Hollywood in Antarctica

The sound of the wind was disconcerting. The lights of linkurl:McMurdo,;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/18022/ the US research station in linkurl:Antarctica,;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/7713/ shone through the incessant darkness of the linkurl:antipodal;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/54649/ winter. Mammoth construction vehicles milled through a haze of swirling snow, adding the somewhat friendlier growl of their engines to the din. The opening scenes of the movie __Ice People__ show McMurdo at first light, just entering "the season," a brief window when scientists descend on the base to do their research. linkurl:Anne Aghion's;http://www.anneaghionfilms.com/ documentary film follows four geologists into the field as they dig - sometimes with a grapefruit spoon - into the remains of a lake that existed millions of years ago. Living in tents, an hour's helicopter flight from McMurdo, the researchers and film crew spend a lot of time melting snow for drinking water and simply keeping warm. "You had the feeling that nothing is supposed to live here," said sound...