Drawn from the pages of history and cutting-edge science, Thaw is a gripping read that will forever change how you see the frozen continent – and those who seek to conquer it.

In 1912, five British explorers struggle across the Antarctic landscape, through howling winds and plummeting temperatures, seeking the safety of their camp. Today, as the world's ice sheets begin to melt and surrender their secrets, renowned glacial archaeologist Missy Simpson works to discover the true cause of the explorers' deaths – a subject that has intrigued researchers for more than a century. In hallowed halls of learning and on the icy polar plateau, these risk-takers must grapple with the unfathomable power of the natural world and the dramatically changing weather – while navigating their own complicated relationships.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Dennis Glover about how history has treated Scott's ill-fated expedition, why meteorologist George Clarke Simpson was central to the recounting of this story, and what it all means in the context of devastating climate change.