Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, the Cosmos, and Our Future

by Neil Shubin

The bestselling author of Your Inner Fish takes readers on an epic adventure to the North and South Poles to uncover the secrets locked in the ice and profoundly shift our understanding of life, the cosmos, and our future on the planet.

For three decades, renowned scientist Neil Shubin has made extraordinary discoveries by leading scientific expeditions to the sweeping ice landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctic. He’s survived polar storms and faced the limits of human endurance to explore questions of how life survived and adapted, and what our future on a changing planet may hold.

Scientific discoveries at Earth’s polar regions have changed the way we see the world and these insights are becoming ever more urgent. These landscapes are the epicenter for rapid change to our planet, with ice retreating, animal species moving toward the equator or going extinct, Indigenous communities confronting dramatic environmental changes, and political battles heating up for newly accessible mineral and gas resources. In the end, what happens at the poles does not stay in the poles—events there in the coming years will affect all life and every nation on the planet. The book blends travel, science, and environmental writing to deepen our understanding of animal and plant life, the history of our ice ages, the age of dinosaurs, the history of Western exploration, and the clues meteorites preserved at the poles contain about the cosmos. 

Written with infectious enthusiasm and irresistible curiosity, Shubin shares lively adventure stories from the field to reveal just how far scientists will go to understand polar regions and to reveal the poles’ impact on the rest of life on the planet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, History, Travel, Biology, Audiobook

288 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2025

Reviews

[Nataliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The polar regions of Earth attracted the explorers and the scientists and those looking for commercial interests for quite a while. The icy caps on our planet, the places of overwhelming cold and snow and ice and stark frozen whiteness, dangerous and alluring and absolutely mesmerizing places. They seem eternal and yet are far from permanent, which we are witnessing now in our warming world.

“Polar ice caps have only been a feature of our planet for roughly 10 percent of its existence. Our perception of what is geographically “normal” is skewed by the fact that the entire history of our species happened during a special time on planet Earth—one with ice at both poles. For most of Earth’s history, despite relatively short and occasionally dramatic episodes of freezing, Earth had Open Polar Seas.”

In Ends of Earth Neil Shubin shows us the world of the poles bringing in his own polar researcher experience - the Arctic and Antarctica - in eight long chapters focusing on everything from nature of ice to polar explorations to history of life on Earth. We get to read about the hunt for Antarctic fossils and search for meteorites over the ice continent. There is the search for underground lakes under miles of ice and the search for life there. There are insects and fish with natural antifreeze that helps them survive. There are the accounts of resettlement in the Inuit to justify Arctic land claims. There is permafrost melting and ice shelves breaking up and glaciers sliding into the ocean. There is life finding any way to propagate and “ummm… find a way” (one dead musk ox can become quite an oasis of life in the barren Arctic landscape!)

“Antarctica and the Arctic are warming, and polar treaties are straining as fast as ice melts and species disappear. Our fragile window for understanding the cosmos, the planet, and ourselves is closing. The science of Earth’s most remote places and the stories of the people who work there are becoming ever more urgent and relevant.”

I loved the accounts based on Shubin’s personal experience in the polar regions and the stories of the explorers and scientists past and present. I also appreciated how easily readable this book is, very accessible and very interesting, without ever sliding into either dry science or sensationalized commercialism. I would have happily read another few hundred pages of this had Shubin written more.

“When plans go awry in polar regions, patience becomes the best strategy—patience with the weather, the people on the team, and, most important, one’s own emotional and physical limitations.”

5 stars with no hesitation after a couple of very enjoyable evenings spent in this book’s company.

“For those of us accustomed to lower latitudes it is easy to become untethered from reality in the strange and isolated environments at the poles. Expeditions working both in Antarctica and the Arctic have had to deal with crews who became unhinged. One Argentine crew member burned down his Antarctic base after learning he had to overwinter there. And one Russian stabbed his Antarctic colleague for spoiling the endings of books. Then there’s the Australian who became so dangerous he had to be locked in the freezer of Mawson Station in the 1950s. There was also the physician who poisoned his own patient and expedition leader, Charles Hall, on an American expedition to the North Pole in the 1800s. Tales of depression, psychosis, mutiny, and murder are rife in accounts of exploration at both poles.”

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Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Also posted on my blog.

[CatReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neil Shubin is an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and professor at the University of Chicago - and also an engaging science writer (I previously read and enjoyed his 2020 work, Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA - see my review here).. Since his graduate school days in the 1980s, he's been routinely traveling to the Arctic and the Antarctic regions on research trips, and in his 2025 science book, Ends of the Earth, he masterfully weaves in insights from his own polar adventures with historical, anthropologic, meteorological, and interdisciplinary scientific insights about the past, present, and future of the poles.

