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Think Earth is full of life everywhere? Think again! Join us as we count down the top 15 most extreme places on the planet where life barely stands a chance. From burning deserts to icy wastelands, you won't believe these wild spots actually exist! Subscribe for more amazing facts and let us know in the comments which place blew your mind the most! #Earth #Nature #Science #Exploration #Geography
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Introduction to Earth's Extreme Places
0:41 - Sossusvlei Basins: Namibia's Dead Zone
1:45 - Nullarbor Plain: Australia’s Flat Expanse
3:12 - Atacama Desert: The Driest Place
4:47 - Unrelenting Deserts and Salty Landscapes
7:36 - Salt Flats and Harsh Plateaus
9:25 - Oceans’ Dead Zones and Point Nemo
12:41 - Death Zones, Dead Lakes, and Beyond
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Introduction to Earth's Extreme Places
0:41 - Sossusvlei Basins: Namibia's Dead Zone
1:45 - Nullarbor Plain: Australia’s Flat Expanse
3:12 - Atacama Desert: The Driest Place
4:47 - Unrelenting Deserts and Salty Landscapes
7:36 - Salt Flats and Harsh Plateaus
9:25 - Oceans’ Dead Zones and Point Nemo
12:41 - Death Zones, Dead Lakes, and Beyond
Category
🏖
TravelTranscript
00:00Our planet is a unique anomaly in the entire universe.
00:03Earth is a world full of life.
00:06Here, organisms have almost conquered every corner of the world,
00:10from the sky to the deepest parts of the ocean.
00:13However, there are still places in the world where it seems that Earth has driven life away.
00:18Places where the conditions are so extreme that life can be crushed,
00:23suffocated, or dried out in just a few seconds.
00:26These are the top 15 places in the world that are almost impossible for any kind of life to inhabit.
00:32But before we start, if you're new to our channel,
00:35make sure to subscribe so you'll always be updated with videos like this.
00:41Number 15, Sosusfle basins.
00:44Let's go to Namib Naokluft National Park in Namibia,
00:48where large red sand dunes surround some white and dry plains called fle.
00:53These plains were once...
00:56These are parts of ancient marshes that have now become dry areas of the desert.
01:00About 900 years ago, regular flooding allowed life to thrive in these areas,
01:07but everything changed.
01:09Gradually, shifting sands blocked the waterways,
01:13and the entire region eventually dried up.
01:15The drought was so severe that the plants died,
01:19and their remains could no longer decompose normally.
01:22Instead, they remained like dried statues in the middle of the desert.
01:27These sites have stayed that way for almost a thousand years.
01:31The soil is so dry that almost no plant can survive here.
01:36Life has left these places,
01:38and the trees that once lived remain standing,
01:41like trees burned and dried by time.
01:44Number 14, Null Arbor Plain.
01:47Let's continue to Australia,
01:49where you can find the vast Null Arbor Plain,
01:53a flat land made of limestone that covers more than 200,000 square kilometers.
01:59Even its name tells you about its characteristics.
02:02Null Arbor comes from Latin,
02:04which means no trees,
02:06and that's exactly what you'll see here.
02:08An almost perfectly flat, dry landscape
02:12with almost no natural shelter or water sources.
02:16For thousands of years,
02:18indigenous nomadic groups have considered this vast area
02:21as one of the most difficult parts of Australia to cross.
02:25For the first European explorers in the 19th century,
02:28crossing this area was like walking on the surface of the moon.
02:33Its landscape is so vast and unique
02:36that it can affect the mind of someone who travels here for a long time.
02:40Today, it's much easier to cross because of modern technology.
02:44But even now,
02:45it's still a major challenge in terms of logistics.
02:48The intense heat can crack the dry limestone,
02:52while the almost complete lack of fresh water sources
02:55makes any vehicle breakdown dangerous.
02:58If you get stranded here without enough water,
03:01you can become dehydrated very quickly.
03:04This is a vast and rocky place
03:06that shows no mercy
03:08to those who are unprepared for its harsh conditions.
03:11Number 13, Atacama Desert.
03:14Let's cross over to northern Chile,
03:17between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean,
03:20where you'll find the Atacama Desert,
03:22one of the driest places on Earth.
03:24The interior of this desert is an extremely harsh environment
03:27where there is almost no rainfall.
03:30The result is a landscape
03:31that looks like it's from another planet,
03:33full of salt, rocks, and sand.
03:36This place has remained dry for a very long time.
