Ends of the Earth

Meet the scientists uncovering the secrets of Earth's harshest environments – the polar regions SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2025 AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Thrilling... This book is a reminder of how incredibly "cool" our planet can be, and how we must fight to protect it.' Nick Mohammed Frigid, remote and inhospitable – the polar regions seem far removed from our everyday lives. But these seemingly isolated ice realms shape life on our planet far more than we realise, influencing everything from the climate to ocean health. They may even hold the secrets to the origins of the Earth. Taking an epic journey of discovery from pole-to-pole, ferrying between penguins and polar bears, Ends of the Earth reveals the polar regions as never before. Meeting with the leading physicists, climatologists, geologists, biologists and palaeontologists working in these extremes – often as eccentric as they are intrepid – Neil Shubin presents the compelling new science of the Arctic and Antarctic with characteristic verve and expertise. *** 'A fast-moving, fascinating book that combines travelogue and natural science discovery... a delightful and compelling read.' Daniel J. Levitin, author of The Organised Mind 'Gripping... Shubin’s captivating storytelling will give you a new appreciation for some of the harshest and most mysterious places on Earth.' Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs 'What a remarkable planet we live on – wildest at its cold and lovely poles. This compelling volume should summon us to defend that cold, the vital task for our time on earth.' Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature 'Fascinating. Important.' Spectator

Meet the scientists uncovering the secrets of Earth's harshest environments – the polar regions SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2025 AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Thrilling... This book is a reminder of how incredibly "cool" our planet can be, and how we must fight to protect it.' Nick Mohammed Frigid, remote and inhospitable – the polar regions seem far removed from our everyday lives. But these seemingly isolated ice realms shape life on our planet far more than we realise, influencing everything from the climate to ocean health. They may even hold the secrets to the origins of the Earth. Taking an epic journey of discovery from pole-to-pole, ferrying between penguins and polar bears, Ends of the Earth reveals the polar regions as never before. Meeting with the leading physicists, climatologists, geologists, biologists and palaeontologists working in these extremes – often as eccentric as they are intrepid – Neil Shubin presents the compelling new science of the Arctic and Antarctic with characteristic verve and expertise. *** 'A fast-moving, fascinating book that combines travelogue and natural science discovery... a delightful and compelling read.' Daniel J. Levitin, author of The Organised Mind 'Gripping... Shubin’s captivating storytelling will give you a new appreciation for some of the harshest and most mysterious places on Earth.' Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs 'What a remarkable planet we live on – wildest at its cold and lovely poles. This compelling volume should summon us to defend that cold, the vital task for our time on earth.' Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature 'Fascinating. Important.' Spectator

A desperate young father. A lonely ranger. A race against time. Jason Kellerman's life revolves around his eight-year-old daughter. Teenage curiosity with his best friend led to Maggie's birth, and her mother tragically died soon after. Only twenty-five and a single dad, Jason hasn't had time to even think about romance. Disowned by his wealthy family, he's scrimped and saved to bring Maggie west for a camping vacation. The last thing Jason expects is to question his sexuality after meeting a sexy, older park ranger. Ben Hettler's stuck. He loves working in the wild under Montana's big sky, but at forty-one, his love life is non-existent, his ex-boyfriend just married and adopted, and Ben's own dream of fatherhood feels impossibly out of reach. He's attracted to Jason, but what's the point? Besides the age difference and skittish Jason's lack of experience, they live thousands of miles apart. Ben wants more than a meaningless fling. Then a hunted criminal on the run takes Jason's daughter hostage, throwing Jason and Ben together in a desperate and dangerous search through endless miles of mountain forest. They'll go to the ends of the earth to rescue Maggie-but what comes next? Can they build a new family together and find a place to call home? Ends of the Earth by Keira Andrews is an age-gap gay romance featuring sexual awakening, thrilling action and adventure, a plucky kid, and of course a happy ending.

A desperate young father. A lonely ranger. A race against time. Jason Kellerman's life revolves around his eight-year-old daughter. Teenage curiosity with his best friend led to Maggie's birth, and her mother tragically died soon after. Only twenty-five and a single dad, Jason hasn't had time to even think about romance. Disowned by his wealthy family, he's scrimped and saved to bring Maggie west for a camping vacation. The last thing Jason expects is to question his sexuality after meeting a sexy, older park ranger. Ben Hettler's stuck. He loves working in the wild under Montana's big sky, but at forty-one, his love life is non-existent, his ex-boyfriend just married and adopted, and Ben's own dream of fatherhood feels impossibly out of reach. He's attracted to Jason, but what's the point? Besides the age difference and skittish Jason's lack of experience, they live thousands of miles apart. Ben wants more than a meaningless fling. Then a hunted criminal on the run takes Jason's daughter hostage, throwing Jason and Ben together in a desperate and dangerous search through endless miles of mountain forest. They'll go to the ends of the earth to rescue Maggie-but what comes next? Can they build a new family together and find a place to call home? Ends of the Earth by Keira Andrews is an age-gap gay romance featuring sexual awakening, thrilling action and adventure, a plucky kid, and of course a happy ending.

