re: And does the antarctic "colony" ensure mans survival?
If the rest of the earth was wiped out, could the antarctic "colony" survive on its own? No, it is a subsidized science and exploration operation not a "colony." Obviously there is economic benefit to science that can only be done in antarctica or done cheaper there, and so there is also economic justification for some operation. But a massive self sustaining presence to justify the phrase "ensure mans survival" is certainly not attained in antarctica and would only be attained if a large enough economic justification for such colonization was there.