News Pictures: Photo Galleries
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Pictures: Baby Giant Armadillo Photographed—A First
March 1, 2013
Brazilian researchers recently captured the first-ever pictures of a baby giant armadillo.
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Pictures: Looking Back at Visions of Life on Mars
March 1, 2013
<strong>Aliens, swords, and spacesuits feature among sometimes unearthly illustrations of what people once thought about life on Mars.</strong>
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Pictures: Saving Sumatra's Orangutans
February 28, 2013
A thriving pet trade and dwindling forests are driving Asia's great ape toward extinction, conservationists say.
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Picture Archives: Pope’s Guard, Circa 1930s
February 28, 2013
Thursday will be the first time a member of the Vatican's Swiss Guard will see a pope voluntarily step down.
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Pictures: Best News Photos from 2013 World Photo Press Contest
February 22, 2013
Winners of the 56th World Press Photo contest capture some of the most emotional, devastating, and beautiful images of 2012.
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Pictures: Artifacts Provide Clues to Life in Early Christchurch
February 21, 2013
As quake-damaged Christchurch rebuilds, archaeologists are uncovering a wealth of clues about life during the city's earliest decades.
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Picture Archive: Making Mount Rushmore, 1935-1941
February 16, 2013
On Presidents' Day weekend, we look back at the sculpting of an American icon.
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Pictures: The Presidents’ Natural Specimens
February 15, 2013
A pygmy hippopotamus and a man-eating leopard are only some of the creatures these leaders have brought home.
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From Our Vault: 1897 Meteorite Recovery
February 15, 2013
Explorer Robert Peary hauled a huge meteorite from Greenland to the American Museum of Natural History.
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Pictures: Meteorite Hits Russia
February 15, 2013
A meteorite hit near the central Russian city of Chelyabinsk on Friday.
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Giant Ferris Wheels Around the World
February 14, 2013
Cities around the world have been competing for years to build the world’s tallest Ferris wheel—see the top contenders.
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Your Shot: Blizzard Photos From Our Readers
February 12, 2013
Dozens of you shared your weekend snow pictures with National Geographic’s Your Shot.
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Kumbh Mela: Pictures From the Hindu Holy Festival
February 11, 2013
Tens of millions of Hindus attend India’s Kumbh Mela festival, where 36 died in a Sunday stampede.
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Pictures From Historic Northeast Blizzard
February 9, 2013
The overnight storm dumped from one to three feet of snow in areas stretching from from New York to Maine.
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From Our Vault: Busy Postman on Break, 1951
February 8, 2013
As the U.S. Post Office seeks to end Saturday letter delivery, our archive offers a glimpse of time when mail was on the rise.
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Space Pictures This Week: A Space Monkey, Printing a Moon Base
February 4, 2013
Iran sends a monkey to space, Curiosity makes tracks, and Andromeda shines in the latest space pictures.
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Pictures We Love: Best of January
February 1, 2013
Joy in a mud-brick alley and a contemplative hummingbird are among our photo editors' picks of the most interesting news pictures from January.
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Best Science Pictures of 2012 Announced
February 1, 2013
A troubled brain, a sea urchin tooth, and maneuvering mollusks are among the winning images in a challenge to bring science to life.
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Sinkhole Swallows Buildings in China
January 31, 2013
A massive sinkhole in southern China opened up near a construction site in Guangzhou, consuming a group of buildings.
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Space Pictures This Week: Martian Gas, Cloud Trails
January 28, 2013
Mercury gets a close-up, ships leave cloud trails, and the sun shines in multiple colors in the latest space pictures.
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Pictures: The Story Behind Sun Dogs, Penitent Ice, and More
January 25, 2013
Ice forms some weird and wonderful things—find out how Mother Nature does it.
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Pictures: Inside the Lives of Albinos in Tanzania
January 25, 2013
A genetic condition surrounded in myth puts the lives and limbs of albinos in Tanzania at stake.
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Space Pictures This Week: Solar Tantrum, Petroglyphs at Night
January 22, 2013
The sun throws a tantrum and Beijing is swathed in air pollution in the latest space pictures.