Further reading: the polar regions and climate change
The Age of Melt: What Glaciers, Ice Mummies, and Ancient Artifacts Teach Us About Climate, Culture, and a Future Without Ice by Lisa Baril | my review - a very similar topic, though I'd recommend Shubin's book over this one
Island on Fire by Alexandra Witze and Jeffrey Kanipe | my review
Life on Svalbard: Finding Home on a Remote Island Near the North Pole by Cecilia Blomdahl | my review
North to the Night : A Spiritual Odyssey in the Arctic by Alvah Simon | my review

My statistics:
Book 78 for 2025
Book 2004 cumulatively

[Michael Schramm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, unlike Shubin’s earlier “Your Inner Fish” was a rather turgid affair for me, lackluster, with many sections devoted to rather tepid, uninteresting material. I did glean some fascinating information on the geographic/geologic nature of the continent of Antarctica and the author’s insights on how the polar regions figure prominently on a climatological and even geopolitical basis.

The most interesting sections for me those centered on the history of polar exploration—but just why Shubin lends credence to Robert Peary’s 1909 “discovery” of the North Pole absolutely stymies me. It has been well established by now (most recently in Buddy Levy’s “Realm of Ice and Sky”) that Peary’s trek to the pole fell short of achieving his goal. That oversight alone compelled me to take off one star. That and the grandstanding and overemphasis on anthropogenic climate change, something that I’m still not convinced about in the wake of my reading Michael Crichton’s “State of Fear” and “The Chilling Stars” by Dr. Nigel Calder.

I will add that Neil Shubin is to be credited for being a vaunted explorer of Antarctica in his own right, enduring considerable hardship in his quest to discover Devonian age (400 mya) invertebrates and largely intact meteorites. His quest for unlocking palentological mysteries is quite noteworthy and admirable. Perhaps this book was not a great choice for me as I’m just too absorbed with history to see it mixed with scientific topics (?)

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a blend of science, history, and memoir. Shubin has participated in and led scientific expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic to better understand our world. He reports results and comments on historical expeditions to the North and South Poles. The book touches on a wide variety of topics such as the environmental impact of melting glaciers; territorial disputes in the Arctic, and how they were avoided in the Antarctic; and how plants and animals have adapted to survive in polar climates. He analyzes evidence from over 50,000 meteorites discovered in the Antarctic, which have provided clues about the history of the universe. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of highlights from Shubin's own field expeditions, such as a pilot landing a propeller plane in an icy valley; a crew member discovering kaleidoscopic hues of blue while spelunking in Antarctic crevasses; and his team locating a field of dinosaur footprints that had been preserved under layers of ice. The author’s writing is lively and engaging, and his enthusiasm about this material is obvious. He makes a case for why these distant places matter. I found it fascinating.

[Ula Tardigrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real treat for anyone in love with the polar regions.

I am a fan of Neil Shubin - I have read and enjoyed two of his previous books, but this one is a bit different. First, it is not a classic popular science work - more of a travelog and history book. Second, it is more a series of essays on various polar-related topics than a coherent story - but it is so compelling you can hardly put the book down.

The author shares his experiences from many expeditions he was part of (or led), including many interesting observations (“with no news, internet, or external sources of information, the main distractions in camp are the ones we carry inside of us”). I especially liked his set of rules for working in polar regions: 1. Don’t get cold. 2. Don’t get hot (“The general advice for working in cold places is: rush only when necessary”). 3. Don’t get dry. 4. Keep your head in the game. 5. It takes a village. 6. Think inside the box (“Thinking ‘outside the box’ is for the whiteboard at home, not for polar expeditions.”) 7. Experts mess up.

In addition to these recollections, Shubin retraces other scientific discoveries in the Arctic and Antarctic from the so-called "Heroic Age" (which lasted from the end of the 19th century until World War I) to the present day. And on top of all that, there are even a few paragraphs about my favorite creatures: “Because they accomplish all these feats while looking like cute teddy bears under the microscope, tardigrades have developed a loyal fan following.”

Thanks to the publisher, Penguin Group Dutton, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

[Elmira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Neil Shubin, Dutton Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this book! The author's wonder at the magic of the nether regions of the earth is infectious. He is masterful at weaving scientific discovery into the narrative of the locations and characters presented so that the story is seamless and effortless to follow. This short book (288 pages) is arranged into a Prologue, eight Chapters, and an Epilogue. The chapters are each on a different aspect of polar research, but there are connections between them so that they work together to build the overall narratives of the history of what is now the Arctic and Antarctic, the science of survival in the extreme conditions occurring in both poles, the history of exploration in polar regions, the changes that are now occurring in both polar regions and its probable effects on the rest of the planet, and other related aspects of polar science. I highly recommend this book for anyone fascinated by the Arctic and/or Antarctic.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Most Remarkable Book on Polar Exploration and Science

