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Bottom of the WorldHeres a program from our archives.In the next few minutes, we're going to pay a visit to the bottom of the world. I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.Ambience, Wind over McMurdo Ice SheetWe're listening to the sound of wind blowing over the ice of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica.Wilkniss: The Antarctic is the highest, driest and coldest continent, and it is totally covered by ice some two to three miles thick, and the center of it is the South Pole, which is at a height of about ten thousand feet. It kind of floats on frozen water.Dr. Peter Wilkniss is director of the division of Polar Programs at the National Science Foundation.Wilkniss: The lowest temperatures on earth have been recorded in the soviet station called, Vostok on the high plateau of the Antarctic. They're 120 to 140 degrees below zero in Fahrenheit.If you're in temperatures of that magnitude, and if you have any wind in addition to the cold temperatures, your skin will literally turn white and freeze in less than a minute. So, when it is really cold and windy, nobody will go outside because we do not have the clothing that would allow people to be outside for any extended period of time more than a few minutes.Given the difficult conditions there, it's not hard to see why Antarctica has only recently been a home to humans.Wilkniss: The Antarctic is the only continent where there are no indigenous people. The reason for that is is that it is almost totally ice-covered. Only two percent are not ice-covered, and that's mostly rock and barren soil. So there is nothing whatsoever to support life.We'll hear more about Antarctic research in future programs.This archival program is part of our thirtieth anniversary celebration. If you want hear more, check out our podcast.