The treaty suspends all claims of sovereignty, declaring the continent as international territory that is to be used only for peaceful scientific purposes. For the past few weeks, Living on Earth's Terry FitzPatrick has been telling us about the glaciers and wildlife of Antarctica. But some of the most fascinating stories from his 2-week journey involve the sometimes wild lives of people who ventured to the world's most hostile continent to conduct scientific research. This week, Terry concludes his special series of reports with a slice of life at the bottom of the earth. Despite its romantic appeal, Antarctica can be an exhausting place.
People here work flat out, cramming as much research as possible into the short polar summer.
So it's little wonder that at the end of the season, folks let loose. The wind chill is 15 degrees below zero. But that's nothing a warm soak and a little vodka can't conquer. People invited me to strip and join them. You've got to live it.