Neil Shubin’s “Ends of the Earth” is a most remarkable book. It’s a most remarkable book that entices readers with its extensive coverage of polar exploration and invites them to learn more about polar science at both of Earth’s poles. A most remarkable book that is surprisingly terse and concise in its coverage of polar exploration, climatology, geology, paleobiology, glaciology, oceanography, and geopolitics, with some fascinating brief excursions into the history and sociology of science and planetary geology and astrophysics too. Best known for his discovery of the fishapod Tiktaalik, Neil Shubin has emerged to become one of our most important, most insightful science communicators. With “Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, The Cosmos and Our Future” Shubin adds further luster to his notable achievements as an important science communicator and scientist, destined hopefully to win new fans unfamiliar with his previous work.

Shubin devotes much of the book to the nature and geological history of ice. He reminds readers as to how twice in Earth’s geological history, 710 million and 660 million years ago, the Earth was covered in ice, a “Snowball Earth” that left the continents covered in vast glaciers stretching from the poles to the Equator and the oceans frozen solid. Each of these intervals lasted ten million years. Shubin notes how geochemical analyses of rocks have pointed out the existence of these two intervals, which have been interpreted as offering proof for the “Snowball Earth” hypothesis. He also devotes much prose to the rigors involved in polar exploration, offering us a primer on how to conduct polar exploration safely via a “primer” he has written, covering in extensive detail much of the important scientific contributions made by polar expeditions in the 20th Century, including Robert F. Scott’s ill-fated attempt to lead the first expedition to the South Pole, only to discover that Roald Amundsen and his team had beaten Scott’s team weeks before and the unsuccessful, deadly return trek to Scott’s base camp.

Much to my own surprise, Shubin has noted the relative youth of the West Antarctic ice sheet, having melted, reformed and then remelted during successive intervals of global cooling and warming, with Earth’s temperatures warmer than it is now, within the past 10 million years. This is crucial in understanding not only how fragile this ice sheet is, but with regards to climate change, how susceptible it might be to man-made global warming if Earth’s temperatures continue rising. Shubin also covers extensively how Greenland’s glaciers have responded to various episodes of global warming and cooling, These are major reasons why polar science must remain a key priority in studying climate change.

While much of the exploration and research covered in “Ends of the Earth” has been done almost exclusively by men, Shubin notes the important contributions of Margaret Bradshaw, who was among the first women to lead Antarctic research teams, Mary Dawson, a vertebrate paleontologist whose research anticipated Shubin’s in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic, and Maureen Raymo, a paleoceanographer and paleoclimatologist. What is especially noteworthy and pathetic, is Shubin’s description of how Raymo was mistreated by older male colleagues, who viewed her more as a secretary than as the first-rate scientist she’d become. A college classmate of mine, Raymo, predicted that the rise of the Tibetan Plateau - which occurred as the Indian subcontinent was colliding into Asia – fostered Earth’s cooling and the onset of the current Ice Age, due to erosion of rocks on the plateau that released carbon which contributed to this cooling. For her remarkable scientific hypothesis Raymo was honored by the Geological Society of London with its Wollaston medal in 2014, an honor that such notable figures in science and exploration like 19th Century naturalists Charles Darwin and Louis Agassiz and 20th Century polar explorer and climatologist Sir Nicholas Shackleton also received. Widely considered as the geological sciences’ equivalent of the Nobel Prize, the Wollaston Medal was an all -male preserve until Raymo became the first woman geoscientist to receive it.

“Ends of the Earth” is a most remarkable book that should garner a wide readership. Shubin has excelled in telling a most remarkable tale about polar exploration and science, including compelling, often insightful, commentary about his own adventures in both polar regions. It’s definitely one of the most important books on polar science and exploration that I’ve come across, and one that hopefully will be destined to be remembered as an instant classic.

[Stephen]

When Neil Shubin was a young biologist, he got his start looking for fossils in the poles, where now frozen wastelands were once jungles teeming with life. Doing science at the poles is uniquely challenging and physically demanding, sometimes to the point of being life-threatening. Here, Neil Shubin remembers and records his and others’ forays into the Artic and Antartic regions, where amid savage winds and persistent gloom scientists seek to advance our knowledge about Earth’s past, present, and future. A mix of memoir, history, and science, Ends of the Earth is an interesting frozen sundae of science topics: hydrology, geology, oceanography, and climatology which could have got even more varied had it mentioned the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica.