03:40In some areas,
03:41there are even human remains,
03:43naturally preserved for thousands of years
03:45because there is almost no moisture
03:47for normal decomposition.
03:50These include the mummies of the Chinchoro culture,
03:53which are among the oldest mummies
03:55discovered by archaeologists.
03:57Because there is so little moisture,
03:59it is very difficult for the bacteria
04:01responsible for decomposition
04:02to survive and multiply.
04:05In addition,
04:06the mountains block most of the moisture
04:08from the clouds,
04:09which helps keep the area dry.
04:11In some parts of the region,
04:13the soil is also rich in saltpeter,
04:15perchlorates,
04:16and other compounds
04:18that may be unfavorable
04:19for many forms of life.
04:21Because of this,
04:22NASA even uses some parts
04:24of the Atacama Desert
04:25as a place to test rovers
04:27and technologies
04:28that might one day be used on Mars.
04:32For a person,
04:33living here without supplies
04:34from the outside
04:35is almost impossible.
04:37A land where rain is extremely rare,
04:40with some areas
04:41that may not have experienced
04:42significant rainfall
04:43for a very long time.
04:46Number 12.
04:48Tenezraft Plain.
04:49We enter the heart of the Sahara
04:51in the remote part
04:52of southern Algeria,
04:53known to the Tuareg
04:54as the Land of Fear.
04:56The Tenezraft is one of the most desolate
04:58and harshest places
04:59in all of Africa.
05:01It is a vast plain
05:02with almost no sand dunes
05:04or mountains.
05:04Instead,
05:05it is covered with countless gravel
05:07and sharp rocks
05:08that seem endless,
05:10which is why
05:11the ancient trade routes
05:12in the Sahara
05:13carefully avoided this place.
05:16There are no clear landmarks,
05:17no water,
05:18and sandstorms
05:20often pass through,
05:21erasing every trace
05:22on the ground.
05:23It's very easy
05:25to get lost here,
05:26and a mistaken direction
05:27could lead to death.
05:29There are documents
05:30from the time
05:31of French colonialism
05:33that tell
05:34of military expeditions
05:35that entered the area
05:36and were never seen again.
05:39Even today,
05:40the temperature here
05:40regularly exceeds
05:4250 degrees Celsius.
05:43any moisture evaporates
05:46very quickly
05:47before it can even
05:48seep into the ground.
05:49Meanwhile,
05:50the intense solar radiation
05:52turns the entire area
05:54into a massive oven
05:56under the open sky.
05:58In these conditions,
05:59the body's ability
06:00to survive quickly drops,
06:02and any tissue
06:03directly exposed
06:04dries out rapidly.
06:06Number 11,
06:08Lut Desert.
06:09Let's continue
06:10to southern Iran,
06:11where you'll find
06:12the Dasht-e-Lut,
06:13a vast tectonic basin
06:15surrounded by salt,
06:17rocks,
06:18and sand dunes
06:19shaped by the wind.
06:20Because of its location,
06:22it's like a huge funnel
06:23that traps
06:24and intensifies
06:25the sun's heat,
06:27making it one of the hottest
06:28places on the surface
06:29of the earth.
06:30For the ancient Persian Empire,
06:32this place was considered
06:33almost the edge
06:35of the world they knew.
06:37Ancient caravans
06:38avoided this place
06:39and preferred to travel
06:41through the surrounding mountains
06:42because the inside of the basin
06:44was an extremely dangerous trap.
06:46According to local stories,
06:48it seems that the land
06:49literally swallows
06:51anyone who ends up here,
06:53especially when
06:53strong sandstorms come.
06:55Satellite measurements
06:56have also shown
06:57that the surface temperature
06:59in some parts
07:00of the Lut Desert
07:01can exceed
07:0270 degrees Celsius.
07:04At such high temperatures,
07:06it is extremely difficult
07:07for most organisms
07:09to survive.
07:10Even the so-called
07:11extremophile bacteria,
07:13known for their ability
07:14to survive
07:15in extreme conditions,
07:16can hardly inhabit
07:18its harshest parts.
07:19The dark rock
07:21absorbs a tremendous
07:22amount of energy
07:23from the sun.
07:24That's why it can burn
07:25your skin
07:26if touched directly.
07:27And because there are
07:28almost no clouds
07:29and very little rain,
07:31the desert surface
07:32is continuously exposed
07:33to intense solar radiation
07:35during the day.
07:36Number 10.
07:37Salar de Uyuni.
07:39Let's go back to South America
07:41and climb up to the high mountains
07:42of the Bolivian Altiplano.
