Until now scientists had concluded that humans first colonized the far north at the end of the last Ice Age, about 14,000 years ago. But stone artifacts, animal bones, and a hand-marked mammoth tusk found in the Russian Arctic push the date back to nearly 40,000 years ago.
Iceland is regularly stretched, split, and torn by violent earthquakes and haphazardly rebuilt by exploding volcanoes. But residents are puzzled by the steady draining of Lake Kleifarvatn, which is disappearing into a long fissure created by an earthquake last summer.
In cycling, triathlons, and other races, the formation of packs gives some competitors a boost that masks their individual ability. As a result, the winner may not be the most skilled competitor in the race. Scientists have developed a model that shows how packs are formed, which they say could help officials reduce the "bunching" advantage in some athletic events.
A satellite covered in 1,500 mirrors hand-polished by schoolchildren around the world was launched into a low-earth orbit last weekend to measure the effects of solar storms on the density of Earth's upper atmosphere. Starshine 3 is designed to be visible from the ground around sunrise and sunset.
Researchers have discovered a gene variant that renders some mice strains resistant to a deadly toxin produced by the anthrax bacterium, National Geographic Today reports. Spores of the deadly disease can be used in biological terrorism and warfare. The latest findings may lead to new treatments and vaccines for anthrax in humans.
Africa has more rock art than any other continent—countless images at more than a million sites. Now, after surviving in some cases as long as 20,000 years, many of the images are being eroded and vandalized. Efforts are underway to save this precious heritage before it is too late. Adventure-photographer David Coulson is journeying to some of the most remote, inhospitable places on Earth to document giant-size prehistoric art. A photo gallery of some of his remarkable images is included with this story.
Officials in Great Britain say as many as 3.8 million farm animals have been slaughtered as part of measures to halt an epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease. The culling policy has been highly controversial, but two groups of researchers, in separate studies, have concluded that the strategy was sound and necessary.
Washington and New York are the two cities that define the United States of America's character, writes historian Edward C. Smith. Outwardly vastly different, they nonetheless have much in common and have shared many experiences and personalities in their history. The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 has bound them to one another more tightly.
A species of tropical shrimp uses an unusual strategy to attack its prey: It has an oversize claw that, when snapped shut, produces a loud stunning blow. Last year a team of researchers explained how it all happens, and now they report on a flash of light that occurs during the process.
Scientists have devised a way to measure the health of coral reefs through aerial surveys that record color characteristics. This promising new tool and a comprehensive atlas on the state of the world's reefs issued last month should be highly useful in preservation efforts. National Geographic Today reports.
The mere sight of a snake or spider strikes terror in the hearts of millions of people. A new study suggests that such fear has been shaped by evolution, stretching back to a time when early mammals had to survive and breed in an environment dominated by reptiles, some of which were deadly.
Scientists have identified a specific gene that is associated with speech, suggesting that the human urge to babble and chat is innate, and that our linguistic abilities are at least partially hardwired. The finding may help determine whether the ability to communicate with language is something people are born with or learn.
The United States and Great Britain began strikes against al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, on the weekend.
More than 40 countries are cooperating in "Operation Enduring Freedom" to find and punish the terrorists responsible for the attacks on New York and Washington in September.
Accompanying this story is a comprehensive list of links to follow developments in the Middle East and the United States. There is also a photo gallery of the first images of the strikes against Afghanistan released by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Sunday's and Monday's air strikes damaged or destroyed 85 percent of targets throughout Afghanistan, U.S. Air Force General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a briefing for reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday.
National Geographic News offers comprehensive resources to view images and maps, and follow links to monitor the developments in Afghanistan and the United States.
Until now scientists have been puzzled by a "cool tropics paradox" in the fossil record. When Earth was supposedly much warmer than today, why did fossils of creatures that lived at the time indicate that the tropics were much cooler than now? And what did this enigma portend for predicting global warming? New research offers a surprising explanation.
Researchers have been studying African penguins off the coast of Cape Town for years as part of efforts to ensure their survival. But the use of a tagging technique known as "flipper-banding" has generated local controversy, with some scientists saying it hobbles the birds' movement and should be stopped.
As the terrorist network al Qaeda vowed that the "the storm of plane attacks will not abate" on the United States, President Bush unveiled the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's most wanted list of terrorists and offered rewards of up to $5 million to catch them. Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition continued to strike targets in Afghanistan for the fourth day.
National Geographic News provides the latest photos of bomb damage in Afghanistan and links to resources to help readers monitor the war. There are also National Geographic maps, images, and facts on Afghanistan and its environs.
