100 years on, Antarctic science going strong[ Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:16:05 GMT ]This week, dozens of brave revelers — the prime minister of Norway among them — are converging on the South Pole to celebrate the historic trek of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first human to set foot there on Dec. 14, 1911. Science is now one of the primary drivers of human activity on the continent.