Last Thursday, the XXVI Spanish Antarctic Campaign began with the departure of the ship Hespérides, which will arrive at its destination on December 17.

During the expedition, which will last a total of 76 days, coinciding with the austral summer, a total of 18 projects will be developed, with more than 170 people involved and with a budget of eight million euros through the Secretary of State for R+D+i of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.

Among the planned researches will be studies of volcanology, seismology, geology, glaciology, the adaptation to extreme temperatures of living organisms, tectonic evolution, climate change and its impact on ecosystems or the impact of human activity in Antarctica. The analysis of natural marine products from Antarctica and the pharmacological potential that can be extracted from them, as well as the study of the geodynamic evolution of the area are the two most innovative lines of research.