Shubin’s other works have been tightly focused, but this one is more loose as we bound back and forth between the two poles and the topics between them. There’s a lot covered here: Shubin’s memoirs from his own polar visits, where he learned how to survive amid the brutal cold and offers tips for aspiring Shackletons; the history of Antarica, Greenland, and the Artic’s exploration; reviews of how glaciation was discovered to work, and how glaciers have shaped the landscape; and ruminations on what the shrinking of the ice caps holds for us, past and present. There’s also a bit of Artic politics, since the north pole is ringed with nations, some of whom have missiles pointed at each other constantly. I was amused to learn of a dispute between Canada and Denmark over a lifeless rock called Hans Island: evidently they would take turns planting their respective flags and leaving a bottle of whisky or schnapps to make good the claim. I find Antartica particularly fascinating given its varied landscapes, but despite liking Shubin and enjoying the book well enough, it never pulled me in the way I expected.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neil Shubin has delivered yet another masterpiece of science writing. Professor Shubin's fourth book, "Ends of the Earth" takes the reader to the literal twin poles, and regales us with tales of exploring these icy regions, plunging into the depths of ice, and providing us with a clear glimpse of our future. Shubin has a clear and engaging writing style, and loves telling stories of exploration. It's not just what he and his colleagues find, but how they do it, and the history of Arctic exploration. Shubin has a reverence for those who came before him, and equally for the polar world around us. Shubin's previous three books, particularly "Your Inner Fish," all shine, but this new book really tasks the reader to consider places on Earth that are truly inaccessible for the overwhelming majority of us. Shubin takes us deep inside icy glaciers, and the lakes below them(!), while describing the animals, organisms, and people who live on the two poles. This book is almost impossible to put down. Shubin is without doubt the best writer of science on the market today. His students at the University of Chicago are lucky to have him.

[Juny · Rating 4 out of 5]

De nuevo, Shubin, qué buen libro has hecho. Si Goodreads crea una categoría de ciencia para los premios de fin de año, este libro será nominado.

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one didn’t really do it for me and I ended up skimming the last hundred pages or so. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood for it, but it didn’t hit as good as other similar books I’ve read.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think, in another life, I could've been someone who did expeditions into the polar regions of this planet.

The information in this book was well laid out, interesting, and a little heartbreaking, which should come to no surprise to anyone.

I really enjoyed everything in this book, I was invested in the stories and I was constantly eager to learn more. The author also presents the book in a way that a regular person can enjoy it, not just those in the education field, and I think that is very important.

[Alma Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

ENDS OF THE EARTH by Neil Shubin
Journeys to the polar regions in search and our future

This book treks through history with more information than I could ever remember after reading it only once. A page that interested me mentioned a scientific expedition that happened in the mid-70s. In August and September of 1975, NASA launched two probes, Viking I and Viking II, to be the first American missions to land on Mars. Both successfully landed, leaving an orbiter around Mars to relay signals back home. The probes had chemical laboratories on board to make the first analyses of the Martian atmosphere. When the signals came back to Earth, the Martian atmosphere was found to have oxygen and nitrogen as well as atoms of xenon, krypton, and argon.
The meteorite researchers knew about these discoveries when they assessed EETA79001. When they compared the gasses released from the glass inside the meteorite to the atmosphere of Mars, they found the gasses were identical. EETA79001 was a chunk of Mars, blasted off by an asteroid impact, only to fly into space and enter Earth's atmosphere, even the chemistry of the Martian atmosphere was preserved inside its atoms.

[Chip Fallaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

In advance of my review, I'd like to thank the Neil Shubin, NetGalley, and the publisher for an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I like Neil Shubin. In fact, I requested this book because of how much I liked his previous book: Your Inner Fish. And, on paper, I even liked the premise of this book, which sought to "shift our understanding of life, the cosmos, and our future on the planet." I would argue that this book did not accomplish this task, but rather, provided multiple unique (and entertaining) anecdotes about Shubin's travels throughout the polar regions.

In no way am I displeased I requested or read this work. In fact, there is a ton of historical and factual information, along with tons of interesting stories that are condensed into this 290 page book. However, rather than acting as one coherent and well-planned work, the story seemingly meanders unapologetically from one disconnected story to the next. This disconnected storyline can be distracting for many readers, as it was for me.

Overall, this book seems to me to be a retelling of Shubin's accomplishments and experiences in the polar regions, rather than a book designed with the intention of educating the readers.

[Kaylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ends of the Earth is a remarkable scientific exploration of some of the most distant and desolate regions on our planet. Shubin's work at both the North and South poles has contributed immeasurably to our understanding of our past, present, and future. In this incredible book, he explains the wealth of information that scientists have collected from these regions for more than a hundred years.

Due to their desolation, inhabitable landscapes, and unique features, the poles represent a scientific hotbed of information. I was captivated by Shubin's account of the types of science conducted in these regions--ranging from ice core data to the collection of ancient meteorites. Shubin also discusses the challenges faced by explorers and scientists due to the extreme temperatures and dangers associated with working on glaciers. The reader really gets a sense of the day to day life of anyone inhabiting these regions and the perils they face.

