On a recent expedition to Surtsey, scientists discovered five new plants on an island known to many as a ‘living laboratory.’ The group’s annual expedition took them to the small island just off the south coast of Iceland which was created when a volcano exploded in 1963 and is a favourite place for curious scientists.
Dr. Sturla Fridriksson is one such scientist. He has been visiting the island every year for the last 43 years. “I feel like a boy looking for adventures, looking for a treasure,” he said.
In an effort to determine how life would evolve on earth without human interference, access to the island is restricted to a small number of qualified scientists.