like i said, it takes a special breed of hard-ass to not just make it down here, but like it. you got to be tough. doug: right now i love being in mcmurdo, because it s like being at a spa for scientists. anthony: doug macayeal is one of the world s preeminent glaciologists, who s been coming to antarctica since the 70s. the coffee house one of three watering holes on station. it s not much to look at, but offers a welcome respite from the cold. doug: one thing about this continent that s special is the vertical hierarchy. everybody respects up and down equally. the janitor really does have a sense that their action is right at the frontline. that doesn t happen as much elsewhere in the world of science. tangibly seeing a contribution. anthony: what brought you here? it s cold down here. doug: it s part of some kind of personal honor. people who come as a scientist might think of their science as driving them more than thinking of coming to a place that is
antarctica, never gets old. there is a curiosity in everyone who comes here. it s a continent of travelers, of seekers, united in the continuation of exploration, learning, the search for greater understanding, the pursuit of pure knowledge.
things? ryan: the mountaineers here you know have drills to practice extricating somebody. anthony: there s a steep learning curve to flying down here, skillfully handle gale force winds, reduced control at high altitudes and the unpredictability of extreme turbulence around mountains and active volcanoes. ryan: slowly but surely climbing and it s minus 20 outside. anthony: erebus and that s ryan: mount terror. anthony: vo this is mount erebus, the southernmost active volcano on earth. antarctica was a great mystery for most of human history. only a theory, a great white space at the bottom of the world. ryan: we re just passing 8,500 so we ll go another 4,000. you re going to see the main crater in just a second. anthony: the conditions
the other thing is there are these really knarly winds that come off, and drop down into the plateau and then rush towards the edges of the continent gushing through these valleys. anthony: so it s a fluky micro climate here? michael: we call it the banana belt i of antarctica. it s warm, we re coastal. anthony: life at lake hoare, considering the limitations and the difficulties, is freakin luxurious by continental standards. out here, by the way, as everywhere on the continent, every bit of waste is separated and collected. one pee s in a bottle and pours it in the barrel, where it is eventually collected and shipped back to america. life here most definitely has its advantages. rae and her staff seem always to be making something delicious. homemade bread, scones, muffins appear throughout the day. tonight its bbq pork tenderloin. oh that looks good. pork tenderloin, damn.
chicks. anthony: so there s less competition, therefore more of the same prey available? david: yeah. anthony: i haven t seen a lot of them going into the water, but their looking for some indicator that there are fish in there. david: they re afraid to cross the ice crack because leopard seals might be in them. they re very hesitant so then finally they make the plunge. anthony: i mean, they re very agile. they don t look though at first at first brush. they appear clumsy, but i m watching them and they ve got a lot of moves. david: yeah, they re very, very agile. anthony: increasingly people want to see penguins. they are much loved by, you know, children everywhere. a lot of people would like to come to antarctica as tourists and look at penguins up close in a natural environment without impacting in a negative way. is that a good thing? david: and the thing about antarctica is that most scientists you know keep their nose to the grind stone. so the only advocacy for