Please consider taking a few moments to help inform our design of future Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears issues and articles! We are currently conducting two online surveys: a general survey about your internet use and a survey about our August Science and Literacy Lessons and Activities article.
The general survey is accessible from the Beyond […]

Amazingly well-preserved moss and insect fossils discovered in the McMurdo Dry Valleys are providing a detailed look at Antarctica approximately 14.1 million years ago - just prior to an abrupt drop in temperature and transition from a cool tundra environment to a cold barren polar desert.
The fossils, found in ancient lake beds, are remarkable for […]

The Global Challenge is an online international competition that encourages learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Students compete individually or as a team to create solutions to global warming and the future of energy. All high school students aged 14-17 worldwide are eligible to participate. The project can be completed through an after school […]

The 2008 Students on Ice youth expedition is now underway! The ship-based journey will explore southern Baffin Island, Nunavut and the northern reaches of Nunavik. 65 international students, aged 13-20, and a team of 30 scientists, polar experts, educators, artists and environmentalists. The team includes 22 northern aboriginal youth, as well as participants from Afghanistan, the […]

A new issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears magazine is ready to view! Issue Five, Water, Ice, and Snow, uses the polar regions to better understand the water cycle as well as states and changes of matter. As always, the issue includes:

Science and Literacy content knowledge
Misconceptions and assessment tools
Expository articles and differentiated text […]

News from the polar regions in July includes efforts to better model and predict ice sheet dynamics and climate change, volcanic activity in the Arctic, and trouble for penguins and the marine species of the Southern Ocean. Missed these stories the first time? Read on!
As part of an international scientific contest, some of the world’s […]

When is a rock not just a rock? When it can tell stories of the Earth’s amazing past.
The discovery of a single granite boulder near Nimrod Glacier in the Transantarctic Mountains may provide additional support for a theory that East Antarctica was once connected to the west coast of North America.
While sampling rocks to learn […]

Have you ever felt confused by the complexity of the polar regions? Or realized that your knowledge just scratches the surface of these far-off places? If you have, you are certainly in good company. All of us - especially the project staff at Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears - have been confronted with our lack of understanding […]

News from the polar regions in June includes speculation on the future of the Arctic sea ice and permafrost, unexpected behavior of an Antarctic ice stream, and new technology designed to assist in polar research. Missed these stories the first time? Read on!
In May, we reported on an international, three-week expedition designed to validate the […]

Want to learn about polar research? Check out the In the Field: Scientists at Work department in Issue 4 of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears - Weather and Climate: From Home to the Poles!
In this issue:
Read about current news from polar researchers.
Read how a surprising discovery led to a better understanding of Earth’s climate 5,000 years […]