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6 Ways Climate Change Will Affect You
January 16, 2013
From the food we eat to the energy, transportation, and water we all need, a warmer world will bring big changes for everyone.
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Space Pictures: 7 Ways You Could Blast Off by 2023
January 14, 2013
Innovative spacecraft may be ferrying tourists to and from space within the next decade.
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Pictures: Civil War Shipwreck Revealed by Sonar
January 11, 2013
Shifting sands reveal a Civil War shipwreck and bring to light stories of the bravery shown by her crew as she went down.
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Pictures: Florida Wildlife Corridor to Protect Bears, Panthers
January 9, 2013
Black bears, panthers, bobcats, and more could roam freely in the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a proposed strip of land running from South Florida to Georgia.
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Pictures: Wildfires Scorch Australia Amid Record Heat
January 8, 2013
Wildfires are raging across much of southeastern Australia, fueled by drought and the country's hottest temperatures on record.
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Space Pictures This Week: Planets Suck, Fissures Fume
January 7, 2013
Giant planets hoover gas, a volcano spews, and Dallas twinkles in the latest space pictures.
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Best Pictures: 2012 Nat Geo Photo Contest Winners
January 4, 2013
See the winning images from the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest.
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Pictures We Love: Best of 2012
January 3, 2013
A swarm of tadpoles and an inflatable Stonehenge are among our photo editors' picks of the most interesting news pictures of 2012.
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Pictures We Love: Best of December
January 3, 2013
Mud-slathered tourists, a cabaret comeback, and a glacial "mushroom" appear in our photo editors' favorite news pictures of December.
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Space Pictures This Week: Ice “Broccoli,” Solar Storm
December 28, 2012
Star trails streak over a salt lake, ice blooms into "broccoli," and the sun sets off sparks in this week's best space pictures.
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Space Pictures This Week: Green Lantern, Supersonic Star
December 26, 2012
A star sends out shock waves, Saturn is backlit by the sun, and the Milky Way lights up the Yosemite night in this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Capturing the Beauty of Life Through a Microscope
December 24, 2012
Tiny claws and single-celled algae are among the top images in the 2012 Olympus BioScapes Microscopic Life Photo Contest.
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Photos: Humboldt Squid Have a Bad Day at the Beach
December 21, 2012
The bodies of hundreds of beached Humboldt squid puzzle researchers.
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Pictures: "Beautiful" Geminid Meteor Showers Grace Skies
December 18, 2012
Sky-watchers from New Jersey to Iceland enjoyed a vibrant celestial show as the annual Geminid meteor shower peaked last weekend.
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Space Pictures This Week: Frosty Mars, Mini Nile, More
December 14, 2012
A miniature Nile River flows on Titan, auroras "dance" and "twist," and the sun erupts in this week's best space pictures.
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Best Space Pictures of 2012: Editor's Picks
December 11, 2012
The sun "smiles," the Mars rover takes a self-portrait, and Endeavour bids farewell in our editor's picks for the year's best space pictures.
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Best News Pictures of 2012: Nat Geo News's Most Popular
December 7, 2012
A real-life "vampire," a spider swarm, and miniature chameleons are featured in the most popular news galleries of 2012.
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Photos: Best Camera-Trap Pictures of 2012
December 7, 2012
A tiger chowing on a rhino and a sloth bear spitting at the camera are among the winning subjects of the 2012 BBC Wildlife Camera Trap Competition.
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Pictures: New HD View of Earth at Night
December 5, 2012
Earth's lights shine in newly released satellite images from NASA, the most detailed yet.
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Animal Overpass Helps Pronghorn Survive A Dangerous Migration
December 4, 2012
Pronghorn antelopes cross a busy Wyoming highway on an overpass built to help them navigate a dangerous bottleneck in their migration.
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Top Ten Discoveries of 2012: Nat Geo News's Most Popular
December 3, 2012
The biggest crocodile and the God particle are featured in National Geographic News's most visited coverage of 2012 discoveries.
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Photos: Kilauea Lava Reaches the Sea
November 30, 2012
Lava belched from Hawaii’s famous volcano Kilauea runs into the ocean.
