"...when nights are cold and lonely."

Astyanax

Don’t stand by this man! Apparently he has a lot of discontent in the winter at this South African Antarctic research station. They’re pleading for a rescue but no one will come.

https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/antarctica-travel/trapped-antarctic-scientists-plea-for-rescue-from-colleague-after-assault-r86v7jqz0

They won’t disclose his name but I wonder if it’s “Blair”. 😉

px_eliezer_

Astyanax

Fascinating.

And as soon as I saw the start of the article, I did think how much it was like being in space.

The article notes:

He added that researchers undergo pyschometric evaluation before they are sent to Antarctica because of the strenuous conditions in the remote, harsh landscape, which he likened to outer space.

I would just BET that these folks are low in Vitamin D.

After all, being down there is perpetual WINTER 24/7/365 so piss-poor Vitamin D unless being aggressively supplemented.

And there is good evidence for a connection of low Vitamin D not just with depression (including the winter depression called SAD), but also with full PSYCHOSIS.

A British study for example:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24060571/

Besides low Vitamin D, those Antarctic folks are at risk for Magnesium deficiency, which is ANOTHER risk factor for all sorts of mental and mood disturbances, and Magnesium can be lower in the winter too.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7761127/

Hopefully their team is nutritionally aware…

Guy54435

Astyanax I saw the headline and thought: cold and lonely in the deep dark night.

Astyanax

px_eliezer_

That dude certainly is either on too many or not enough of something that’s for sure.

broknsymetry

I wanted to volunteer for Operation Deep Freeze winter-over when I was in the Navy, but they were only accepting ETs with certain NECs.

real_aurgathor

broknsymetry

broknsymetry they were only accepting ETs with certain NECs.

What do ET and NEC stands for? Extra Terrestrial? Nippon Electric Company?

DrStrange

End of ‘summer’ down there. Fall begins on Thursday.

broknsymetry

real_aurgathor What do ET and NEC stands for? Extra Terrestrial? Nippon Electric Company?

ET - Electronics Technician.
NEC - Navy Enlisted Classification

From Google AI overview…

The Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) system supplements the enlisted rating structure by identifying specific skills, knowledge, aptitudes, or qualifications beyond the standard rating, using a four-digit code to identify both personnel and billets for management purposes.

NEC (Navy Enlisted Classification) is to the Navy what MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) is to the Army and Marine Corps,

I,e. for an ET it designates what equipment/skill he/she is specifically trained to repair/maintain/perform. It does not limit what equipment that the ET may work on except in certain cases like cryptographic equipment where one needs security clearance for each device. I had several NECs but not for the ones the Navy preferred for Operation Deep Freeze.