Though stark and bare, it is surprisingly rich both in history and scientific interest. No, it doesn’t harbor ancient civilizations, as so many conspiracy theories have it, but evidence of a more recent past was found. Let us summarize some of the most interesting findings to reveal stories of human activity and ancient conditions on Earth.
First things first: let’s put this on the record. For a while now, too many people have been going wild about theories touting evidence to point out that humans or civilizations of old from other parts of the cosmos—lived in Antarctica. An interesting idea, but passes no science test at all. The continent has actually been under many layers of ice for the past 35 million years long before humans existed.
This does not, however, mean that there is no human history in Antarctica. Perhaps the most compelling fact about Antarctic archaeology is what it testifies to: a record of the so-called Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration during the late 19th to early 20th centuries. In doing so, intrepid explorers such as Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton approached these hellish conditions as a quest to unravel the puzzle of the ice continent.
It is probably safe to say that one of the most iconic finds, Endurance, from Shackleton’s 1914-1915 expedition, lost, recently turned up, incredibly well-preserved, and gave an actual very tangible link to the past. Such finds give not only something tangible but also offer a window into the unbelievable adversities faced by early explorers.
However, heroism does not remain restricted only to the explorers; scientists have also advanced in understanding the ancient environment for Antarctica. In 2017, a team of researchers on board the Polarstern research vessel managed to dig into the seabed and retrieve sediments from the mid-Cretaceous period dating back approximately 85 million years. These had fossils of the temperate rainforest plants and proved that at some past time, indeed, Antarctica was considerably warmer.
As Johann Klages of the Alfred Wegener Institute has underlined, it gives us insight into how drastic climate change is able to transform our world. Evidence left by sediment layers from some 34–44 million years ago, The Eocene Epoch—attracted even a giant ancient river system channeled across the continent. From that Mississippi- or even Rio Grande-sized system, one could tell it painted quite the picture of a vibrant, ice-free landscape with life just teeming everywhere.
One of the most recent discoveries is that of a hidden ecosystem within a sub-surface river beneath the Larsen Ice Shelf. They found a river alive with swarming amphipods darting through lightless waters. Such a finding not only showed how life manages to sustain itself in extreme conditions but also told us just how little we know of what is going on beneath our feet or, rather, under the ice.
A more interesting discovery was that of the huge fossilized egg, in 2011. That was totally unknown, but after all, it must have been a gigantic soft-shelled egg laid by perhaps a mosasaur, an ancient marine reptile. It opens questions for the reproductive behavior of the prehistoric creature and brings newer awareness to the rich paleontological potential of this continent.
Not all of the new discoveries are so old, however. One is the subglacial aquifer of ancient seawater underneath Whillans Ice Stream. The aquifer contains fossil seawater that must have been sealed away for more than a thousand and potentially much longer years and could help scientists learn how ice streams moved and offer a further window into how ice streams might behave in the future, when global warming has fundamentally changed the Antarctic again.
The search has gone to the length of discovering a hidden network of warm subglacial caves near Mount Erebus. The volcanic steam that formed these caverns created a thermal environment warm enough to support life; DNA evidence proves there are algae and mosses—and possibly new species—alive there, reporting Ceridwen Fraser of the Australian National University.
Although the belief in living through the golden age of Antarctica, through its ancient civilizations, remains in the realms of fancy, this continent does hold quite a good number of secrets. Real stories of bravery, explorers, and their science holding them at the frontiers are no less compelling. Such discoveries increase our understanding not only of the past but also of the future of a fast-changing planet.
Next time you think of Antarctica, let your imagination not be haunted by make-believe myths but be captured by the real, awe-inspiring discoveries taking place under and on the ice. The true story of human endeavor and natural wonders on this frozen frontier is one so much more compelling than fiction.
