On April 12, 2019, Boston University finally fired David Marchant for sexually harassing Willenbring. (The university said it could not corroborate her claims of physical and psychological abuse.) Marchant released a statement, which the journal Science quoted as vowing that he had “never” sexually harassed anyone, “not in 1998 or 1999 in Antarctica or at … Read more
Heli-skiing on virgin snow in Antarctica for a cool $2.2 million. A polar bear safari in an “off-limits” area of Norway’s Svalbard for $300,000. How about tracking snow leopards in the Himalayas with renowned explorers for $100,000? Big-ticket travel experiences like those are indicative of the “quiet luxury” trend which began in the world of … Read more
The presence of the virus was confirmed on Feb. 24 in samples of dead skua seabirds. A deadly type of bird flu has been confirmed on the mainland of Antarctica for the first time, scientists said, a potential risk for the southern region’s huge penguin colonies. “This discovery demonstrates for the first time that the … Read more
On Deception Island in Antarctica, steam rises from the beaches, and glaciers dot the black slopes of what is actually an active volcano — a rare clash of ice and fire that provides clues to scientists about what life could look like on Mars. The horseshoe-shaped isle in the South Shetland Islands is the only … Read more
There’s not a ton going on between Christmas and New Year’s, so I’m diving back into some of my favorite weird mysteries. The story of the first supposed murder in Antartica is a little hard to track down, but it’s one my Dad would often repeat when his snotty kids pulled out the chess set. … Read more