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Space Pictures This Week: Saturn Storm, Sun Blast
November 30, 2012
<p>Tokyo glitters in an astronaut's photo, a storm swirls on Saturn, and jets shoot out of a supermassive black hole in this week's best space pictures.</p>
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Pictures: After Fiery Protest, a Tibetan Exile Is Honored
November 30, 2012
Photos show the final moments of a Tibetan exile who self-immolated at a protest rally in March. Warning: This gallery contains graphic images.
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Pictures: Mysterious Maya Tomb Explored for First Time
November 30, 2012
A 1,500-year-old burial chamber in Mexico contains vibrant red murals, jade pieces, and just maybe an ancient king, experts say.
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Pictures: Inside the World's Most Powerful Laser
November 29, 2012
Take a peek inside the U.S. National Ignition Facility, whose recent "quantum leap" in laser technology points toward a future goal of clean fusion energy.
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Space Pictures This Week: Space "Horse," Mars Rover, More
November 26, 2012
The Horsehead Nebula rears its pretty head, the Mars rover explores, and the Soyuz spacecraft lands in the week's best space pictures.
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Space Pictures This Week: Eclipse, Mars Rover, More
November 16, 2012
See the sun's jewel-like vanishing act, "islands" on Mars, and more in our roundup of the week's best space pictures.
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New Solar Eclipse Pictures: See What You Missed
November 14, 2012
See what you probably missed yesterday: a rare total solar eclipse visible from only a remote sliver of Earth.
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Pictures: Venice Flood Makes a Swimming Pool of St. Mark's
November 13, 2012
See how some people made the most of five-foot floods in the Italian city—donning Wellies and waders, swimsuits and makeshift gaters.
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Space Pictures This Week: Aurora, Sandy Fallout, More
November 12, 2012
Stars spin over an aurora, "waves" crash on a Martian shore, and superstorm Sandy splits an island—among our favorite recent space images.
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Thracian Gold Treasure Discovered in Bulgaria (Pictures)
November 10, 2012
"Amazing findings"—elegant horse heads, tiny busts, a circus-like necklace—bear witness to the golden history of Thracian metalworking.
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Space Pictures This Week: Rover Closeup, Cosmic Bubble, More
November 6, 2012
The Mars rover snaps a self-portrait, a star blows a space "bubble," Sandy swirls from space, and more in this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures We Love: Best of October
November 5, 2012
Sparks fly, tadpoles fall in line, and a sleepy Chihuahua charms in National Geographic photo editors' favorite news pictures from October.
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Superstorm Sandy Pictures: Top Reader Photos
November 2, 2012
See top shots from National Geographic's far-flung photo community, members of which captured scenes of Sandy's wrath from the Great Lakes to NYC.
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Hurricane Sandy Pictures: Floods, Fire, Snow in the Aftermath
October 31, 2012
Floods, fire, and snow socked large pockets of the U.S. East during the storm—including New York, which flooded above and below ground.
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H.M.S. Bounty Sinks: Rescue and Rich Legacy in Pictures
October 30, 2012
See the replica tall ship in its glory days and during its sinking in Hurricane Sandy—200 years after the famous mutiny on its namesake.
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Hurricane Sandy Pictures: Storm Turns Iconic Sites Ghostly
October 29, 2012
Atlantic City casinos and New York city streets and subways are ghost towns as Hurricane Sandy bears down on the East Coast in "worst-case scenario," experts say.
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Pictures: Best Micro-Photos of 2012
October 26, 2012
From baby spiderlings to a blood-brain barrier—see the best microphotos chosen in the annual Small World photo competition.
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Aurora Pictures: Best Fall Photos of Northern Lights
October 23, 2012
See our favorite recent photos of the northern lights, and a few southern ones too—guest-starring a fireball and a passel of penguins.
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Pictures: Best Wild Animal Photos of 2012 Announced
October 23, 2012
Bubbly penguins and pounce-primed cheetah cubs feature in some of the year's best wildlife pictures, according to a U.K.-based contest.
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Endeavour in Extreme Detail: See Shuttle as Never Before—And Never Again
October 12, 2012
As Endeavour hits L.A. streets Friday, zoomable, ultrahigh-resolution pictures offer a last spin around the flight deck, button by button.