The nearly complete skeleton of a 50-million-year-old aquatic mammal with legs has been unearthed in Jamaica. Related to today's manatees and dugongs, the fossilized creature is one of the best examples so far showing the evolution of an animal from land-based to sea-dwelling.
Tracking animals was an important survival skill for our ancient ancestors, but it's almost disappeared in the modern age of technology. That may be about to change, thanks to a unique data-gathering tool recently tested in Idaho's wolf country.
As the United States observed the one-month anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, the FBI warned that certain information gives the government reason to believe that there may be additional terrorist attacks within the United States and against U.S. interests overseas over the next several days.
The sole known image that was thought to show the face of George Dixon, the captain of the ill-fated Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, has turned out to be of someone who lived after the vessel sank, the Hunley Commission announced.
Another case of anthrax infection in America was reported on Friday, this time in New York City, heightening concerns about the possibility of terrorist attacks using bioweapons. A female employee of NBC News who works at the company's headquarters in Manhattan is being treated for anthrax infection, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced on Friday.
Many animals follow regular migratory routes from place to place, but how do they keep from getting lost along the way? Studies of newly hatched loggerhead turtles and a species of mole rats show that the animals detect and respond to magnetic fields to guide them, National Geographic Today reports.
Pilotless aircraft—officially "unmanned aerial vehicles"—are increasingly critical in modern warfare. With the ability to fly for days at a time over enemy lines while sending back a stream of video and photographs to soldiers on the ground, they have no crew that may be at risk if the planes are shot down.
If terrorists should seek to carry out an even deadlier attack than the one in New York and Washington a month ago, anthrax, smallpox, and plague are three of the biological agents that experts fear most, mainly because these diseases can be spread so quickly through a population.
Three-quarters of Asia's freshwater turtle species are threatened or endangered, and other turtle species around the world are also in trouble. A coalition is working to establish a network of turtle colonies that would ensure the animals' future survival and genetic diversity.
About 40 staff members of the office of the majority leader of the U.S. Senate were quarantined Monday after a letter addressed to Senator Tom Daschle tested positive for anthrax.
Researchers have discovered a protein that makes sperm swim vigorously toward female eggs during the process of reproduction. Developing a drug to block this protein may pave the way to a new form of contraception that could be used by men or women, National Geographic Today reports.
President Bush has announced the U.S. armed forces are "mounting a sustained campaign to drive the terrorists out of their hidden caves and to bring them to justice." But despite talk of vast underground labyrinths, Afghanistan has few real caves, according to the cave explorers and the few outsiders who have visited the region.
In the clean, "green" future envisioned by energy expert Amory Lovins, cars get 99 miles per gallon emissions-free and have all the style and roominess to compete with gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles (SUVs). A "hypercar" powered by a hydrogen fuel cell may be ready to roll off the production line as early as 2005, National Geographic Today reports.
Although Costa Rica prohibits people from keeping wild animals in captivity, abandoned monkeys formerly kept as pets—and often suffering from poor nutrition—are regularly sent to Curú Wildlife Refuge. There, Adelina Schutt and a handful of volunteers nurse the spider and howler monkeys back to health before releasing them into the wild.
Herakleion and Eastern Canopus, two cities that lay at the edge of the Mediterranean more than 1,200 years ago, disappeared suddenly, swallowed by the sea. An international team of scientists says it appears to have happened when heavy flooding liquefied the land on which the cities were built.
U.S. school children are reaching through cyberspace to explore the Amazon—taking part in actual expeditions that are visiting towns, trekking through wildernesses, and interacting with tribes adhering to traditional lifestyles. They learn interactively about this critical region, National Geographic Today reports, by helping make choices regarding conservation and development in real-life situations on the ground.
Intelligence analysts hunting Taliban bases and troop movements with globe-circling satellites have significantly improved their eyesight since the Gulf War a decade ago, experts say. Improved high-speed computer connections can instantly flash full-color scenes to battle commanders on the surface, making satellite images far more useful than ever before.
Baboons appear to be capable of abstract thinking, according to a recent study. The finding suggests that more non-human animals than previously thought may be capable of abstract thought, which raises new questions about the evolution of human intelligence and what separates human beings from other animals.
Al Qaeda soldiers may know the terrain better and they may be able to navigate hidden networks of underground tunnels. But once night falls, any American troops in Afghanistan will have at least one advantage: They can see in the dark. Night-vision technology may be used by both sides in the conflict, but U.S. forces can "see" even in the darkest caves.
Deforestation in Costa Rica's lowlands is reducing the cloud cover over the Monteverde cloud forest, threatening the health of the unique ecosystem at higher altitudes. The finding is disturbing to scientists and conservationists because cloud forests harbor an astounding array of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world.
