Passing Through
The fact that many on the research vessel Laurence M. Gould had been through the Panama Canal before did nothing to diminish our sense of anticipation. Crossing that narrow ribbon of water and commerce that connects two great oceans is not something that one tends to shrug off.

Fleeting Thoughts
Dr. Steven Untracht is the physician at Palmer Station for the austral winter in Antarctica. When not attending to his duties, the station surgeon spends as much time as possible with the researchers because "science is Antarctica's culture." He offers a perspective on some of the ongoing studies and the implications of climate change for the Antarctic Peninsula.

Cropping Up
Susan MacGregor doesn't have your typical South Pole winter-over position. Her job takes her daily into an environment of bright lights, high humidity and delightful warmth as operator of the South Pole Food Growth Chamber.

The Penguin Perspective
Penguins truly are one of the feel-good animals in the popular imagination. But there is very little fun loving or playful about the lives of Adélies. They live in the most brutal environment in the world. Yet these birds are masters in their environment, yet do no damage, supreme in their ability to survive.

Previous Stories

• Beauty and the Cold
• Benign Space
• Midwinter Moment
• Rock Star Scientists
• Prepping for Science
• Cosmological Crisis
• The Unexpected
• Is Anybody Listening?
• Back to the ranch
• There and Back Again
• Cheerio and All That
• Lessons from the Ice
• Road Less Traveled Paved with Sand and Snow