"Sharing her once-in-a-lifetime experience studying penguins in Antarctica, a scientist, weaving together the history of Antarctic exploration with climate science, field observations, and her own personal journey of growth and reflection, offers a rare glimpse into life on this uninhabited continent."--

A profile of Antarctica and its indigenous life traces the history of regional exploration and the science currently being conducted there while explaining how Antarctica reveals key insights into the planet's environmental future.

Terra Incognita is a meditation on the landscape, myths and history of one of the remotest parts of the globe, as well as an encounter with the people who inhabit this region - living in close confinement despite the surrounding acres of white space - and the mechanics of day-to-day life in extraordinary conditions. Through Sara Wheeler, the Antarctic is revealed, in all its seductive mystery.

The bitter cold and three months a year without sunlight make Antarctica virtually uninhabitable for humans. Yet a world of extraordinary wildlife persists in these harsh conditions, including leopard seals, giant squid, 50-foot algae, sea spiders, coral, multicolored sea stars, and giant predatory worms. Now, as temperatures rise, this fragile ecosystem is under attack. In this closely observed account, one of the world's foremost experts on Antarctica...

"Tom, an intrepid journalist, has long dreamed of visiting Antarctica--and finally his dream is coming true. He's off on an adventure as part of a scientific expedition around Antarctica"--

Letters and journal entries from a visit to Antartica, the windiest, coldest, most forbidding region on earth.