1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio Pay 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren Vogal bamb Here. We tend to think 3 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: of Antarctica as being a giant, frozen, empty waste land. 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: If that's the impression you personally have of the continent 5 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: at the south end of our planet, well done. It 6 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: is indeed just as huge, frozen and full of a 7 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: whole lot of nothing as you think it is. And 8 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: that's said. As with all deserts, people do live and 9 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: work there. In the case of the southernmost continent. The 10 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: humans they're mostly comprise polar researchers trying to figure out 11 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: what Antarctica's deal is, and the drivers, mechanics, cooks, pilots, 12 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 1: and electricians who support them and keep the research stations running. 13 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 1: So what's it like living and working on the most 14 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: remote place on the planet. There are a few different 15 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: ways to live and work in Antarctica. The continent is 16 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: home to seventy five individual research stations, and they're run 17 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: by thirty countries. Of these science spaces, forty five are 18 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: actively operating year round, although most are accessible for only 19 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,199 Speaker 1: a three month window every year due to weather conditions. 20 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: Researchers first have their stuff shipped to a base like 21 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: the U. S. McMurdo Station on Ross Island, which they 22 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:22,839 Speaker 1: use as a staging area for their field expedition. McMurdo 23 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:26,039 Speaker 1: Station was officially established in nineteen fifty two and can 24 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: support more than one thousand, two hundred residents at a time. 25 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:32,479 Speaker 1: Once team members are ready for the field, they're taken 26 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 1: with all of their stuff in a plane and dropped off. 27 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: Some researchers work on ships, but not all ships are 28 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: research vessels. During the austral summer, cruise ships regularly depart 29 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: from Argentina and travel to the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, 30 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: which is considered the Banana Belt of Antarctica. It's much 31 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:52,559 Speaker 1: warmer than the rest of the continent and is where 32 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: virtually all the wildlife hangs out. However, for such a 33 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: largely lonely place, you're early alone there. Pretty much everybody 34 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: on Antarctica lives in cramped quarters, either in tents or 35 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: in dormitories or on ships. We spoke via email with 36 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: Dr Narita Wilson, an invertebrate marine molecular biologist at the 37 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: Western Australian Museum. She said it's tough not getting any 38 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: loane time for many weeks at a time. I've always 39 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:25,040 Speaker 1: been based on ships, where the work hours are long 40 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: and the sleeping quarters are close, often four in a 41 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: very small bunk room. Being alone requires a having the 42 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: time and be having a place to go. Because of safety, 43 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: you can't always roam the decks of the ship alone, 44 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:44,239 Speaker 1: so mostly you are in company. The research stations themselves 45 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,440 Speaker 1: are kind of like small towns, but only kind of. 46 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: Very few people over winter there, and the continent has 47 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: no indigenous population, so nobody was born there. There are 48 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: no children around, and nobody has much of a history there. 49 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: We also spoke with Dr Jenny Baseman, a polar researcher 50 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: and the executive director of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. 51 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: She said, and an Arctic research station is like a 52 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: remote mining town, but because it's nobody's permanent home, it's 53 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: everybody's home. Everybody's very friendly and helpful. Everyone feels excited 54 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: and fortunate to be there. Because there's twenty four hour 55 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 1: daylight during the austral summer. The temporary residents work a lot, 56 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: but in their free time they hang out at the 57 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: bar or the coffee shop and go to a movie 58 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: or play trivia. Sadly, the bowling Alley that the U. S. 59 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: Navy built at McMurdo in the nineteen sixties closed in 60 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 1: two thousand nine. However, there are absolutely challenges to living 61 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: and working normally. For example, the weather can and I quote, 62 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: turn to milk in five minutes. One Dr David dal Mayer, 63 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: Professor emeritus in the University of George's Geology department, spent 64 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: twenty years as a naturalist on small Antark Dick cruise ships. 65 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: He also spent a few field seasons out on the 66 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: ice studying the geology of the area. He remembered my 67 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: first day in the field, we got dropped off six 68 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: hundred miles inland from mcmurdough. We watched the plane turn 69 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: into a little speck in the distance, and we started 70 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: to our field site. Pretty soon the wind came up, 71 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: a thick fog developed, and all of a sudden I 72 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: realized we were walking over our own tracks. We were 73 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,039 Speaker 1: walking in circles. We shut it down, put up the 74 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 1: emergency tents, and we sat there for two and a 75 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 1: half days. I'd say the wind was easily fifty knots 76 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:38,719 Speaker 1: and making it even more difficult out on the ice. 77 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: It's tough to judge distances. Del Mayer said, you look 78 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: at something and you think, oh, that's maybe four miles away. 79 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:49,560 Speaker 1: Eight hours later, you're only halfway there. There's no reference 80 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: for distance out there. All of this is part of 81 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: why scientists who arrive in an Arctica must undergo survival training. 82 00:04:57,120 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: Survival schools teach them skills like how to build shelter 83 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: out of ice and snow. Perhaps most strangely, though, there 84 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: are no smells there. With the exception of the other humans, 85 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:14,720 Speaker 1: you're almost constantly around almost nothing on Antarctica smells throughout 86 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 1: most of the continent. There are no plants or animals 87 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: to stink up the place. Baseman said, when you're coming 88 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: back on the plane from McMurdo to New Zealand, about 89 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: three quarters of the way back, you can start smelling plants. 90 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: Your sense of smell is so desensitized that the smell 91 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 1: of pollen in the air just washes over you. It's incredible. 92 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 1: Today's episode was written by Jescelyn Shields and produced by 93 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: Tyler Lang. For more on this and lots of other 94 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,919 Speaker 1: cool topics, visit how Stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff 95 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: is production of I Heart Radio for more podcasts my 96 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or 97 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.