This book is a fantastic read for anyone interested in the science that is conducted in the Artic and Antarctic regions. However, it is also an excellent read for anyone interested in the origins of our universe, the history of our planet (both the climate and the creatures that have inhabited it), as well as the climatic challenges we face going into the future.

Thank you to Dutton and Neil Shubin for the copy of this book I received through Goodreads Giveaways!

[Eric Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ ARC Book Review ✨

Thanks to NetGalley, Dutton Books, and Penguin Random House for the eARC of this book!

Ends of the Earth is a non-fiction book where Neil Shubin discusses his own scientific expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. He also provides a ton of detail about other historical expeditions to these regions and discusses the explorers, scientists, and governments that made these treks possible.

This books also gives a lot of time to the science of ice and the environment of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. There is a lot of discussion about how the movement of glaciers, and the glacial melting at the poles, influences today’s global environment and how the environment of the past would have been affected by these regions.

This book is extremely well researched and is written in such a way that if you are not an expert in geology you will still understand what is going on. I personally enjoyed the sections on fossil hunting and searching for meteorites on the ice the most in this book.

If you are wanting to understand more about the Arctic and the Antarctic, or you are really interested in the science of ice, check this out. Additionally, if you want an introduction to the geopolitical issues at play in the Arctic, this book also provides that.

[Nikki]

DNF. I'm sure there is a lot of great information to know about the poles of the Earth, but when I still haven't discovered it by thirty percent in I have to concede this is just not for me.

[Léonie Galaxie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ends of the Earth by Neil Shubin delivers an extraordinary synthesis of adventure, science, and urgent environmental reality that places readers at the heart of polar exploration's most critical moments. This University of Chicago professor of evolutionary biology has crafted a work that is simultaneously a comprehensive history of modern polar research and a deeply personal testament to the wonder and significance of our planet's most remote regions.

Shubin's genius lies in his ability to weave together multiple narrative threads without losing focus or momentum. His "comprehensive yet concise" approach manages to cover the essential history of polar exploration while incorporating cutting-edge scientific findings about glacial retreat and sea-level rise, all while maintaining the pace and excitement of an adventure story. This balance reflects both his scholarly expertise and his gift for making complex scientific concepts accessible to general readers.

The book's greatest strength emerges from Shubin's firsthand experience in these extreme environments. His personal accounts from field expeditions transform what could have been dry scientific exposition into vivid, immediate storytelling. When he describes a pilot landing a propeller plane in an icy valley or a crew member discovering "kaleidoscopic hues of blue" while spelunking through Antarctic crevasses, readers feel the thrill and danger of polar fieldwork. These moments of discovery—particularly his team's unearthing of dinosaur footprints preserved under layers of ice—capture the sense of wonder that drives scientific exploration.

What makes Ends of the Earth particularly valuable is Shubin's integration of geopolitical analysis with scientific narrative. His examination of Arctic territorial disputes reveals how climate change has transformed the polar regions from scientific curiosities into contested strategic assets. This "prescient geopolitical" perspective adds crucial contemporary relevance to historical accounts of exploration, showing how past discoveries have shaped current international tensions.

Shubin writes with the authority of someone who has spent decades studying and working in polar environments, yet his prose never feels academic or distant. His "reverence for both the beauty and the mysteries hidden in the cold, barren tundra" infuses every page, creating a reading experience that is both intellectually rigorous and emotionally engaging. He successfully captures the paradox of polar landscapes—environments that appear desolate yet teem with scientific significance and natural beauty.

The book's environmental urgency never overwhelms its sense of wonder. Shubin's scientific findings about glacial melting and rising sea levels feel all the more powerful because they emerge from his obvious love for these landscapes. His approach suggests that understanding and protecting the polar regions requires both rigorous scientific analysis and deep emotional connection to their unique character.

Ends of the Earth succeeds brilliantly as popular science writing, historical narrative, and environmental advocacy. Shubin has produced a work that educates readers about polar science while inspiring them to care about these remote but crucial regions. His combination of personal experience, scientific expertise, and storytelling skill creates a book that feels both timely and timeless.

This is essential reading for anyone interested in climate science, exploration history, or simply the remarkable stories that emerge when curious humans venture into Earth's most challenging environments. Shubin has given us a masterful exploration of the ends of the earth that reveals their central importance to our planet's future.

