Science Earth's inner core is doing something weirdNational Geographic - Maya Wei-HaasData from old Soviet weapons tests are helping scientists get a high-resolution look inside our planet. On September 27, 1971, a nuclear bomb exploded on Russia’s Novaya Zemlya islands. The powerful blast
Environment Some animals can adapt to climate change—just not fast enoughNational Geographic - Jenny HowardA small number of birds have adjusted breeding times to match earlier springs, but it's not clear whether they can breed early enough to assure survival. When Anne Charmantier set out to check her great
Joel Sartore The world’s biggest conference on wildlife trade is happening. Get the details.National Geographic - Dina Fine MaronDelegations from all over the world are gathering in Switzerland to discuss protections for more than 500 species Every three years, there’s a global meeting to talk about the international wildlife trade—worth
Science Astronomers probably just saw a black hole swallow a dead starNational Geographic - Michael GreshkoRipples in the fabric of spacetime reveal what may be a first-of-its-kind cosmic collision. Some 900 million years ago, a black hole released a terrible belch that echoed through the cosmos. On August
Ibiza Ibiza beyond the clubs: 10 can’t-miss experiencesNational Geographic - Starlight WilliamsFrom medieval architecture to hippie markets, this famous Spanish island is full of surprising adventures. Despite its glitzy reputation as the ultimate European destination for clubbers, Ibiza—the third-largest
travel news Take an epic road trip to Tennessee’s coolest cavernsNational Geographic - Shannon DellExplore subterranean wonders including cave art, hidden lakes, and waterfalls on this underground adventure. Beneath the mossy hills and flat farmlands of Tennessee lies a complex network of more than
Environment New plastic pollution formed by fire looks like rocksNational Geographic - Madeleine StonePieces of plastic that are gray, round, and resembling rocks and pebbles are hiding in plain sight on the beaches of southern England. On the sandy embayments rimming the southwestern English coastline,
Guatemala City The fight to protect the world’s most trafficked wild commodityNational Geographic - Eileen GuoChinese demand for rosewood—trafficked more than ivory, rhino horn, and pangolin scales—is fueling a crisis in Guatemala's forests. Jose Baudillo leans over a thin rosewood log lying on a bed of dark wood
Vaccines The world before vaccines is a world we can’t afford to forgetNational Geographic - Richard ConniffMeasles is now resurgent in the United States and many other countries. Historical amnesia is partly to blame. Like most American children of my generation, I lined up with my classmates in the mid-1950s
Animals Why Japan stopped some of its controversial whale huntsNational Geographic - Dina Fine MaronThe global wildlife trade treaty is being put to the test in Japan and other countries. It was October of 2018, and if Japan didn’t stop slaughtering sei whales plying the waters of the North Pacific come
Abkhazia This mighty river courses through a troubled historyNational Geographic - Kristin RomeyAs the Enguri flows from the mountains to the sea, it follows a trajectory from Georgia’s traditional past into its forward-thinking future To most people in the Caucasus, the Enguri River is a border,
travel news 7 great places to see music instruments being madeNational Geographic - Robert ReidFrom Steinway pianos in Queens to Kamaka ukuleles in Honolulu, get to the source of these iconic musicmakers. David Byrne of Talking Heads fame has written that songs and sounds are built with their environments
Environment See the complicated landscape of plastic bans in the U.S.National Geographic - Sarah GibbensA new map shows where states have banned plastic—and where states have banned bans on plastic. This article was created in partnership with the National Geographic Society. A battle over plastic—a material
Skin Newly discovered organ may be lurking under your skinNational Geographic - Catherine ZuckermanIdentified in mice, the simple organ most likely exists in humans, too, offering fresh insight into how we experience painful pressure and pricks. Most people who’ve been jabbed by a needle know the drill:
Methane Fracking boom tied to methane spike in Earth’s atmosphereNational Geographic - Stephen LeahyThe chemical signature of methane released from fracking is found in the atmosphere, pointing to shale gas operations as the culprit. Scientists have measured big increases in the amount of methane, the
