BBC Focus

PHOTOS: GETTY X2

, SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

For manyyears that accoladewentto

theUSexplorer Robert Peary, who

claimedtohavereachedtheNorthPole

on6April1909.Yetevenatthetimehis

claim wasdisputed.DrFrederickCook,

a rival American explorer, insisted he

hadreachedthepolealmostayear

earlier. But neither of them could

provide definitive proof of their

supposed triumph. Cook’sown

evidence was rejectedbyan

independent commission, whilePeary

refused to hand over anydetails at all.

In 1989, the US National Geographic

Society announced that an analysis of

photographstakenbyPeary,together

with his records ofocean depths and

otherdata, were consistent withhis

expeditiongettingwithin eight

kilometres of the truepole. Cook’s

claim, meanwhile, has always been

dogged by suspicions offraud.

In theyears that followed, the North

Pole was reached manytimes by

airborne and submarine expeditions.

Surprisingly, thefirst undisputed

expeditiontoreachtheNorthPoleover

thesurfacedidnotachieveitsgoal

until 1968, when the American Ralph

Plaisted and three companions arrived

on snowmobiles. On 6 April the

followingyear,theBritishexplorer

Wally–laterSirWalter –Herbert

became thefirst to reach the North

Pole the traditional way, onfoot.RM

WHO REALLY DISCOVERED?

THE NORTH POLE

ROBERT

PEARY

DR FREDERICK

COOK

All knownlifeneedsliquidwater tofunction

properly. It’s essential inpart because water is

such a good solvent, readily dissolving and

transporting nutrients across a widerangeof

temperatures. Its molecules also play a key role in

ensuring proteinsbehave properly. But some

scientists suspect alienlifemayhave evolvedto

exploit alternative chemicalslikehydrocarbons

capableof performing the same roles.RM

Is water always necessary for l ?ry for life?

SARAH HOLLIS,MANCHESTER

Why does

the inside

of a shell

sound like

the sea?

CONNOR DOOLEY,SOUTHAMPTON

Thesoundhas nothing todowith

thesea,nor theshell’s ocea n ic

origins. It’s simplytheresultof

theeffectoftheshell’sshape

on air trappedinside. Unable

to escape, theairvibrates at

frequenciesdictatedbythe

size of the shell, creatingamix

thatsoundsabitlikewaveson

shingle. You can create a

similar effect just cupping your

hand over your ear.RM

On an alienplanet,

hydrocarbons could

perform the same

role as water

The number of threatened

species on the IUCN Red

List that are imperiled by

agriculture alone. These

species include the cheetah

and the African wild dog.

5,407

The height in metres of an

underwater mountain,

Anton Dohrn, off

Scotland’s west coast.

In comparison, Ben Nevis

is 1,344m high.

1,700

IN NUMBERS

The proportion of UK

adults that don’t read any

books at all.

10%