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Pictures: Colored Honey Made by Candy-Eating French Bees
October 11, 2012
Mysterious blue and green honey comes from honeybees feeding off remnants of M&M candy shells.
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Pictures: Glowing Deep-Sea Creatures Found in Caribbean
October 10, 2012
A bevy of bottom-dwelling creatures—including shrimp, coral, and anemones—have been found to glow, a new study says.
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New Species Photos: Giant Millipede, Horned Frog Among Borneo Finds
October 5, 2012
Glowing fungi, a big-fanged spider, and the world's biggest moth are among species found during a recent expedition to Malaysia.
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Pictures: Chinese High-Speed Rail in Focus
October 5, 2012
China's bullet trains are second to none. But the booming high-speed rail system may come at the cost of safety and farmers' livelihoods.
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Pictures We Love: Best of September
October 4, 2012
Flying children, a fairy tale prison, and North Korean "bodybuilders" are among our photo editors' favorite news pictures of the month.
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Space Pictures This Week: Seagull Nebula, Quasar, More
October 2, 2012
A roiling quasar, a daredevil capsule, and a wildfire's aftermath are featured in this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: 80 Polar Bears Throng Village in Search of Whale
October 1, 2012
Drawn by a whale carcass, the bears thronged an Alaskan village in record numbers—a possible side effect of the great Arctic melt.
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Pictures: Vampire Squid's Surprising Diet Revealed
September 29, 2012
Despite its bloodthirsty name and looks, the "vampire squid from hell" turns out to be the only known nonpredatory squid, a new study says.
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Pictures: Royal Treasure, Lost for 350 Years, Revealed by Sinking River
September 26, 2012
Looted—and promptly lost—350 years ago by invading Swedes, tons of monumental marble artifacts come to light as a Polish river withers.
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Best Astronomy Pictures of 2012
September 25, 2012
The Whirlpool Galaxy and Spaghetti Nebula are among winning subjects of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
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Space Pictures This Week: Endeavour, Mars Rock, More
September 21, 2012
The space shuttle <em>Endeavour</em> makes its final flight, the Mars rover explores the red planet, and more in this week's best space photos.
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Pictures: Fire "Tornado" Spotted—How Do They Form?
September 20, 2012
"Firenadoes"—such as the one filmed recently in the Australian Outback—aren't rare, just rarely reported, an expert says.
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Dark Energy Camera Captures First Sparkling Space Pictures
September 18, 2012
Peering eight billion years into the past, the world's most sensitive digital camera may help solve one of science's greatest mysteries.
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Best Wildlife Pictures - British Nature Winners 2012
September 12, 2012
From a cave-diving seal to balletic, and brutal, birds—see gob-smackingly good winners of the British Wildlife Photography Awards.
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9/11 - 25 Indelible Pictures
September 11, 2012
Ten years after 9/11, see iconic images of the tragedy as chosen by National Geographic photo editors. <em>Warning: graphic content.</em>
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Space Pictures This Week: Mars Tracks, Asteroid Close-up, More
September 9, 2012
NASA's Curiosity rover stretches its legs (and an arm), auroras outshine the moon, and more in this week's best space pictures.<p> </p>
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New Aurora Pictures: Solar Flare Sparks Sky Show
September 6, 2012
Sparked by a Friday solar flare, Sunday night's green-and-purple sky show seemed to glimmer with snakes, spears, and a fiery phoenix.
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Pictures: Supervolcano With Hexagonal Rocks Found in Hong Kong
September 6, 2012
Bristling with hexagonal rock formations, the remains of a giant volcano have been identified in, around, and under the city.
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Pictures: NASA's Space Shuttle Substitute?
September 4, 2012
From a killer whale-like rocket to a gumdrop-shaped Boeing capsule—see the craft that may keep NASA astronauts in the space race.
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Pictures We Love: Best of August
August 31, 2012
A stuck squirrel, a modern-day mummy ritual, and a police officer-turned-seagull feature among our favorite pictures of the month.
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Pictures: Mass Sacrifice Found Near Aztec Temple
August 29, 2012
Below street level in Mexico City, archaeologists have found a jumble of bones dating to the 1480s.
