing. Alongside his remains, the Polish team also found over 200 personal items including radio equipment, a flashlight, ski poles, an inscribed wristwatch and a Swedish-brand knife. Bell's brother David Bell, who lives in Australia, said the discovery after 66 years left him and his sister "shocked and amazed". "Dennis was the oldest of three siblings and was my hero as he seemed to be able to turn his hand to anything," said his brother. Francis said the confirmation of the remains "is both a poignant and profound moment for all of us at British Antarctic Survey". Bell "was one of the many brave ... personnel who contributed to the early science and exploration of Antarctica under extraordinarily harsh conditions," she added. —Agence France-Presse
GMA Network
01-08-2025
- GMA Network
Seals sing 'otherworldly' songs structured like nursery rhymes
A leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is pictured on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, on January 27, 2024. (Photo by Juan Barreto / AFP) PARIS, France - When male leopard seals dive down into icy Antarctic waters, they sing songs structured like nursery rhymes in performances that can last up to 13 hours, scientists said. The Australian-led team of researchers compared the complexity of the songs composed by the big blubbery mammals to those of other animals -- as well as human musicians like the Beatles and Mozart. Lucinda Chambers, a bioacoustics PhD student at Australia's University of New South Wales, told AFP that people are often surprised when they hear the "otherworldly" hoots and trills sung by leopard seals. "It kind of sounds like sound effects from an '80s sci-fi" movie, said the lead author of a new study in the journal Scientific Reports. During the spring breeding season, male leopard seals dive underwater and perform their songs for two minutes before returning to the surface for air. They then repeat this performance for up to 13 hours a day, according to the study. The researchers determined that all leopard seals share the same set of five "notes" which are impossible to distinguish between individuals. However each seal arranges these notes in a unique way to compose their own personal song. "We theorize that they're using that structure as a way to broadcast their individual identity, kind of like shouting their name out into the void," Chambers said. The researchers believe the males use these songs to woo potential female mates -- and ward off rivals. 'Songbirds of the ocean' The team studied recordings of 26 seals captured by study co-author Tracey Rogers off the coast of Eastern Antarctica throughout the 1990s. "They're like the songbirds of the Southern Ocean," Rogers, who is also from the University of New South Wales, said in a statement. "During the breeding season, if you drop a hydrophone into the water anywhere in the region, you'll hear them singing." The team analyzed how random the seals' sequences of notes were, finding that their songs were less predictable than the calls of humpback whales or the whistles of dolphins. But they were still more predictable than the more complex music of the Beatles or Mozart. "They fall into the ballpark of human nursery rhymes," Chambers said. This made sense, because the songs need to be simple enough so that each seal can remember their composition to perform it every day, she explained. She compared it to how "nursery rhymes have to be predictable enough that a child can memorize them". But each seal song also needs to be unpredictable enough to stand out from those of the other males. Leopard seals, which are the apex predator in Antarctic waters, swim alone and cover vast distances. They likely evolved their particular kind of song so that their message travels long distances, the researchers theorized. Varying pitch or frequency might not travel as far in their environment, Chambers said. Female seals also sing sometimes, though the scientists do not know why. Chambers suggested it could be to teach their pups how to sing -- exactly how this talent is passed down is also a mystery. But she added that this behavior has never been observed in the wild. The females could also just be communicating with each other, she said. — Agence France-Presse
GMA Network
29-07-2025
- GMA Network
Liver cancer to double worldwide, most of it preventable —study
PARIS, France - The number of people with liver cancer will nearly double worldwide by 2050 unless more is done to address preventable causes such as obesity, alcohol consumption and hepatitis, a study warned Tuesday. New cases of liver cancer — the sixth most common form of the disease — will rise to 1.52 million a year from 870,000 if current trends continue, according to data from the Global Cancer Observatory published in the Lancet medical journal. It is also the third deadliest of all cancers, with the study predicting it would take 1.37 million lives by the middle of the century. However three out of five cases of liver cancer could be prevented, the international team of experts said. The risk factors are drinking alcohol, viral hepatitis and a build-up of fat in the liver linked to obesity called MASLD, which was previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The viruses that cause hepatitis B and C are expected to remain the leading causes of liver cancer in 2050, according to the study, published on World Hepatitis Day. Vaccination at birth is the best way to prevent hepatitis B, but vaccine coverage remains low in poorer countries including in sub-Saharan Africa, the study said. Unless vaccination rates are increased, hepatitis B is expected to kill 17 million people between 2015 and 2030, it added. Alcohol consumption is estimated to cause more than 21% of all cases of liver cancer by 2050, up more than two percentage points from 2022. Cancer due to obesity-linked fat in livers will rise to 11%, also up more than two percentage points, the researchers calculated. The large-scale study, which reviewed the available evidence on the subject, underscored "the urgent need for global action" on liver cancer, the authors said. The experts called for more public awareness about the preventable danger of liver cancer, particularly by warning people with obesity or diabetes about fatty-liver disease in the United States, Europe and Asia. —Agence France-Presse
