About Our Name

In science, bipolar can simply mean belonging to both poles of the planet. That is what the word means on this site, and it is the only thing it means here.

Biologists talk about a bipolar distribution when a kind of living thing turns up in the far north and the far south but is largely missing in between. Climate scientists talk about bipolar glaciation, which describes a planet with ice caps at both ends, as ours has today.

We fell in love with the idea of a planet with two ends. Almost everything about those two places is mirrored: light and dark, sea and land, June and December. And once you start noticing opposites, you find them all over the place, from magnets to dinner.

What this site is not

We know that the same word is the name of a real health condition that many people and families live with. This site is not about that condition, has no health information of any kind, and does not joke about it. Nothing here is a play on it, and we would be sorry if it read that way. If it ever does, please tell us.

If you came here looking for information about bipolar disorder, please see the US National Institute of Mental Health at nimh.nih.gov, and talk with a doctor. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at any hour.

What you will find instead

Arctic terns. The ice at the bottom of the world. Why every direction is north at one particular spot. And some cheerful, harmless debates about window seats. Welcome aboard.