The U.S. military has contributed a surprising amount to what we know about the environment, weather patterns and climate conditions and unique terrains.

And that government-funded research has often made it easier for soldiers to run roughshod

over fragile ecosystems all over the planet.

From KERA in Dallas, this is think.

I'm Chris Boyd.

It is a really striking paradox.

And in this moment where many scientists are hunting for insights on how to

best protect the environment, my guest has pulled together a historic account of how our quest

to become a global superpower has shaped America's enormous impact on places far beyond our

own borders. Gretchen Heifner is professor of history at Northeastern University and author of Sand, Snow, and Stardust,

how U.S. military engineers conquered extreme environments.

Gretchen, welcome to think.

Thank you.

I'm delighted to be here.

This book is about how the Corps of Engineers and others took an interest in extreme environments and out of the way places to

become a superpower. How did military needs drive environmental research?

Well, thanks. That's a great starting question. I military needs became involved with environmental questions, at least in the sort of formulation of my book during World War II.

And that's actually where the book starts.

So sort of on the eve of war, as the U.S. military is looking out, thinking, you know, how are we going to engage in this war?

Most of the battlefields at this point are not in the sort of temperate areas.

They had thought about fighting in, but in the extreme.

So places like the Arctic, the deserts of northern Africa.

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