Alok Jha meets science historian Edward J. Larson, author of Empire of Ice, to review the scientific legacy of Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova expedition to the Antarctic which ended in 1912 – and ask why Scott failed in his bid to be the first man to reach the south pole, ultimately paying with his life.
Larson explores the animosity between the organisers of the British expedition and the Norwegian Roald Amundsen, who reached the south pole first.
According to the British, the pole was just a sideshow: Larson reveals how the Terra Nova scientists gathered the first evidence of a global ecological system through their observations of the fauna, flora and geology of the Antarctic.
Alok also drops into London's Natural History Museum where final preparations are under way for Scott's Last Expedition, which will open to the public on 20 January. Curator Elin Simonsson shows Alok some of the extraordinary artefacts from the expedition that will be on display.
The podcast features the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams and field recordings made by Pascal Wyse for his film Cold Calls: Sounds of Antarctica.
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