[Sarah Jensen]

Book Review: Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, the Cosmos, and Our Future by Neil Shubin

In Ends of the Earth, Neil Shubin, an esteemed paleontologist and evolutionary biologist, embarks on an intellectually stimulating journey to the polar regions, exploring the intricate connections between life, the cosmos, and humanity’s future. This book is not simply a travelogue; rather, it serves as a profound reflection on the origins of life, the implications of climate change, and the resilience of living organisms in extreme environments.

Content Overview
Shubin organizes his exploration around several key polar locations, each representing a different aspect of life’s adaptability and the challenges posed by environmental changes. He travels to places like Greenland and Antarctica, offering vivid descriptions of the landscapes and ecosystems he encounters. His narrative weaves together personal anecdotes, scientific insights, and historical contexts, making the complex themes accessible to a broad audience.

The book begins with an examination of the geological and ecological features of the polar regions, highlighting how these extreme environments have been critical to our understanding of evolution and the history of life on Earth. Shubin discusses how these regions serve as living laboratories for studying the effects of climate change and the biological adaptations necessary for survival in harsh conditions.

Thematic Exploration
Several prominent themes emerge throughout Ends of the Earth:

Adaptation and Evolution: Shubin delves into the concept of adaptability, presenting examples of organisms that thrive in polar environments. He discusses evolutionary processes and how species have developed unique traits to survive extreme cold and fluctuating ecosystems.

Climate Change and Its Impact: A significant portion of the book addresses the pressing issue of climate change. Shubin emphasizes the polar regions as indicators of global environmental shifts, illustrating how rising temperatures and melting ice are affecting both local ecosystems and global health.

Interconnectedness of Life: The author highlights the interconnectedness of all life forms, drawing parallels between organisms in the polar regions and those elsewhere on the planet. He emphasizes that understanding these connections is crucial for addressing the challenges facing biodiversity and ecosystems worldwide.

Cosmic Perspectives: Shubin takes readers on a journey beyond Earth, exploring the potential for life on other planets. He connects the study of extremophiles—organisms that thrive in extreme environments on Earth—to the search for life beyond our planet, pondering what these discoveries mean for the future.

A Call to Action: In the concluding chapters, Shubin issues a compelling call to action, urging readers to recognize the importance of protecting polar environments as key indicators of Earth’s health. He advocates for scientific literacy and engagement in environmental issues to foster a more sustainable future.

Style and Accessibility
Shubin’s writing is both engaging and lyrical, filled with vivid imagery that captures the stark beauty of the polar landscapes. His ability to distill complex scientific concepts into accessible language makes the book suitable for a general audience as well as for students and scholars. The inclusion of personal stories enriches the narrative, providing a relatable context to the scientific discussions.

Practical Implications
Ends of the Earth is an essential read for anyone interested in ecology, climate science, and evolutionary biology. It encourages readers to reflect on their role in the environmental crisis and highlights the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in understanding and addressing global challenges. The book serves as a bridge between scientific inquiry and public awareness, making it a valuable resource for educators and advocates alike.

Conclusion
Neil Shubin’s Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, the Cosmos, and Our Future is a thought-provoking exploration that illuminates the profound connections between life on Earth and the cosmos. Through his vivid storytelling and scientific insights, Shubin not only enhances our understanding of the polar regions but also inspires a sense of urgency regarding the environmental challenges we face. This book is a testament to the resilience of life and a clarion call for the protection of our planet, making it an indispensable addition to contemporary discussions on ecology and the future of life on Earth.

[Via · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jangan sampai kedinginan – Lebih baik mencegah tubuh menjadi dingin daripada mencoba menghangatkannya kembali.

Jangan sampai kepanasan – Berkeringat dalam cuaca ekstrem bisa mematikan karena pakaian basah menyerap suhu tubuh.

Jangan sampai dehidrasi – Udara dingin membuat kita tidak merasa haus, tapi tubuh tetap kehilangan cairan.

Jaga mental dan suasana hati – Sikap ringan, rasa syukur, dan humor bisa menyelamatkan jiwa dalam kondisi berat.

Semangat kebersamaan – Ia mengutip filosofi Inuit “Qaujimajatuqangit” yang menekankan kerja sama, kepedulian, dan hubungan harmonis dengan lingkungan.

Berikut adalah **ringkasan Epilog** dari buku *Ends of the Earth* karya **Neil Shubin**, diterjemahkan ke dalam **bahasa Indonesia dengan gaya penulis dan tanpa mengubah konteks maupun konten**:

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**EPILOG: JEJAK DI UJUNG DUNIA**

Shubin membuka epilog dengan pernyataan reflektif: **es yang bergerak telah mengubah dunia kita.** Manusia muncul dalam periode langka ketika kutub-kutub bumi diselimuti es, dan sejak itu, seluruh garis pantai, daratan, dan pulau tempat kita hidup ditentukan oleh volume air yang terkunci dalam es kutub.