Animals Hundreds of zoos and aquariums accused of mistreating animalsNational Geographic - Rachel FobarMany "gold-standard" zoos and aquariums worldwide let visitors pet, feed, and take selfies with animals, a new report finds. In a new report, an animal welfare group has flagged hundreds of zoos affiliated
Animals How one Amazon community is trying to move on from illegal wildlife tourismNational Geographic - Natasha DalyPuerto Alegría, Peru, was notorious for illegal wild animal encounters. Now, residents are replacing captive anteaters with cultural artifacts—but they’re struggling to attract tourists. Until last December,
Bears Humans, not glaciers, likely doomed Ice Age cave bearsNational Geographic - Tim VernimmenAnalysis of genetic material from dozens of prehistoric bears shows that their decline neatly matches the arrival of Homo sapiens in Europe. Neanderthals lived in Europe for thousands of centuries, and
The Arctic Watch our photographer take an Arctic survival test. It's brutal.National Geographic - Lindsay N. SmithTo document the Canadian military's intense cold-weather training program, Louie Palu had to fall into a frozen lake and find a way out. "Going through the ice was rough," says photographer Louie Palu,
Microplastics Tiny pieces of plastic found in Arctic snowNational Geographic - Cheryl KatzThe discovery suggests that microplastics are being carried around the planet in atmospheric winds, and that we’re breathing them in. Microplastics, those pervasive relics of modern times, have invaded
travel news Discover Turkey’s under-the-radar seaside paradiseNational Geographic - Chris LeadbeaterWith its wealth of pristine beaches, indulgent spas, and vibrant nightlife, the Turkish Coast is the perfect retreat. In its original incarnation as Halicarnassus, Bodrum was home to one of the Seven of
Drought 'Snow droughts' are coming for the American WestNational Geographic - Alejandra BorundaBy the middle of the century, two or more bad snow years in a row in mountains from Colorado to California will likely be the norm. On April 1 each year, researchers ski and snowshoe out into the high
travel news Castles, vineyards, and fairy-tale villages: Drive the Romantic RoadNational GeographicThere’s a reason why the byway from Würzburg to Füssen through southern Germany is called the Romantic Road. All along its 220 miles (354 kilometers), flowers spill from the balconies of timbered homes,
Beavers Beavers on the coast are helping salmon bounce back. Here’s how.National Geographic - Starre VartanThe arrival of beaver dams in the Pacific Northwest’s Elwha River delta may have surprising benefits. On a blue-sky summer day, threatened Chinook salmon leap from the Elwha River, in northwest Washington,
The Arctic Lightning struck near the North Pole 48 times. It's not normal.National Geographic - Robin George AndrewsA warmer Arctic in general provided the fuel for lightning-producing thunderheads to move north. Lightning happens all the time, but certain parts of the world get far less of it than others, including
Earthquakes Groundbreaking earthquake catalog may have just solved a seismic mysteryNational Geographic - Jenny HowardLab-made quakes suggested that we should see hints of activity before a big event, but this pattern has been elusive in nature—until now. For decades, scientists have searched for clues that would signal
Animals Forest fires are getting too hot—even for fire-adapted animalsNational Geographic - Jason G. GoldmanThe black-backed woodpecker needs wildfires to survive. But has it hit its limit? Imagine the coniferous forests of the American West and you probably picture tall trees, forest floors littered with pine
Glaciers West Antarctica is melting—and it’s our faultNational Geographic - Alejandra BorundaThe fingerprints of human-caused climate change have made it to Antarctica, a new study shows The towering glaciers of West Antarctica hold the fate of the world’s coasts in their flanks. Their collapse
Amelia Earhart Exclusive: Inside the search for Amelia Earhart’s airplaneNational Geographic - Rachel Hartigan SheaMany attempts have been made to discover the famed aviator's fate, but never with the technological tools at Robert Ballard's disposal. It’s a balmy tropical night south of the equator in the Pacific but
Animals Elephant skin sales rapidly mountingNational Geographic - Dina Fine MaronThe illegal trade in Asian elephant skins—for jewelry and traditional medicine—has expanded across Southeast Asia. It was the smell that put off the men and women charged with converting the subcutaneous
