While the prospect of a polar research expedition in the Antarctic might seem like a dream come true for many, the reality of prolonged darkness in isolation is so severe that it actually shrinks parts of the human brain. Researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development studied the effects of social isolation and extreme environmental conditions on the brains of five men and four women who spent a total of 14 months in the Antarctic, nine of which saw them cut off from the outside world. The plucky participants ventured to the Neumayer-Station III, which experiences temperatures as low as -50 degrees Celsius (-58 degrees Fahrenheit) and almost complete darkness during the winter months. To make matters worse, because of the harsh and unforgiving environment, there was no real chance to opt out of the mission during the winter months; emergency evacuation and food and equipment deliveries only take place during the summer months,