Namun, ironisnya, **saat kita semakin bergantung pada kestabilan wilayah kutub, kita justru secara aktif mengubahnya.** Pemanasan global mendorong para ilmuwan dan insinyur untuk mempertimbangkan kemungkinan **merekayasa gletser kutub agar lebih tahan terhadap pemanasan.** Salah satu gagasan radikalnya: membangun penghalang di bawah laut untuk mencegah air hangat mengalir ke dasar gletser pesisir seperti Thwaites dan Pine Island. Bahkan ada ide untuk mengebor lubang dalam guna menyedot air mencair, atau menyuntikkan air beku untuk menjaga suhu dasar tetap dingin.

Meski terdengar mustahil secara biaya dan teknologi, **ide-ide geoengineering ini menjadi masuk akal jika kita mempertimbangkan risiko:** kenaikan permukaan laut lebih dari 60 cm pada tahun 2100, yang bisa menyebabkan **pengungsian massal dan kerugian global hingga $50 triliun per tahun.**

Shubin menyadari bahwa gagasan ini bisa dianggap **sombong—bermain-main dengan kekuatan alam yang belum sepenuhnya kita pahami.** Namun bagi sebagian lainnya, ini adalah bentuk asuransi jika perubahan iklim makin tak terkendali. Bagi kelompok ketiga, ini adalah konsekuensi logis dari tindakan manusia selama ini yang gagal mengendalikan emisi karbon.

Akhirnya, Shubin menutup dengan refleksi filosofis: **kita telah berpindah dari melihat kutub sebagai tempat liar dan jauh, menjadi tempat yang bisa kita kendalikan—atau bahkan desain.** Namun, kutub bukan hanya objek manipulasi, melainkan cermin bagi kita. Seperti telur burung plover yang bertahan di tengah badai dan pemangsa, manusia pun hidup dalam keseimbangan rapuh dengan planet ini.

[Mike Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book on the secrets locked in ice at both the north polar cap and Antarctica. There are some wonderful stories about how scientists have learned so much about glaciology, ice changes due to global warming, and the evolution of our planet.

"How to freeze a pole" chapter 6 discusses how the earth has evolved in the last 60 million years to have ice at both poles, a relatively recent phenom. He opens the chapter with discovery of a "dinosaur dancing floor", a large region in Greenland of three-toed dinosaur prints dating from 200 million years ago. He discusses J. Ebelmen, a french scientist from the mid 1800s, who was a chemist specializing in ceramics. He developed chemical synthetic methods for minerals, and devised a theory about the movement of the element carbon across the globe. This was long before our understanding of geology developed. Shubin then moves to more modern times, introducing Indiana chemist/physicist Harold Urey. Urey proposed that carbon in the atmosphere sits at a balance between the planetary events that produce it and others that remove it: weathering removes carbon (cooling the planet) and volcanism emit carbon (warming it). Another scientist, Maureen Raymo, connected the dots between the uplift in the Himalayas (causing more weathering/cooling), which along with the Antarctic circumpolar current which developed around Antarctica as South America/Africa/India separated, caused ice to develop. The north pole and Greenland remained warm, and about 3 million yrs ago, the Panama isthemus developed, and the Gulf Stream brought warm moist air to the arctic, forming ice. Along the way, other cycles developed, such as the Milankovic 100K ice age cycles due to changes in the earth's orbit.

[Jumachita Geivichson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Neil Shubin was a young biologist, he began his career searching for fossils in the polar regions—now frozen wastelands that were once lush, life-filled jungles. What a bold way to start!

I absolutely loved Neil Shubin’s *Ends of the Earth*. It’s an incredibly engaging book that, despite its brevity, offers a surprisingly comprehensive look at polar exploration, climatology, geology, paleobiology, glaciology, oceanography, and geopolitics. Shubin also weaves in captivating insights into the history and sociology of science, planetary geology, and even astrophysics.

A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the nature and geological history of ice. Shubin reminds readers that, on two occasions—710 million and 660 million years ago—Earth was completely frozen in a phenomenon known as "Snowball Earth." During these periods, vast glaciers covered the continents from pole to Equator, and the oceans were locked in ice.

One particularly fascinating revelation is the relative youth of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Shubin explains how, over the past 10 million years, it has melted, reformed, and melted again in response to global climate shifts—at times when Earth was even warmer than it is today.

In his fourth book, *Ends of the Earth*, Professor Shubin takes readers on an enthralling journey to the planet’s twin poles, sharing firsthand accounts of his explorations in these extreme environments.

His awe for the Earth's farthest reaches is truly contagious.