Meet the scientists uncovering the secrets of Earth's harshest environments – the polar regions SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2025 AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Thrilling... This book is a reminder of how incredibly "cool" our planet can be, and how we must fight to protect it.' Nick Mohammed Frigid, remote and inhospitable – the polar regions seem far removed from our everyday lives. But these seemingly isolated ice realms shape life on our planet far more than we realise, influencing everything from the climate to ocean health. They may even hold the secrets to the origins of the Earth. Taking an epic journey of discovery from pole-to-pole, ferrying between penguins and polar bears, Ends of the Earth reveals the polar regions as never before. Meeting with the leading physicists, climatologists, geologists, biologists and palaeontologists working in these extremes – often as eccentric as they are intrepid – Neil Shubin presents the compelling new science of the Arctic and Antarctic with characteristic verve and expertise. *** 'A fast-moving, fascinating book that combines travelogue and natural science discovery... a delightful and compelling read.' Daniel J. Levitin, author of The Organised Mind 'Gripping... Shubin’s captivating storytelling will give you a new appreciation for some of the harshest and most mysterious places on Earth.' Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs 'What a remarkable planet we live on – wildest at its cold and lovely poles. This compelling volume should summon us to defend that cold, the vital task for our time on earth.' Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature 'Fascinating. Important.' Spectator

Meet the scientists uncovering the secrets of Earth's harshest environments – the polar regions SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2025 AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Thrilling... This book is a reminder of how incredibly "cool" our planet can be, and how we must fight to protect it.' Nick Mohammed Frigid, remote and inhospitable – the polar regions seem far removed from our everyday lives. But these seemingly isolated ice realms shape life on our planet far more than we realise, influencing everything from the climate to ocean health. They may even hold the secrets to the origins of the Earth. Taking an epic journey of discovery from pole-to-pole, ferrying between penguins and polar bears, Ends of the Earth reveals the polar regions as never before. Meeting with the leading physicists, climatologists, geologists, biologists and palaeontologists working in these extremes – often as eccentric as they are intrepid – Neil Shubin presents the compelling new science of the Arctic and Antarctic with characteristic verve and expertise. *** 'A fast-moving, fascinating book that combines travelogue and natural science discovery... a delightful and compelling read.' Daniel J. Levitin, author of The Organised Mind 'Gripping... Shubin’s captivating storytelling will give you a new appreciation for some of the harshest and most mysterious places on Earth.' Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs 'What a remarkable planet we live on – wildest at its cold and lovely poles. This compelling volume should summon us to defend that cold, the vital task for our time on earth.' Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature 'Fascinating. Important.' Spectator

The bestselling author of Your Inner Fish takes readers on an epic adventure to the North and South Poles to reveal the secrets locked in the ice about life, the cosmos, and our planet's future. Renowned scientist Neil Shubin has made extraordinary discoveries by leading scientific expeditions to the sweeping ice landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctic. He's survived polar storms, traveled in temperatures that can freeze flesh in seconds, and worked hundreds of miles from the nearest humans, all to deepen our understanding of our world. Written with infectious enthusiasm and irresistible curiosity, Ends of the Earth blends travel writing, science, and history in a book brimming with surprising and wonderful discoveries. Shubin retraces his steps on a "dinosaur dance floor," showing us where these beasts had populated the once tropical lands at the poles. He takes readers meteor hunting, as meteorites preserved in the ice can be older than our planet and can tell us about our galaxy's formation. Readers also encounter insects and fish that develop their own anti-freeze, and aquatic life in ancient lakes hidden miles under the ice that haven't seen the surface in centuries. It turns out that explorers and scientists have found these extreme environments as prime ground for making scientific breakthroughs across a vast range of knowledge. Shubin shares unforgettable moments from centuries of expeditions to reveal just how far scientists will go to understand polar regions. In the end, what happens at the poles does not stay in the poles--the ends of the earth offer profound stories that will forever change our view of life and the entire planet.