Chilean miners. What happened next?

Today I happened to come across two really interesting updates on previous blogs I have written about the Chilean miners and Adders. Firstly the miners. I was lucky enough to meet one of the 33 miners Jose Henriquez in January and hear at first hand about their ordeal. Tonight on BBC2 at 7pm there was an evocative film entitled ‘Chilean miners: What happened next‘. It followed the lives of three of the 33 miners and showed how they had fared since they were freed. It centred on a charismatic miner called Edison Pena who became known as the underground runner and Elvis impersonator. Since being freed he had been feted around the world including appearing on TV shows in Germany and Italy where he had got to fulfil his lifetime ambition of impersonating Elvis. Unfortunately, his new found celebrity status had also resulted in a rapid demise into drug and alcohol addiction and put his marriage under huge pressure. The other miners also suffered from recurring nightmares and psychological issues. A gripping and moving story.

The other interesting update was on Adders. According to the Guardian researchers are worried that an unusually high incidence of abnormalities in Adders is due to inbreeding as populations decline and become increasingly more isolated. This has resulted in the first ever genetic survey of Britain’s Adder population. Samples are being taken from both small and large colonies at 16 sites across the country. Scientists at Oxford University will then compare the samples to see if the smaller and more isolated groups have a higher rate of genetic abnormalities. Studies of rattlesnakes in the US have shown clear links between inbreeding and deformities. The Guardian also included a fantastic slide show of the survey.