A ridge in the Transantarctic Mountains where the Permian-Triassic extinction boundary is evident. Matthew Saltzman and colleagues spent five weeks in the region collecting samples to see if they can find clues as to what caused a mass extinction 250 million years ago. Photo Courtesy: Matthew Saltzman
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The Great Dying
About a quarter of a billion years ago, the most severe extinction event in the planet's history wiped out just about every form of life on Earth. Why? That's the big question that spurred Matthew Saltzman and colleagues to go to the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica to find the answer.
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Byrd Polar Research Center
Byrd Polar Research Center was established shortly after the International Geophysical Year in 1960 as the Institute of Polar Studies at The Ohio State University. Its missions and focus have evolved over the years, but its commitment to broadening our knowledge of the polar regions has remained constant.
Reaching out
The New York Air Natural Guard began a yearlong engagement at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, N.Y., in August to raise public awareness about its mission in the U.S. Antarctic Program, as well as draw attention to the ongoing International Polar Year (IPY).
48-Hour Film Festival
Entertainment can be hard to come by in Antarctica. Those spending the winter on the continent are participating in an international film competition sponsored by McMurdo Station to not only amuse themselves but foster community among nations.
Warmer continent
National Science Foundation-funded scientists working in an ice-free region of Antarctica have discovered the last traces of tundra - in the form of fossilized plants and insects - on the interior of the southernmost continent before temperatures began a relentless drop millions of years ago.