07:44At an altitude of about
07:463,600 meters above sea level,
07:49you'll find Salar de Uyuni,
07:52the largest salt flat
07:53in the world,
07:54covering more than
07:5510,000 square kilometers.
07:57It is an extremely vast plain
07:59with almost perfect
08:01geometric patterns.
08:03And when it rains,
08:04its surface turns
08:05into a giant mirror
08:07that seems to connect
08:08the earth
08:09and the sky.
08:11According to the legend
08:12of the indigenous people
08:13of the Andes,
08:14the salt flat was formed
08:15from the tears and milk
08:16of the goddess Tunupa
08:18after she was betrayed
08:19by her husband
08:20and had her child
08:21taken away.
08:22Because of this,
08:23the place has long
08:24been associated
08:25with stories of loss
08:26and sadness.
08:27The ancient Andean people
08:29usually only collected salt
08:32from the edges
08:32of the salt flat
08:33and avoided traveling
08:35deep inside it.
08:36And it's not just
08:37the high salinity
08:38that makes it hard
08:39to live here.
08:40The solar radiation
08:41is also intense.
08:43Because of the white
08:44surface of the salt,
08:45the sunlight is strongly
08:47reflected,
08:47so the skin can burn
08:49quickly,
08:49and the eyes can be affected
08:51if there is no protection.
08:53During the day,
08:54the temperature can reach
08:55around 25 degrees Celsius,
08:58while at night,
08:59it can drop to as low
09:00as negative 15 degrees.
09:02The wind speed can also reach
09:04up to 90 kilometers per hour.
09:07And because the entire landscape
09:09looks almost the same,
09:11it can be very confusing,
09:12even for people
09:13who are familiar with the area.
09:14Under the very clear sky,
09:16the Solar de Uyuni
09:18is a breathtaking sight.
09:20But it is also
09:21a vast and dangerous
09:22environment for anyone
09:23who is unprepared.
09:25Number 9.
09:26Black Sea
09:28Let's go to the border
09:29of Eastern Europe
09:30and Western Asia.
09:31The Black Sea
09:32is a vast body of water
09:33that is almost
09:34completely surrounded
09:35by land.
09:36At first glance,
09:37you'll see its blue surface
09:39traversed by ships
09:40and fishing vessels.
09:42But beneath it,
09:43there's a strange
09:44chemical anomaly
09:45that makes it seem
09:46like a giant
09:47underwater cemetery.
09:48During the last ice age,
09:50salty water
09:51from the Mediterranean
09:52suddenly flowed
09:53into what was once
09:54a freshwater lake.
09:56Because salty water
09:57is denser,
09:58it sank to the bottom
10:00and formed
10:00a permanent layer.
10:02For thousands of years,
10:04the salty water
10:05at the bottom
10:05and the less salty water
10:07on top
10:08hardly mixed.
10:09Because of this,
10:10oxygen cannot reach depths
10:12greater than about
10:13200 meters.
10:15Almost 90%
10:16of the Black Sea's volume
10:17makes up one of the
10:18largest anoxic zones
10:19on the planet.
10:20Below the surface layer,
10:22there's almost
10:22no oxygen.
10:24What you'll find there
10:25is a vast,
10:26dark world
10:27filled with
10:28hydrogen sulfide,
10:29a poisonous compound
10:30that also gives off
10:31a distinct smell
10:32like rotten eggs.
10:34When something
10:34sinks to this depth,
10:36it can quickly
10:37stop decaying
10:38and end up being
10:39completely preserved
10:40at the bottom.
10:41Because of this,
10:42even shipwrecks
10:43from ancient empires
10:44can remain
10:45almost intact
10:46for thousands of years.
10:48On the surface,
10:49it's just a normal sea.
10:51But underneath,
10:51it's a vast world
10:53with almost no oxygen,
10:55making it uninhabitable
10:57for most organisms.
10:58Number 8.
10:59Point Nemo
11:00Now, let's dive into
11:02one of the most remote
11:03parts of the Pacific Ocean.
11:05Point Nemo,
11:06also known as
11:07the Pole of Oceanic
11:09Inaccessibility,
11:10is farther from any land
11:12than any other place
11:13in the ocean.
11:14It's so far
11:15from any continent
11:16or island
11:17that the closest people
11:18to Point Nemo
11:19might be astronauts
11:20aboard the
11:21International Space Station.
11:23It only became possible
11:25to pinpoint
11:25its exact location
11:26in 1990
11:28with the advancement
11:29of satellite technology.
