It's spring in the Southern Hemisphere and even Chile's Atacama Desert is blossoming Spring has arrived in the Southern Hemisphere, and even Chile's Atacama Desert is blossoming The Independent UK · Oct 1
El Niño transforms Atacama desert as thousands of hectares burst into bloom Exceptionally heavy El Niño rains have awakened millions of seeds lying dormant underground, carpeting vast swathes of one of the planet's driest places with flowers. Euronews · Sep 23
This Woman Leads A Regular Mission To Help Over 100 Abandoned Dogs In The Atacama Desert Just outside Alto Hospicio in Chile’s Tarapacá Region, more than 100 dogs are living among mountains of garbage in the Atacama Desert. Some were born there and have never known another home, while others were abandoned by families and left to fend for themselves among broken glass, rubble, discarded mattresses,… Bored Panda · Sep 11
In 2003, scientists found Chile's Atacama desert so dry it had no detectable DNA. Now it's helping prepare for Mars missions Chile's Atacama Desert serves as Earth's closest Mars analogue due to its extreme dryness. This arid environment, with minimal rainfall and biological activity, aids planetary research. Scientists study its soil chemistry and extreme conditions to prepare for Mars missions. Discoveries there have refined strategies for detecting life on the Red… The Economic Times · Aug 2
The clothing mountain visible from space: How 60,000 tonnes of discarded clothes ended up in Chile’s Atacama Desert In Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, a massive mountain of discarded clothing has become a striking symbol of the global fast fashion crisis. Outside the northern city of Alto Hospicio, thousands of tonnes of unwanted garments from around the world now cover the desert landscape.… The Times of India · Jul 28
A predator smaller than a grain of rice found in Chile's desert could help farms worldwide fight pests without chemical pesticides Scientists in Chile's arid Atacama Desert have discovered a naturally occurring predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis, thriving in extreme conditions. This robust strain, unlike its delicate counterparts, hunts destructive spider mites and offers a promising, eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides for dry farming regions worldwide. The find could revolutionise sustainable agriculture… The Times of India · Jul 1
Atacama Desert’s center dried out 20 million years earlier than previously thought — before the Andes formed Chile's Atacama Desert, which gets less than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) of rainfall each year, started to form more than 40 million years ago — 20 million years before the Andes. LiveScience · Jun 15
Inside Chile's spectacular Atacama super bloom: The desert that blooms once every few years The Atacama Desert in northern Chile holds the record for being the driest non-polar desert on Earth. Some parts of it go decades without a single drop of rain. It looks, for most of the year, like a place where nothing could survive. And then, every few years, something extraordinary… The Times of India · Jun 15
A 29-pound Mars rock held NASA's Curiosity rover hostage for 6 days (video) The rock is nicknamed "Atacama." Space · May 7
Watch NASA's Curiosity rover 'struggle' to remove a rock that got stuck on its robotic arm for nearly a week New footage shows NASA's Curiosity rover tilting, rotating and vibrating its robotic arm as mission scientists tried to remove a rock that became stuck on a drill for six days. LiveScience · May 7
Life 2 meters underground: Scientists discover hidden microbial oasis beneath Chile’s driest desert Beneath the extremely dry surface of Chile’s Atacama Desert, scientists discovered a functional community of microorganisms that challenges what we thought possible for life. While the ground above remains one of Earth's harshest environments, a ‘hidden oasis’ lies about two meters down, protected from high solar irradiance and complete dryness.… The Times of India · May 7
The threat of light pollution puts the world’s darkest skies in the Atacama Desert at risk The Atacama Desert in Chile offers some of the clearest views of the universe, thanks to its dry climate, high altitude and isolation from light pollution The Independent UK · Apr 26
Rare dusting of snow covers one of the driest places on Earth and shuts down massive radio telescope — Earth from space A satellite photo from July shows intricate snowy stripes painted across the Atacama Desert in Chile. The icy weather temporarily put the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observatory into "survival mode." LiveScience · Dec 23, 2025
Renowned astronomers push to protect Chile's cherished night sky from an industrial project Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the darkest spots on earth, a crown jewel for astronomers who flock from around the world to study the origins of the universe in this inhospitable desert along the Pacific coast The Independent UK · Dec 2, 2025
Euronews · Oct 9, 2025 Chile’s Atacama Desert blooms after rare winter rains A rare bloom has turned Chile’s Atacama Desert — one of the driest places on Earth — into a vast sea of fuchsia and purple wildflowers after unusually heavy winter rains.
Evening Standard · Aug 23, 2025 It's the year of noctourism — I travelled to Chile's Atacama for the ultimate dark skies experience Hungry to see what lies beyond Earth, Radhika Aligh heads to South America to see if she can discover celestial objects
Space · Jul 5, 2025 Rare snowfall in Atacama Desert forces the world's most powerful radio telescope into 'survival mode' The ALMA radio telescope array in the Atacama Desert temporarily halted operations after a rare snowfall blanketed the base camp last week.
International Business Times · Jun 6, 2024 Chile's Lithium Dreams Raise Water Concerns In The Desert As night falls in Chile's Atacama desert, the world's driest, a drilling machine extracts brine to measure levels of lithium -- a crucial mineral for the global switch to cleaner energy, but harmful in its own way.
Salon · Apr 28, 2024 Protecting darkness in Atacama desert Light pollution is threatening the future of astronomy. Can a new nationwide lighting standard make a difference?
LiveScience · Apr 24, 2024 Hidden 'biosphere' of extreme microbes discovered 13 feet below Atacama Desert is deepest found there to date Researchers have found microbes thriving 13 feet beneath the scorched surface of Chile's Atacama Desert, marking the deepest discovery of microbial life in the region to date.
France 24 · Mar 30, 2024 International Day of Zero Waste: Chile's Atacama desert, a clothing graveyard March 30 marks the International Day of Zero Waste. Between 2000 and 2015, global clothing production doubled. Europe and North America export some of their unsold and discarded clothes to Chile. In the north of the country, textile waste accumulates and often ends its life in the wild dumps of…
Space · Dec 20, 2023 Microbes in Atacama desert's lost lagoons may mirror early life on Mars A jaw-dropping ecosystem of crystal-clear lagoons and salt plains in Argentina's Puna de Atacama desert could offer a window onto early life on Earth and Mars.
LiveScience · Dec 11, 2023 Lost world of lagoons filled with mounds of microbes discovered in Atacama desert Researchers have discovered a jaw-dropping ecosystem of crystal-clear lagoons and salt plains in Argentina's Puna de Atacama desert that could offer a window onto early life on Earth and Mars.
Radio France Internationale · Sep 20, 2023 From The Lab: Paris Observatory's role in building the world's biggest telescope The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which is currently being built in the Atacama desert in Chile, will be the biggest telescope ever built.Its primary mirror will be 39 metres in diameter, which is slightly less than the size of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, while it's main structure will…
The Guardian - UK · Aug 24, 2023 The Altiplano – Earth’s sunniest spot similar to Venus, say scientists Study finds plateau in Atacama desert has sunshine comparable in intensity to a summer day on Venus