In February 2008, a team of the world’s leading marine scientists set out onboard the RV Tangaroa on a voyage like no other across the Great Southern Ocean to Antarctica. In the footsteps of Shackleton’s ill-fated expedition, their mission is to discover more about marine life in Antarctic waters. This is unchartered territory–as many scientists say… ‘less is known about the Antarctic seabed than the surface of Mars!’ Cooped up on a research vessel for 50 days they battle ferocious storms, some of the worst ice conditions ever encountered and personal tragedy. The stakes are high but this is science at the edge. If successful their findings could profoundly affect all our lives as the intrepid crew seek out clues about the future fate of our planet beneath the icy waters of one of the world’s most perilous yet most important oceans.