11:31Because it's so far
11:32from people
11:33and regular shipping routes,
11:34the place has been used
11:35as a kind of
11:36spacecraft cemetery.
11:38Old satellites,
11:39spacecraft,
11:40and even the former
11:41Mir Space Station
11:43are deliberately brought down
11:44in this remote part
11:45of the Pacific
11:46to prevent them
11:47from crashing
11:48into populated areas.
11:49But space debris
11:51isn't the only reason
11:52why Point Nemo
11:53is unique.
11:54Because it is so far
11:55from the coasts
11:56and surrounded
11:57by vast ocean currents
11:59that hardly bring
12:00any nutrients,
12:02very few nutrients
12:03reach the area.
12:05Because of this,
12:06it is called,
12:06because of this,
12:07very few nutrients
12:08reach the area.
12:09You for watching!
12:11There are very few nutrients,
12:12so only a small amount
12:14of life can thrive here.
12:15There are almost
12:16no large animals.
12:18There are few plants
12:19and microorganisms,
12:20and the biological activity
12:21is very low.
12:22Compared to other parts
12:23of the ocean,
12:24this is a vast
12:26and almost empty area
12:27of the Pacific Ocean.
12:29A perfect place
12:30for the remains
12:31of spacecraft
12:32returning from space.
12:33A remote part
12:35of the planet
12:35where space junk
12:37is deliberately sent
12:38to completely disappear
12:39from human sight.
12:41Number 7.
12:43Naica Cave.
12:44Let's go to Mexico,
12:45specifically in the state
12:46of Chihuahua.
12:48About 300 meters underground,
12:50miners discovered
12:51a cave that seems
12:52to come straight
12:53out of legend.
12:54It is filled
12:55with massive pillars
12:57of pure selenite crystals,
12:59and some are as large
13:01as buildings.
13:02It looks absolutely stunning,
13:05but behind its dazzling beauty
13:07hides a deadly environment.
13:09For hundreds of thousands
13:11of years,
13:12the cave was filled
13:13with water
13:13that had a very high concentration
13:15of calcium sulfate,
13:16while it was continuously heated
13:18by deep magma
13:19beneath the ground.
13:21The exact combination
13:22of temperature,
13:23minerals,
13:24and stable conditions
13:25allowed the crystals
13:27to grow
13:27to an extraordinary size.
13:29The cave remained submerged
13:31until the water
13:32was completely drained
13:33due to the operation
13:34of industrial pumps.
13:36When the true conditions
13:37inside were discovered,
13:39temperatures reaching
13:40up to 58 degrees Celsius
13:41were recorded,
13:42along with almost
13:43100% humidity.
13:45For a person
13:46without special
13:47protective cooling equipment,
13:49body temperature
13:49rises very quickly.
13:51In this kind of humidity,
13:53sweat no longer
13:54evaporates effectively,
13:55so the body
13:56can't cool down properly.
13:58Within just a few minutes,
13:59a person's condition
14:01can become critical.
14:02In other words,
14:03it's like a very hot
14:04steam oven
14:06hidden inside a palace
14:07made of crystal.
14:09Number 6,
14:10Valley of Death,
14:12Kamchatka.
14:13Let's go to Russia's
14:14far east
14:15to the remote
14:15and wild Kamchatka Peninsula.
14:18At the foot
14:18of Kikpunich Volcano,
14:20there is a narrow valley
14:22that is almost
14:22two kilometers long.
14:24At first glance,
14:25it's a lush
14:26and beautiful place.
14:27But beneath its
14:29peaceful scenery
14:30lies one of the most
14:31dangerous natural
14:32environments in the region.
14:34Local hunters
14:35discovered this
14:36in 1970,
14:38after they found
14:39several dogs
14:40lying lifeless
14:41without any visible wounds.
14:43When the Soviet expedition
14:44conducted studies,
14:46they found numerous
14:47remains of bears,
14:49foxes,
14:50birds,
14:50and other animals.
14:52The valley acts
14:53like a natural trap
14:54for poisonous volcanic gases.
14:57The volcanic ground
14:58continuously releases
15:00high concentrations
15:01of gases,
15:02such as carbon dioxide
15:04and sulfur dioxide.
15:06Because some of these
15:07gases are heavier
15:08than normal air,
15:09they accumulate
15:10close to the ground.
15:12Small animals
15:13may be the first
15:14to be affected
15:15and collapse.
15:17Then,
15:17larger predators
15:18are attracted
15:19to the remains
15:20of the animals,
15:21and they can also
15:22be affected
15:23by the same gas.
