Animals Crows love cheeseburgers. And now they’re getting high cholesterol.National Geographic - Liz LangleyBut it’s not clear that eating ‘people food’ is necessarily bad for urban birds. As a child, Andrea Townsend loved feeding her backyard sparrows and chickadees, but she wondered if it was good for them.
Endangered Species Proposal to open up rhino horn trade rejectedNational Geographic - Rachel FobarCountries voted against eSwatini and Namibia’s proposals to loosen restrictions on the trade in live rhinos and rhino parts. Countries have voted against decreasing protections for southern white rhinos
Sharks Mako sharks get new protections from tradeNational Geographic - Rachel FobarAt the global wildlife trade meeting in Geneva, countries have decided to protect the endangered mako shark from trade. A proposal to strengthen protections for both shortfin and longfin mako sharks, for
Amazon Basin Near the Amazon fires, residents are sick, worried, and angryNational Geographic - Stefan LovgrenIn Porto Velho, capital of a Brazilian state ravaged by recent fires, residents are on edge and falling ill from the pervasive smoke. Porto Velho, Brazil—A popular hymn describes the sky above this Brazilian
Slavery How slavery flourished in the United StatesNational Geographic - Nina StrochlicSee 400 years of data tracking the rise and fall of the slave trade. Four hundred years ago the first slave ship docked on North American shores, launching a chapter of the trans-Atlantic trade that saw
Animals Bold effort to save rhino completes critical stepNational Geographic - Haley Cohen GillilandOnly two northern white rhinos are left in the world. Both are female. To preserve their subspecies, a group of scientists has turned to advanced reproductive technologies. On a frigid day in December
Plastic How the plastic bottle went from miracle container to hated garbageNational Geographic - Laura ParkerThe evolution of the plastic bottle from amazing to scourge of land and sea has played out inside of a generation. This article was created in partnership with the National Geographic Society. The moment
Tarantulas Shimmery blue tarantula discoveredNational Geographic - Nadia DrakeThe new species of arachnid, native to Sri Lankan rainforests, is big enough to comfortably hug a donut. Sri Lanka is home to a new species of tarantula—and its females are fuzzy, turquoise-tinged, and
Animals What the Amazon fires mean for wild animalsNational Geographic - Natasha Daly“In the Amazon, nothing is adapted to fire.” 10 percent of Earth’s animal species live there. The Amazon rainforest—home to one in 10 species on Earth—is on fire. As of last week, 9,000 wildfires were
Elephants Elephant ivory trade talks heat up in GenevaNational Geographic - Dina Fine MaronProposals to strengthen elephant protections and reopen ivory sales come to a head at global wildlife treaty meeting. Impassioned arguments from several southern African nations at the wildlife trade here
Amelia Earhart Amelia Earhart search crew shares personal theories on her disappearanceNational Geographic - Rachel Hartigan SheaMembers of the ongoing expedition to find the famed aviator are asking themselves what she did 82 years ago, and why she did it. Summer Farrell looked out on the island of Nikumaroro from the back deck
DWP Most slave shipwrecks have been overlooked—until nowNational Geographic - Kim M. Williamson400 years after slavery began in the United States, black scuba divers are searching for ships that carried enslaved Africans to the Americas. No one ever asked the free Africans if they wanted to leave
Science Colossal volcano behind 'mystery' global cooling finally foundNational Geographic - Michael GreshkoThe eruption devastated local Maya settlements and caused crop failures around the world. The ices of Greenland and Antarctica bear the fingerprints of a monster: a gigantic volcanic eruption in 539 or
Dayton Visit America’s newest adventure capitalNational Geographic - Stephen StarrFrom Rust Belt to running trails: Dayton, Ohio’s 16,000 acres of parkland have revitalized the city. Dayton has seen its fair share of ups and downs. Founded in 1796, the southwestern Ohio city emerged
Science Record-breaking lightning as long as Kansas spottedNational Geographic - Maya Wei-HaasThe spidery streak is just one of many new lightning discoveries found in often overlooked satellite data. One evening while working, Michael Peterson found himself staring at an enormous spider. But a
Great Pacific garbage patch This is what it's like to swim through the Great Pacific Garbage PatchNational Geographic - Mary Anne PottsLong-distance swimmer Ben Lecomte is helping collect scientific samples in a vortex of ocean plastic. Roughly a thousand miles southwest of San Francisco, Ben Lecomte, a 52-year-old French long-distance
Deforestation The Amazon is burning at record rates—and deforestation is to blameNational Geographic - Sarah GibbensThe blazes are so huge that smoke can be seen from space, and experts say the fires could have major climate impacts. Wildfires are currently burning so intensely in the Amazon rainforest that smoke from
DNA Can DNA solve the mystery of Europe’s pointy skulls?National Geographic - Megan GannonA new genomic study tries to see if there’s a correlation between artificial cranial deformation and migration following the collapse of the Roman Empire. Skull modification may have been an extreme way
Pizza Why these workers from India miss wartime AfghanistanNational Geographic - Paul SalopekIndian Muslims under contract with the U.S. military in Afghanistan recall the perks—good pay and freedom from religious discrimination. We are walking north along the Mahananda River in rural Bihar state,
Animals The struggle to protect a vital jaguar corridorNational Geographic - Tik RootThe fight to protect jaguar habitat throughout the Americas continues even after the loss of one of its greatest defenders, Alan Rabinowitz. Jaguars roam throughout a massive territory, as far south as
Air Pollution Air pollution linked to bipolar disorder, depressionNational Geographic - Sarah GibbensA new study adds to research showing a link between pollution and poor mental health. Air pollution takes a massive toll on our health. The World Health Organization links it to deadly diseases like lung
travel news Visit Italy’s mesmerizing city of mosaicsNational Geographic - Prathap NairSee some of the world’s best preserved mosaics in 1,500-year-old churches. Much of Ravenna seems perpetually soaked in the colors of autumn. Amid alleys crammed with gelato shops, cafés, and souvenir fifth-
Amelia Earhart Colossal crabs may hold clue to Amelia Earhart fateNational Geographic - Rachel Hartigan SheaDoes the secret of the famed aviator’s disappearance lie in the underground haunts of the world’s largest land invertebrate? The coconut crabs on the island of Nikumaroro are longer than a reporter’s wider
Woolly mammoths are extinct. Here’s why they may be considered ‘endangered.’National Geographic - Dina Fine MaronA global summit on the wildlife trade will consider the proposal, which could further restrict the ivory trade. One of the most surprising proposals under discussion at the giant global wildlife trade
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
Animals 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 This story is being updated live, from August 16 through August 30. Scroll down for the
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
