In winter, light in the northern latitudes is dim and very blue compared to summer light. Reindeer eyes have evolved to be better suited at seeing in this unique environment.
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Articles on North Pole
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Millions of years of natural selection have prepared reindeer for Christmas Eve.
Gravity, mass and centrifugal force all contribute to the final shape of a planet.
The temperature of the Sun’s surface is about 6,000°C. But higher above the surface, in the atmosphere, it suddenly shoots up to more than a million degrees!
Recently, magnetic compasses at Greenwich pointed directly at true north for the first time in 360 years. This is currently happening in Western Australia too. But what does it mean?
Scientific inspiration struck a geologist after many walks through the woods in New York and New England. These ruins hold the secret of where the compass pointed north when they were built centuries ago.
Historical records can help us understand what will happen to the northern lights.
The end of 2016 has brought balmy Arctic temperatures and record low ice extent for the time of year. It’s a freak event even by modern standards, and climate models point the finger firmly at humans.
Without understanding why the ‘fingerprint’ has failed to appear our predictions about global warming - as carbon dioxide concentrations increase - are uncertain.
It’s one of the remotest places on Earth and yet is still claimed by six nations – including Australia.
Top contributors
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Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, The University of Melbourne
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Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University
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Research Professor of Energy, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
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Senior Research Associate in Space and Planetary Physics, Lancaster University
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Professor of Antarctic Studies, School of Humanities, College of Arts, Law and Education, University of Tasmania
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Distinguished Teaching Professor of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University at Albany, State University of New York
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Senior Research Geophysicist, CSIRO
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Professor and Director, Stocker AstroScience Center for Physics; Stocker AstroScience Center, Florida International University
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Lecturer of Physics, University of Newcastle
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Associate Professor of Physics, University of Newcastle
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Associate Science Editor & Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
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Professor of Neuroscience, UCL
