THE DISCOVERIES OF TODAY THAT WILL DEFINE THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICEMBARK
O
VOL. 236 NO. 6IN THIS SECTION
Valuing Trash
Opossum Pest Control
A New Look in Circuses
Anatomy of an OrchidBY KIERAN MULVANEYLEAVE THE TROPICS AND THE DESERTS TO OTHERS. A CERTAIN
HARDY BREED PREFERS POLAR LOCALES, THE COLDER THE BETTER.
The Lure
of Cold Places
ON THIS WINTRY DAY along the shores of Canada’s
Hudson Bay, five of us are rumbling over the tundra
in a purpose-built vehicle, searching for polar bears.
Outside, a snowstorm has created near-whiteout
conditions; it is, observes one of our number, as if
we are driving inside a Ping-Pong ball.
Then the heat goes out in our Tundra Buggy,
and despite repeated attempts at resuscitation, it
refuses to sputter back to life. There is nothing but
a thin layer of glass and metal protecting us from
the elements.
The sun is setting. It is cold.
But we are perfectly safe; we’re within range of
warm accommodations, even if we’ll be feeling the
effects of the elements by the time we get there. We
bury ourselves deep within our insulated parkas. We
find a bottle of wine, and one of whiskey. We crack
slightly hysterical jokes about our situation.
It is cold, but we are happy, and I am in my element.