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Triassic Mites Join World's Oldest Amber Animal Finds (Pictures)
August 28, 2012
Locked in tree resin since the dinosaur dawn, new fossils are among scientific gold that reveals how little some animals have evolved.
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Pictures: Ecuador’s Tungurahua Volcano Erupts
August 23, 2012
The 16,48-foot volcano has been erupting intermittently since October 1999, but more aggressive activity this week prompted the authorities to raise the security alert from "moderate" to "high."
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Space Pictures This Week: "Blast" Crater, Mars Rover, More
August 22, 2012
A "stunning sky show," debris from an undersea volcano, and a Mars "blast zone" feature among the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Squid Iridescence Explained
August 21, 2012
Nerve cells are responsible for squids' shimmering displays, a new study says.
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Pictures: Syrian Cultural Sites Damaged by Conflict
August 20, 2012
Ancient mosques, citadels, and museum collections have suffered damage, say observers.
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Pictures: New Pyramid Found With Vivid Murals, Stacked Tombs
August 17, 2012
With tombs stacked three high—including one with vibrant murals—a newfound pyramid in Mexico is a rarity of the ancient Zapotec culture.
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Terra Nova Pictures: Antarctic Explorer's Shipwreck Found
August 17, 2012
A century after Robert Falcon Scott's expedition to the South Pole, his ship Terra Nova has been located off Greenland.
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Space Pictures This Week: Loner Galaxy, Mars Closeup, More
August 16, 2012
Meteors dazzle, the Mars rover gets busy, and a NASA test vehicle burns in the week's best space pictures.
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Space Pictures This Week: Mars Touchdown, Odd Moon, More
August 13, 2012
Curiosity's first pictures of Mars, a tempest on the sun, and wildfires seen from above feature in this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Death-Cult Mummies Inspired by Desert Conditions?
August 13, 2012
Surrounded by naturally preserved corpses, a South American people may have been inspired to make their own elaborate mummies, a new study says.
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Perseid Pictures: Meteors Mixed With Aurora, Seen From Space, More
August 10, 2012
Sneak a peek at what you might see this weekend, when the Perseid meteor shower peaks with roughly two shooting stars a minute.
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Pictures: Mars Rover's "Crazy" Landing, Step by Step
August 4, 2012
NASA's Curiosity rover landing—due Sunday night—"even looks crazy to us," a NASA engineer says. Preview the process, step by step.
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Pictures: Lightest Material Ever Created?
August 2, 2012
Strong yet lighter than Styrofoam, a new, superblack material may hold promise for engineering and biotechnology, scientists say.
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Pictures: "Important" Aztec Child Burials, Sacrifices Found in Mexico City
July 31, 2012
Ancient corpses—including 11 children—found at a Mexico City apartment site are offering clues to a little-known Aztec group.
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Pictures: Floating Cities of the Future
July 31, 2012
From an underwater "oceanscraper" to floating apartments, these fantastical green building designs could be immune to sea level rise.
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Space Pictures This Week: Extreme Free Fall, Ice Island, More
July 30, 2012
A daredevil free-falls from near the edge of space, an iceberg breaks free, and Great Lakes glimmer in this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: 6 Lost Olympic Sports—Tug-of-War to Pigeon Shooting
July 26, 2012
Tug-of-war, pigeon shooting, and ballooning are among the odd, elitist, and even bloody Olympic games you won't be seeing at London 2012.
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WWII Shipwreck Photos: 48 Tons of Silver Recovered 3 Miles Down
July 26, 2012
Three miles down, robots have helped haul up 48 tons of silver off Ireland—the deepest precious-metal cargo ever recovered, salvagers say.
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Pictures: 10 Green-Tech City Solutions for Beating the Heat
July 26, 2012
From a solar mansion in China to a floating farm in New York, green buildings are sprouting up in cities around the world. Among their many benefits are curbing fossil-fuel use and reducing the urban heat island effect.
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Best Satellite Pictures: Winning "Earth as Art" Shots From NASA
July 25, 2012
Algae swirl like a Van Gogh, a blue-ribbon Mississippi unfurls, and a sand sea blows in the favorite satellite images from a new NASA contest.
