Scientists on an island just north of Antarctica are studying the ice for clues about everything from climate change to cures for cancer. Chile operates a research base on King George Island in the Southern Ocean. The island lies about 120 kilometers from the coast of Antarctica. The Escudero base acts as a research center for an area that extends to the South Pole. More than 300 international scientists are based there. They take turns working on experiments and collecting information in the bitter cold. The Chilean Antarctic Institute has supported research into a biomolecule called “Antartina,” which comes from a plant native to the area. In early tests, the biomolecule has been shown to shrink several kinds of cancer in mice. Scientists working at Escudero also look at plants that could treat Alzheimer’s disease, enzymes to remove sugar from milk and others to improve lettuce crops.