[Cami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of stories that take place in frigid, arctic settings—fiction or otherwise—so this book immediately reeled me in. I like how nonfiction titles such as "Ends of the Earth" begin with a sweeping introduction, then move into chapters that deal with more specific topics, and ultimately culminate in a conclusion that makes everything feel cohesive and important. This is an especially welcome format after listening to "Hope Dies Last," a more anthology-style audiobook that had trouble holding my attention due to its topical fragmentation.

Fred Berman, the audiobook narrator of "Ends of the Earth," enhanced the listening experience even further with his strong reading style. The cadence of his voice was varied enough that sentences never blurred together, and he read with a contagious enthusiasm that made an already fun and engaging topic—at least, in my opinion—even more so. I would highly recommend this book to other folks interested in extremely cold locations and their connection to the climate crisis.

[Tawney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise yet fairly detailed exploration of a range of topics regarding the polar regions of our planet. Shubin uses his years of field work looking for fossils as a somewhat loose framework to explain ice, the adaptations of plants and animals to polar surroundngs, how very different the Arctic and Antarctic are. There is good basic information on the explorers of the Golden Age and the politics, economics and potential for conflict not far in the future. These topics all coalesce in discussion of global warming. It is complicated and has impact beyond rising sea levels. Throughout Shubin writes with clarity and often humor. This is a very valuable book for understanding the Ends of the Earth.
I received a digital advanced copy of this book thanks to Dutton and NetGalley.

[Rich Bowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, Cosmos, and Our Future by Neil Shubin


Summary: Ever wanted to learn about the Arctic and Antarctica? This is a good book to start. Shubin shares his experiences and scientific interactions of his times at the polar regions of the Earth. Ends of the Earth covers the science of ice and glaciers, why so many meteorites are found in the ice of Antarctica, famous explorations, and of course the impact of climate change.

Ends of the Earth is less thought provoking than the title leads, however that doesn't discount the enjoyment I had reading the book. The pages bounce around between the two poles, but usually stay on the topic of the chapter, with each section usually leading back to issues with melting ice and temperature changes.

Overall, this is a bit of nerdy book (which is up my alley) where the pages talk about things like how ice melts and moves, geopolitics of polar ownership, and how ice core dating works. If that sounds interesting to you, totally pick it up.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 stars, actually, like another 3-star reviewer. But, with the book having an average rating of just about 4.5 as of the time I type? I can't go up.

It's a light and easy read, but, not very filling and not very in-depth.

There's also a couple of problems.

First? At one point, about 3/4 through, Shubin talks about the struggles of women in science. And yet? He contributes to that himself by omitting Eunice Foote from the discussion of research on greenhouse gases.

Second, he's the second Arctic explorer I've read recently, the other being Paul Bierman, who seems to think Robert Peary reached the North Pole. "Spoiler": He didn't, and the issue of discussion is how far short was he and second what was the mindset behind that, ie, measuring mistakes or fraud?

[Richard Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Shubin has a gift for writing and also for making the complex understandable. Both talents are in evidence in Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, the Cosmos and our Future. Shubin covers both the Arctic and Antarctica and describes areas I thought were basically barren and lifeless as being the exact opposite. I was particularly intrigued with the Tardigrades (water bears) which are hardy microscopic creatures which can live apparently anywhere despite temperature extremes and other environmental obstacles. Life on other planets in our solar system or further out seems much more plausible. Well woirth reading to expand tyour scientific knowledge.

[Chris Aylott · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the early pages read like the usual "grab bag of interesting science" science book (not a bad thing), Shubin digs deeper and deeper into his subject, combining stories of polar exploration with the vast time scales of climatology and geology. He brings home how humanity has lived in a narrow set of planetary conditions, how much wider the full range of Earth's parameters is, and the intricate systems driving change between those parameters.

Oh, all these systems are balanced on knife edges and can create huge changes in short-even-by-human-scale spans of time. So sleep well, everyone, the climate will most likely kill us in the morning!

[Gary Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read! The author describes in such details aspects of both our polar regions, the history as well as the fragility. It also serves as a stark reminder of how we continue to contribute to the erosion of the Arctic and Antarctic ice shelves. The history I found particularly interesting as Neil spends a good portion of the book talking about many explorers, their journeys, findings and theories (which in a lot of cases went on to help other generations of explorers with their own expeditions and further findings. A must read for anyone wanting to learn about our polar regions and how the environment we live in at the moment is damaging the critical balance of nature!

[Craig Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth of Neil Shubin's excellent books delving into, and explaining the natural world of which he is one of many talented and inciteful investigators.
From his first book "Your Inner Fish", which was made into a PBS three-part series several years ago (https://www.pbs.org/your-inner-fish/), I have found that his published works for the general public to be very educational and accessible to an average reader.
This volume explores his Arctic and Antarctic sojourns, as well as an overview and examination of, those explorers who came before during the age of polar explorations.

Highly recommended.