The Cosmos Podcast

Antarctica: a critical frontier for scientific research

November 09, 2021 The Royal Institution of Australia
The Cosmos Podcast
Antarctica: a critical frontier for scientific research
Show Notes

Remote and wild, Antarctica is a spectacular place that most people on Earth won't ever get to. But it's a frontier for scientific research – and something we are very passionate about as The Royal Institution of Australian is the Australian Antarctic Division’s Education partner. Today Cosmos journalist Lauren Fuge speaks to Professor Nicole Webster, who took up the role as the chief scientist of the Australian Antarctic Division this year. Webster completed her PhD at James Cook University in Queensland, investigating the microbial ecology of a Great Barrier Reef sponge, before transitioning into Antarctic science, including studying microbial communities as indicators for human-induced stress in the Antarctic marine environment. In this discussion we learn about what kind of research is undertaken on this frozen continent, from the smallest krill to the largest ice sheets, and what it might teach us about our future on this planet.

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