15:24The situation
15:25becomes even more unusual
15:27because certain conditions
15:29in the valley
15:29can slow down
15:31natural decomposition,
15:32so other animals
15:33continue to be attracted.
15:35It's a natural trap
15:36where the air itself
15:38can become
15:39the most dangerous enemy.
15:41Number five,
15:42Jacuzzi of Despair.
15:44Let's go down
15:45to the depths
15:45of the Gulf of Mexico,
15:47approximately
15:481,000 meters underwater.
15:50In the middle
15:51of the dark seabed,
15:52underwater exploration robots
15:54discovered a strange
15:55underwater lake.
15:57It is an almost
15:58circular depression
15:59surrounded by salt deposits.
16:02The water inside it
16:03is so dense
16:04that it doesn't easily mix
16:06with the surrounding
16:07ocean water.
16:08This unique place
16:09was formed
16:10after ancient seas
16:11dried up millions
16:13of years ago,
16:14leaving behind
16:15thick layers of salt
16:17that were eventually
16:18covered by sediments.
16:19over time,
16:21immense geological pressure
16:23pushed the extremely
16:24salty water
16:25toward the seabed,
16:26creating a deadly
16:28trap in the depths.
16:29The water inside the pool
16:31is about four times
16:32saltier than normal
16:34seawater
16:34and has almost
16:36no oxygen.
16:37Around it,
16:38you can see numerous
16:39remains of crabs
16:40and deep-sea fish
16:42that mistakenly
16:43came too close.
16:44For animals
16:45that accidentally
16:46cross its edge,
16:47the effects of extreme
16:49salinity and lack
16:50of oxygen
16:50can be rapid
16:52and deadly.
16:53That's why it's called
16:55the Jacuzzi of Despair,
16:56a strange underwater lake
16:58that acts like a natural
17:00trap beneath the ocean.
17:03Number four,
17:04death zone.
17:05Let's climb to the highest
17:07part of the world
17:07in the mountains of Asia.
17:09At heights of over
17:108,000 meters,
17:11the mountains of the
17:13Himalayas and Karakoram
17:14reach a limit
17:15that the human body
17:16can barely endure.
17:18Here, you'll find
17:19steep slopes
17:20filled with ice
17:21and rock
17:22where Earth's atmosphere
17:23can barely support life.
17:25Since the first
17:26British expeditions
17:28in the 20th century,
17:29mountaineers have
17:30discovered that
17:31mountains like
17:32Mount Everest
17:33and K2
17:34don't easily let
17:35climbers reach
17:36their summits.
17:37Hundreds of climbers
17:39have lost their lives
17:40while trying to reach
17:41their summits.
17:42Sudden freezing,
17:43severe hypothermia,
17:45and avalanches
17:46are some of the
17:47main dangers.
17:48Some of the climbers'
17:49bodies remain on the
17:50mountain and have
17:51become grim markers
17:53for those who follow.
17:55At this altitude,
17:56only about a third
17:57of the oxygen at sea
17:58level is available.
17:59And without supplemental
18:01oxygen from tanks,
18:02the body's normal
18:03functions begin to
18:05deteriorate.
18:06The brain swells,
18:07digestion slows down
18:09or stops,
18:10and blood flow
18:11changes.
18:12Every minute here
18:13has a significant
18:14impact on the body.
18:15Staying in the death
18:16zone without
18:17supplemental oxygen
18:18is like a slow,
18:20hard-to-reverse
18:21breakdown of the body
18:22at the cellular level.
18:24Number three,
18:26Nira Gongo Lava Lake.
18:27Let's go to the
18:28Democratic Republic
18:29of the Congo
18:30and climb to the
18:31summit of one of the
18:32most remarkable
18:32stratovolcanoes
18:33in Africa.
18:34At the depths of
18:35its crater lies a
18:36remarkable geological
18:38phenomenon.
18:39Nira Gongo is known
18:41for its massive
18:42lava lake,
18:43a vast pool of
18:44molten rock that
18:45remains hot and
18:46active.
18:47Unlike many
18:48volcanoes where
18:49magma cools and
18:50hardens,
18:51the lava at
18:52Nira Gongo has
18:53unique chemical
18:54properties.
18:55Its basaltic magma
18:56has a low silica
18:58content, which makes
18:59the lava unusually
19:01fluid.
19:01It flows quickly
19:03like water,
19:04creating boiling
19:05waves and strong
19:06convection currents
19:07that keep the
19:08molten rock
19:09constantly moving.