Recent events have provoked a sudden and intense interest in the people and geography of Afghanistan. Mapmakers at the National Geographic Society have responded by creating an up-to-date, detailed picture of the changing situation in the country, National Geographic Today reports.
Louisiana's innovative Alligator Marsh to Market commercial harvesting program has proven to be an effective conservation tool, according to state officials. It protects alligator populations and preserves critical wetlands habitats while providing about U.S. $54 million of economic benefits to the state each year.
Scientists have discovered what they believe is the oldest known lemur fossils in the Bugti Hills of central Pakistan. The finding is controversial because the new evidence suggests that lemurs—found in the wild today only on a few African islands—originated in Asia, not in Africa as commonly believed.
Two new studies highlight the curiosities of nature. In one report, a team of scientists explains how the chameleon can extend its tongue to remarkable lengths to reel in prey. The other report describes a duck with a penis as long as its body—an especially intriguing finding because few species of birds have penises.
After the 1996 birth of Dolly the sheep, the first cloned animal, the technology has been galloping along. There are now cows that produce more milk and tastier meat, bulls able to resist disease, and pigs that can act as organ donors. And this is only the beginning, say cloning supporters.
In a make-or-break effort to overcome its recent record of space disasters, NASA flight controllers will attempt to maneuver a new robot spacecraft called Mars Odyssey toward a stable orbit around the red planet Tuesday, October 23. The spacecraft is designed to learn essential knowledge that future Mars-bound human explorers must know well in advance.
Scientists have figured out how anthrax invades the cell and how it disrupts communication within the immune system eventually leading to death. The research has started a new investigation to find drugs that could block the lethal effects of the late stages of the disease.
The United States' wild horses are survivors. They've grown tough, living in harsh climates and unforgiving landscapes. With a high birth rate and few natural predators their numbers can climb fast—too fast for their diminished range to support them, says the federal agency responsible for managing their habitat.
NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft successfully entered orbit late Tuesday around the red planet, where the space agency suffered embarrassing back-to-back failures on its previous two missions. "How sweet it is," said retiring NASA Administrator Dan Goldin. "It embodies the true American spirit that we could win after being knocked down a few times."
Scientists have unearthed the remains of an ancient crocodile that was as long as a city bus and as heavy as a small whale. The giant creature lived 110 million years ago in a river that once flowed through what is now the Sahara. Its jaws and teeth were so powerful it may have eaten small dinosaurs as well as fish.
The Pentagon has bought exclusive rights to all pictures of Afghanistan taken by the world's most powerful commercial imaging satellite, Ikonos, boosting its own intelligence resources while blocking both its military opponents and the media from obtaining pictures of the war zone.
For the first time scientists have successfully created a viable clone of an endangered species—the European mouflon, a kind of wild sheep. The seven-month-old clone created in Italy may represent one way in which threatened animals may be saved from extinction, by storing their DNA for later re-introduction to the world.
In the nooks and crannies of Utah, off the interstate highways and tucked away from today's fast-food civilization, sit villages of sinking foundations and splintered wood, boarded-up windows and scattered stones. They are the ghost towns of the U.S. West, popular with writers, photographers, and tourists because they capture the spirit of a distant past.
Scientists and satellites are helping to change the land-use practices in the Peruvian rain forest. An economy once based on unsustainable levels of logging is shifting to one based on ecotourism and the sustainable harvesting of medicinal plants.
Researchers studying Egyptian embalming practices have gained new insight into the techniques and materials used in the ancient practice of mummification. The analysis shows that the embalmers had a sophisticated understanding of the natural materials they used.
The United States has a core collection of 2,500 apple varieties, but botanists are investigating many more in Kazakhstan and other countries to find apples with traits such as resistance to pests, disease, and extreme temperatures.
Concerns about evil images and violent characters even before the September 11 terrorist attacks have put gory, mean-spirited monsters, once as Halloween as pumpkins and candy, on the endangered species list. In America, many Halloween parties for kids, now called "fall festivals," don't even allow ghosts and other scary costumes.
Environmentally friendly farming in the Netherlands isn't as friendly as many people had hoped, according to a new study. It showed that the methods have not resulted in a broader diversity of plant and animal species than is found on conventionally managed farms.
For centuries, the town of Sighisoara has slumbered in the heart of Transylvania, a region most outsiders would associate with bats and vampires. Now, the Romanian government has decided to capitalize on the region's most infamous son: Officials hope to draw a million tourists a year to a Dracula Land theme park.
For centuries, the town of Sighisoara has slumbered in the heart of Transylvania, a region most outsiders would associate with bats and vampires. Now, the Romanian government has decided to capitalize on the region's most infamous son: Officials hope to draw a million tourists a year to a Dracula Land theme park.
