ANTARCTICA

Scientists from U.S. and UK have found that West Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier, the biggest in the region, is melting 50 percent faster than it was in 1994, increasing global sea levels at an alarming rate.

Earlier this week, we reported about a stranded penguin that swam up onto a New Zealand Beach. Now, it looks like he is fighting for his life.

Wildlife experts are astonished at the appearance of an Emperor Penguin in New Zealand, some 3000 kilometers (1,900 miles) from his Antarctic home.

Scientists have discovered a new mineral inside a meteorite originally recovered in 1969.

Data from NASA satellites shows both the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are melting faster, and making them a bigger contributor to sea level rise.

NASA finds itself in a sticky situation over the meteorite alien life report from one of its own.

New study reveals that the vast Antarctic ice sheets covering 98 per cent of the continent are not always formed by falling snow, but could have, in places, been the result of refreezing water from below.

For 15 million years, an icebound lake has remained sealed deep beneath Antarctica's frozen crust, possibly hiding prehistoric or unknown life. Now Russian scientists are on the brink of piercing through to its secrets.

Ocean warming of up to 5 degree Celsius is likely to trigger widespread collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet by the year 3000 as well as lift sea levels by 4 meters (13 feet), says a study.

At least 22 fishermen are feared to be killed after a South Korean trawler sank suddenly in the waters off Antarctica on Monday. Reports suggest that the incident took place after the ship, No. 1 InSung, collided with an iceberg. The ship sank even before it could send a SOS message, approximately 30 minutes into the accident, and officials state that the men onboard had no chance of getting into their protective gear.

Mention an expedition cruise to Antarctica and the first departure point that comes to mind is most likely South America. When you think about the ship, you might imagine a clunky looking ex-research vessel or perhaps a Russian ice breaker that's been converted into a tourist ship.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday urged tighter controls on cruise ships and tourists in Antarctica to prevent further environmental damage to the fragile region.

An ice bridge which had apparently held a vast Antarctic ice shelf in place during recorded history shattered on Saturday and could herald a wider collapse linked to global warming, a leading scientist said.

The West Antarctic ice sheet may start to collapse if sea temperatures rise by 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit), triggering a thaw that would raise world ocean levels by 5 meters (16 ft), U.S. scientists said.

The world's first zero-emission polar research station opened in Antarctica on Sunday and was welcomed by scientists as proof that alternative energy is viable even in the coldest regions.

Almost all the 154 passengers and crew from a cruiseliner sinking in the Antarctic Ocean have escaped onto life rafts, a British coastguard spokesman said on Friday.

Working for long periods in the harsh and unforgiving conditions near the North and South Poles often causes people to suffer a stew of psychological symptoms dubbed 'polar madness,' scientists said on Wednesday.