19:10It's an environment
19:11with almost no
19:12chance for life.
19:14The temperature of
19:15the lava can reach
19:16over 1,000 degrees
19:17Celsius.
19:18In these conditions,
19:20there's no room
19:21even for the toughest
19:22extremophile
19:23microorganisms.
19:25The thermal radiation
19:26and direct heat
19:27are enough to
19:28destroy or burn
19:29organic tissue,
19:30spores, and other
19:32microorganisms that
19:33come close to the
19:34molten rock.
19:35This is an environment
19:36that's not just hard
19:37to live in.
19:38Most things that
19:39come near it are
19:41literally burned.
19:43Number two,
19:44the Nikhil Depression.
19:46Now, let's go to
19:47northern Ethiopia.
19:48About 100 meters
19:49below sea level,
19:51the ground here
19:52seems to crack open,
19:53revealing colors
19:54that look like
19:55they're from
19:56another planet.
19:57Here you can find
19:58one of the hottest
19:59and most dangerous
20:00hydrothermal environments
20:02on the surface of
20:03the Earth.
20:03It's a poisonous
20:04landscape filled
20:05with vibrant colors,
20:06acid pools,
20:08salt formations,
20:09and fumes rising
20:11from underground.
20:12For thousands of years,
20:13the Afar people
20:14have lived around
20:15this region
20:16and have been
20:17extracting salt
20:18under the scorching sun.
20:20On some days,
20:21the air temperature
20:22can reach around
20:2350 degrees Celsius
20:24or even higher.
20:26However,
20:26almost no one dares
20:28to approach
20:28the hottest fumaroles
20:30and hydrothermal areas.
20:32In recent years,
20:33geological processes
20:34in the region
20:34have become
20:35even more active.
20:37The movement
20:38of the Earth
20:38and volcanic activity
20:40continue to change
20:41the landscape
20:41and create new
20:42acidic pools.
20:44Scientists examined
20:45some of these pools
20:47and discovered
20:47an extreme combination
20:49of conditions.
20:50There are areas
20:51that contain
20:52extremely hot water,
20:54extreme acidity,
20:55high salinity,
20:56and heavy metals.
20:58This combination
20:59is extremely dangerous
21:00for most microorganisms.
21:02In some particular pools,
21:04the conditions
21:04are so intense
21:05that almost no microbial
21:07life can survive.
21:08Because of this,
21:09the Danakill depression
21:10is one of the closest
21:11examples on Earth
21:12of an almost sterile environment,
21:15a place where life
21:16is an immense challenge.
21:19Number one,
21:20McMurdo Dry Valleys.
21:22We will end our journey
21:23in the southernmost part
21:24of the world,
21:25in Antarctica.
21:26Unlike what we usually
21:28think about this
21:29frozen continent,
21:30the McMurdo Dry Valleys
21:31are a vast land
21:33of dry soil,
21:34rocks,
21:35and dust,
21:36with almost no snow.
21:38This is a place
21:39that seems like
21:40it doesn't belong
21:41on planet Earth.
21:42The scenery here
21:43looks like an alien world,
21:45dry, cold,
21:46and almost no signs of life.
21:48It was discovered
21:49by Antarctic expeditions
21:51in the early 20th century,
21:52and the explorers
21:54were amazed
21:55when they saw
21:56the vast dry land
21:57in the middle
21:58of the permanent ice.
21:59They also found
22:00the remains
22:01of mummified seals
22:02that got lost
22:03and wandered
22:04several kilometers inland.
22:06Because of the extreme
22:07cold, dry air,
22:10and lack of moisture,
22:11some of the remains
22:13could be preserved
22:13for hundreds of years.
22:15This is also
22:16where powerful
22:17katabatic winds
22:18descend from the mountains,
22:20reaching speeds
22:21of over 300 kilometers
22:23per hour.
22:24These winds
22:25quickly remove
22:25any moisture
22:26from the surface
22:27of the ground.
22:28Meanwhile,
22:30the intense solar radiation
22:31hits the icy environment,
22:33making it even harder
22:35for any organism
22:36to survive.
22:37The conditions
22:38in the McMurdo dry valleys
22:39are so extreme
22:41that scientists use it
22:42as a kind of
22:43terrestrial simulator
22:44for Mars.
22:45It is a place on Earth
22:47that gives us an idea
22:48of what life
22:48might be like
22:49on a planet
22:50with almost no water
22:51and that is extremely
22:53difficult to inhabit.
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