Welcome aboard!
I’m Emma. I’m a writer, historian, astronomer, and all-around polar enthusiast—oh, and I do repair and maintenance work on RRS Discovery! This is my blog Glossopteris, where you’ll find an idiosyncratic range of posts including personal musings, commentary, and research articles on polar history. Join me as I plunge down the crevasse….
(This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed therein are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of any organisation I am affiliated with.)
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Note: this post involved a lot of independent research, and there are a lot of gaps in the story, especially regarding Quartley’s later life. If you spot anything inaccurate, or know of any information I’ve missed, feel free to reach out to me at glossopteris.polar@gmail.com. Thank you! When thinking of the art of the 1901-1904…
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Amundsen at the South Pole; Aldrin on the moon. Photo credits Olav Bjaaland, Neil Armstrong. This post is adapted from my presentation at Terror Camp 2023. In December 1911, Roald Amundsen and his team stand at the South Pole, hats doffed, staring up at the Norwegian flag they’ve raised above their tent. Olav Bjaaland photographs…
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In the Pokémon world, a new trainer just starting their adventure has a choice to make: do they want fire-type, grass-type, or water-type for their first Pokémon? In the first generation, these “starter Pokémon” were represented by Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. Starters are meant to be beginner-friendly; indeed, they are your first friend on your…
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When work sends you to southwest England, and the dates shake out such that you get a free weekend after your conference, and you’re a polar fan, there’s only one thing to do….daytrip to Cheltenham! It was a four-hour round-trip journey by train from where I was staying in Exeter, but it was absolutely worth…
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“So, how much is original?” This is one of the most common questions I get asked while working on Discovery. (Although sometimes, visitors come onboard with the impression the ship is a replica. In that circumstance I find myself with the immense pleasure of informing them it’s real, and watching their eyes light up in…
“It was strange to have sailed the sea for many years in entire ignorance that such things were.”
— Robert Falcon Scott
Glossopteris 