Extreme Scientists Don't Play it Safe

Ask 100 people to describe a scientist and you will likely hear things like "works in a lab" or "wears a white coat and plays with test tubes all day." Scientific work is often viewed as dry, sterile, and devoid of danger. However, science in extreme environments contradicts this notion. Men and women conduct environmental studies at the Earth's poles, perform complex research aboard the international space station, or evaluate the effects of extreme conditions on the human body in military contexts. Furthermore, as Marc Kaufman describes in his NPR.org article, the general public may not fully appreciate what scientists endure to add to our body of knowledge. Kaufman notes,

"Often in the reporting about science, the adventure, the risk and the physical difficulty of the research gets shunted aside and ignored. Science tends to be seen as the work of people who don't willingly expose themselves to physical hardship and danger."

See Kaufman's full article for more on his experience following a group of scientists searching for creatures living in extreme environments.