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Pictures: Strange New Fish Found Deep off New Zealand
July 24, 2012
A flabby whalefish, a slickhead, and a white rattail are among the weird fish hauled up during a recent New Zealand deep-sea expedition.
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Pictures: Toothless "Vampire" Skeleton Unearthed in Bulgaria
July 24, 2012
With a rod through its ribs and its teeth pulled—just to be safe—a 700-year-old suspected vampire has escaped the crypt in Bulgaria.
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Best Bird Pictures: Air, Sea, Ice Shots Win New Contest
July 18, 2012
Go undersea, into the air, and out on a limb with the winning shots of the first World Bird Photo Contest.
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New Aurora Pictures: Green, Purple Lights Sparked by Solar Blast
July 13, 2012
Bright auroras lit up skies around the world following a powerful sun flare last week.
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Pictures We Love: Best of June
July 3, 2012
A bird-buffeted elephant, an oddly green cathedral, and an impossible "droplet" figure among our favorite news photos of last month.
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Pictures: 25 New Reef Fish Found—"Beautiful" Basslet and More
June 28, 2012
Among the new species: a candy-striped clingfish and fairy goby—plus, a "bizarre" scorpionfish and an eel opening wide for flounder.
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Photos: "Snubby" Monkey, Hula Frog Among New Most At-Risk Species
June 26, 2012
A sneezing monkey, an Amazon antbird, and a hula frog are among the species newly listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.
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Space Pictures This Week: White Marble, China Module, More
June 25, 2012
A frosty view of home, a Chinese space first, and a galactic display feature among our editors' picks for this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: New Terra-Cotta Warriors Found—And Unprecedented Armor
June 20, 2012
Dozens of new terra-cotta warriors have emerged from the burial of China's first emperor—along with the site's first known shield.
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New Aurora Pictures: Huge Solar Blasts Spark Rare Colors
June 19, 2012
At least two titanic eruptions on the sun created intense auroral displays this weekend, painting skies with rare hues.
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Pictures: Golden "Emergency" Treasure Troves Found in Holy Land
June 19, 2012
Two newfound "emergency hoards" from Israel—gold jewelry and coins—may have been hidden by ancient families fleeing unknown dangers.
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Father's Day Pictures: All-Star Animal Dads
June 15, 2012
In honor of Father's Day, see which species—from cockroaches to marmosets—are the greatest dads of the animal kingdom.
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Space Pictures This Week: Monkey Head, Cloud Hole, More
June 15, 2012
A simian nebula, a galactic illusion, and a hole in the sky feature among our editors' picks for this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Tsunami Dock Is "Alien Mother Ship" of Species
June 13, 2012
Teeming with invasive life-forms, the Japanese dock that recently hit the U.S. is a "dirty needle that just got stuck into our ecological arm."
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Pictures: Volcano Lightning, Illuminated
June 11, 2012
Sparked by forces deep within ash plumes, volcanic lightning storms offer unprecedented views into the eruptions when monitored via radio sensors.
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Pictures: 11 Most Endangered U.S. Historic Sites Named
June 8, 2012
On the 25th anniversary of the preservation ranking, see which U.S. places are most in danger—plus a success story and a lost landmark.
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Space Pictures This Week: Venus Transit, Shuttle Trek, More
June 7, 2012
A planet crossing, a scarred moon, and a massive galactic merger feature among our editor's picks for this week's best space pictures.
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Venus Transit 2012 Pictures: Last Looks for a Century
June 6, 2012
See shots of the "planet of love" crossing the face of the sun during the last transit of Venus until 2117.
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Pictures: Huge Peru Tomb Found With 80 Bodies, Ring of Babies
June 6, 2012
Encircled by infant remains, the thousand-year-old burial holds 80 bodies and, archaeologists hope, clues to a mysterious pre-Inca culture.
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Pictures: Top Ten Beaches of 2012 Named
June 4, 2012
On the lookout for a good U.S. beach this summer? Check out a coastal scientist's new ranking of the country's best shores.
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Venus Transit 2012: What You'll See This Week (Pictures)
June 4, 2012
Get a glimpse of what to expect during this week's transit of Venus, including sunrise shots, pinhole projections, and views from space.
