Right here on Earth, surprisingly hardy life-forms have been found inside hot underground rocks, around scalding volcanic vents at the bottom of the ocean, in desiccated Antarctic valleys and deep beneath polar ice.

FORBES: We've Got Company

The largest turtles on Earth, leatherbacks once were plentiful in every ocean but the Arctic and Antarctic.

CNN: Endangered turtles race to save their future

Also on the list: the abundant Chilean jack mackerel in the southern Pacific Ocean, for human consumption in Africa, and Antarctic krill, for fish oil and fishmeal.

FORBES: Blue Waters Gray Areas

Navigating through the CD-Rom, a child can explore five different branches of Antarctic research: ocean life, glaciers, astronomy, albatrosses and a strange phenomenon called whistlers, which are faint echoes of Northern Hemisphere thunderstorms.

BBC: CD-Rom's ice cool music