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Hey, shortwavers. It's your favorite holiday elf, Emily Kwong, bringing you this classic episode featuring our founding host, Maddie Safaya.

You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

Hello, hello, anybody there?

So, Maddie, yes, ma'am.

Last week, Britt and I connected to a radio station.

This is VIA Radio in Pittston, Pennsylvania.

To have a conversation with space physicist and electrical engineer Nathaniel Frizzell.

Well, thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be here.

And in 2014, his research took him to Antarctica.

Cool. Yeah, home to the South Pole and a hub of scientific activity with research stations and field camps

spread across the continent. New Zealand has a station down there. Several European countries do too.

Scientists are asking questions you can only answer in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean this time of

year about wildlife. Like penguins. Yeah, sure, like penguins. Mic microbiology, tectonics, the northern lights.

Nathaniel was down there to look at the Earth's magnetic field and polar regions.

I picture this whole space, Maddie, like science summer camp, but spread across a desolate,

icebound landscape.

What a dream.

Yeah, you're kind of summer camp.

Yeah.

...