Hi, it's #MysterySkype again! Ya'll are never going to believe this, but we're chatting to some scientists at a research facility in Antartica RIGHT NOW! They're currently on a "winterover" at their facility in the South Pole (accurately named the ICECUBE) which is scientist talk for when they stay in the facility for the entire winter straight, no trips back home. The scientists that we are talking to is named Raffael Busse. 15 countries in total are part of ICECUBE, so it's a pretty diverse group. They told us about life at the ice cube, how they get there (it's a 15 hour flight!) and about what they do. The ICECUBE is basically a telescope that searches for nearly massless subatomic particles called neutrinos. These high energy particles from outer space provide information to probe events such as exploding stars, gamma-ray bursts, and cataclysmic phenomena involving neutron stars and black holes. It is the first detector of it's kind, and address several big questions in physics, such as the nature of dark matter and the properties of the neutrino itself. It also observes cosmic rays that interact with Earth's atmosphere. It was the first facility of it's kind. On a less technical note, they told us about how they kept themselves warm from the cold (with a big red parka apparently), the types of beautiful and diverse penguins they saw, the sports they play (running, skiing, and dodgeball (?)), the massive amounts of ice-cream they have, and their greenhouse where they grow fresh vegetables. It was so awesome talking to these researchers, and I wish them the best of luck with their research!