National Geographic News

Everest Climb Successful, Despite Crowds, Unrelenting Winds

Ker Than — Sat, 26 May 2012 12:39:45 -0400

Despite a tough crowd, howling winds, and even food poisoning, a National Geographic team touched the top of the world Friday.

Nat Geo Team on Everest

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:02:26 -0400

Memorial Day 2012: When It Started, and How It May Change

Brian Handwerk — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:35:31 -0400

Find out who started the day of remembrance, and see why some groups want to change the date of this national holiday.

SpaceX's Dragon Captured by Space Station—A First

Victoria Jaggard and Ker Than — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:25:52 -0400

Plucked from orbit by a robotic arm, the Dragon capsule is the first commercial craft to make contact with the orbiting laboratory.

Pictures: History of Auto Fuel Efficiency

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:41:07 -0400

Today’s global demand for more efficient cars follows two centuries of shifting attitudes toward fuel-guzzling vehicles, from Model T to Rambler, from Hummer to Prius.

National Geographic Bee's New King: Texan Wins on Bavarian Brainteaser

Jeremy Berlin in Washington, D.C. — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:01:31 -0400

Winning on a Bavarian brainteaser issued by Alex Trebek, a 14-year-old Texan took the National Geographic Bee crown.

Space Pictures This Week: Solar Eclipse, Dusty "Doughnut," More

Thu, 24 May 2012 20:20:44 -0400

See National Geographic's favorite new astrophotos, including a shady eclipse shot, dusty "doughnut," fleeing comet, and more.

Pictures: World War II "Time Capsule" Fighter Found in Sahara

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:58:59 -0400

See the "aviation equivalent of Tut's tomb"—a World War II fighter plane newly found in the Egyptian desert.

Evolutionary Flop: Early 4-Footed Land Animal Was No Walker?

Dave Mosher — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:20:02 -0400

New 3-D models suggest that what's been seen as one of Earth's first land walkers was actually more of a flopper.

Magma Rise Sparked Life as We Know It?

Ken Croswell — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:46:34 -0400

Oxygen-breathing life exists on Earth today because of changes in the planet's magma 2.5 billion years ago, a new study says.

Photos: Volcanic Vents, Crawling With Creatures, Found in Mexico Sea

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:19:36 -0400

Crawling with tube worms and crabs, the hydrothermal vents are the first found in the Gulf of California, scientists report.

In Wake of Everest Deaths, Another "Traffic Jam" Expected

Ker Than — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:37:52 -0400

Just days after four people died on Everest during a crowded climb, a similar "traffic jam" scenario could play out this weekend.

Can Sugar Make You Stupid? "High Concern" in Wake of Rat Study

Charles Q. Choi — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:39:01 -0400

Bingeing on fructose stunted memory and learning in rats, prompting "high concern" over unhealthy humans.

Amid Economic Concerns, Carbon Capture Faces a Hazy Future

Brian Handwerk — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:30:44 -0400

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects around the world are hitting a wall in the face of high costs and a lack of climate policy.

SpaceX Launches for Space Station—Like "Winning the Super Bowl"

Ker Than — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:09:18 -0400

A Falcon 9 rocket sent an unmanned capsule into orbit on its way to rendezvous with the International Space Station.

Fossil Ink Sacs Yield Jurassic Pigment—A First

Christine Dell'Amore — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:45:57 -0400

Still soft ink sacs from 160-million-year-old squidlike animals have yielded pigment matching that of modern cuttlefish.

Giant Killer Mice Decimating Rare Seabirds

Rachel Kaufman — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:37:56 -0400

Oversize house mice are consuming millions of endangered Atlantic petrels on the bird's only known breeding area, a new study confirms.

Solar Eclipse Pictures: 2012 "Ring of Fire" Dazzles U.S., Asia

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:14:09 -0400

See stunning images of the annular eclipse that created a "ring of fire" enjoyed by millions of sky-watchers in Asia and the U.S. West.

Solar Eclipse 2012: How to See "Ring of Fire" May 20

Andrew Fazekas — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:23:52 -0400

A "time traveling" solar eclipse will turn the sun into a ring of fire over Asia and the U.S. West.

SpaceX Aborts Launch to Space Station

Ker Than — Sat, 19 May 2012 06:17:53 -0400

An engine problem caused the rocket to automatically abort seconds before liftoff. Mission managers now hope to try again Tuesday.

Space Pictures This Week: Trippy Stars, Spooky Moon, More

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:48:43 -0400

Stars whirl in a psychedelic sky, NASA spies a ghostly eye, a cloud-stained moon rises, and more in the week's best space pictures.

Tiles May Help Shrink Carbon Footprint by Harnessing Pedestrian Power

Thomas K. Grose in London — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:44:14 -0400

In areas with high foot traffic, installations of special flooring may prove that the answer to meeting energy demand lies right beneath our feet.

SpaceX to Launch First Private Craft to Space Station Tomorrow

Ker Than — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:43:16 -0400

Dragon is slated to become the first commercial craft to visit the International Space Station—and it should return with used gloves.

Bugs Help Measure Impact of New Transoceanic Highway on Amazon

Ker Than — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:08:03 -0400

Scientists deploy "leaf packs" to survey threatened water quality in Peru.

Approaching Asteroid May Get Close Enough to Smash Satellites

Richard A. Lovett — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:55:59 -0400

The newfound space rock 2012 DA14 will pass so close to Earth in February that it could hit a communications satellite, scientists say.