Polar Express

In days of yore, polar research teams could expect to be left to their own devices during their season on the floe. Now, thanks to the Internet, they’re increasingly required to exit the mess hall and pat down their hair and explain what’s happening at the polar latitudes. Today, a new season of the Webcast series Ice Stories: Live Reports from Polar Scientists starts being broadcast. The month-long run includes dispatches from anthropologist and archaeologist Anne Jensen, who breaks down Thule expansion across the Arctic, along with comments by myriad scientists studying geology, oceanography, and biology. Even the local Inupiat folks get screen time. You can watch the Webcasts on your computer, but heading down to watch at the Exploratorium brings an added bonus: live Q&As with the team.
Thu., May 22, noon; Tuesdays; Thursdays-Saturdays. Starts: May 22. Continues through June 22, 2008