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The Last Continent

About 200 years ago, Antarctica was barely an idea. Today it’s a world of scientific possibility. How did we get here — and what will happen as climate change continues to threaten this pristine land and the creatures that call it home? From the PBS NewsHour, an original four-part series on Antarctica — the continent, its creatures, the scientists and the threats that lie ahead.

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Bonus episode

Introducing America, Interrupted

Much of what we’ve heard about the coronavirus is from major cities like New York. But what’s happening to hospitals in rural America, where there are more high-risk patients, fewer resources and a smaller safety net — if there is…

Episode

EPISODE 1: Nobody warned us it would be like this

On a big white cruise ship, 140 tourists have paid thousands of dollars for a rare first-hand tour of Antarctica. Humans didn't set foot on the continent until about 200 years ago, but now, it draws more than 50,000 visitors…

Episode

EPISODE 2: I’m a penguin counter for God’s sake!

Ron Naveen has been counting penguins on a remote, inhospitable stretch of Antarctica for nearly four decades. He's one of the few people who still counts these adorable, flightless, slightly awkward birds by hand. Penguins have survived a host of…

Episode

EPISODE 3: Bars, babies and a big breakthrough

Over thousands of years, humans built civilizations on every other continent on Earth. But it wasn't until the 1800s that we arrived on Antarctica. Today, it's still a place with no indigenous population, no official government and not a single…

Episode

EPISODE 4: What the ice is telling us

Antarctica is covered almost entirely by thick sheets of ice, but that ice is now slipping away at an accelerating rate. Many researchers say that as the Earth continues to warm, more and more of the continent's ice will end…

Preview

Preview: The Last Continent

On April 24, the PBS NewsHour releases its first original podcast series, "The Last Continent," a four-part journey to Antarctica.