In this Jan. 22, 2015 photo taken through a window, a scientist collects samples outside near Chile’s station Bernardo O’Higgins in Antarctica. The first explorers set foot in Antarctica hunting 19th-century riches of whale and seal oil and fur. Since then, the continent has proven a treasure chest for scientists trying to determine everything from the creation of the cosmos to how high seas will rise with global warming. “It’s a window out to the universe and in time,” said Kelly Falkner, polar program chief for the U.S. National Science Foundation. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)