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Pictures We Love: Best of May
June 1, 2012
From Amazon antics to a mist-shrouded Taj Mahal—see National Geographic photo editors' favorite news pictures from last month.
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Space Pictures This Week: Partial Eclipse, Dragon Capture
May 31, 2012
A crescent eclipse, a candy-colored galaxy, and a spaceflight milestone feature among this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: World War II "Time Capsule" Fighter Found in Sahara
May 24, 2012
See the "aviation equivalent of Tut's tomb"—a World War II fighter plane newly found in the Egyptian desert.
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Photos: Volcanic Vents, Crawling With Creatures, Found in Mexico Sea
May 23, 2012
Crawling with tube worms and crabs, the hydrothermal vents are the first found in the Gulf of California, scientists report.
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Space Pictures This Week: Trippy Stars, Spooky Moon, More
May 18, 2012
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.
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Pictures: "Body Jars," Cliff Coffins Are Clues to Unknown Tribe
May 15, 2012
Perched on precarious cliff ledges, centuries-old log coffins and "body jars" are the only known traces of an unknown Cambodian tribe
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Best Night-Sky Pictures of 2012 Named
May 15, 2012
A holiday comet, Icelandic auroras, and the Milky Way feature among the winning shots from the International Earth and Sky Photo Contest.
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Pictures: New Maya Mural, Calendars Debunk 2012 Myth
May 10, 2012
See the rare, newfound Maya artworks and calculations that show mysterious figures and contradict popularly held 2012 apocalypse theories.
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Pictures: Ancient Pygmy Pipehorse Species Found
May 8, 2012
Fossils of a new species of pygmy pipehorse, a tiny relative of the seahorse, have been unearthed in Slovenia.
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Space Pictures This Week: Thor's Helmet, Milky Moon, More
May 4, 2012
Stars forge a winged helm, the moon lights up La Palma, astronauts make a dusty homecoming, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures We Love: Best of April
May 4, 2012
From hippo dental care to hammer time—see National Geographic photo editors' favorite news pictures from last month.
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Pictures: 24 New Caribbean Lizards Found
May 3, 2012
The unexpectedly large crop of Caribbean skinks is already at risk of extinction, a new study says.
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Pictures: New "Rebel" Coelacanth Found
May 2, 2012
The unusual predator was built to do "everything a coelacanth should not do," its discoverers say.
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Best Underwater Pictures: Winners of 2012 Amateur Contest
April 27, 2012
From the ocean's biggest fish to tiny sea slugs with big color, the stars of an annual contest help reveal "the ocean through other eyes."
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Space Pictures This Week: Solar Chicken, Aurora Angel, More
April 26, 2012
A rubber chicken flies high, a "split" galaxy is unmasked, heavenly lights spread over Sweden, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Huge "Snowballs" Seen Piercing Saturn's Outer Ring
April 25, 2012
Odd objects seen sailing through the planet's outer F ring create glittering trails of ice dubbed mini-jets, researchers have announced.
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Lyrid Meteor Pictures: Fireball Boom, Auroras Add Spark to Shower
April 23, 2012
With cameos by auroras and a surprise sonic boom, the Lyrid meteor show this weekend left viewers (and listeners) starstruck.
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Space Pictures This Week: Sun Tsunami, Hubble Spider, More
April 20, 2012
The sun spits a plasma cloud, Hubble peers at a tarantula's heart, a shuttle gets a new home, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Space Shuttle Discovery Rolls Into New Home (Pictures)
April 19, 2012
NASA's "workhorse" shuttle rolled down the runway this week to become an official part of the Air and Space Museum collection.
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Pictures: 3,000 Ancient Buddhas Unearthed in China
April 17, 2012
Found at the site of an ancient Chinese city, the 1,500-year-old statues—some life-size—may have been buried by temple officials.
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Space Shuttle Discovery Buzzes Washington, D.C., Monuments (Pictures)
April 17, 2012
On its final flight, space shuttle <em>Discovery</em> soared low over Washington, D.C.—a monumental ending to a record-breaking career.
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Photos: Oldest Reptile Embryos Discovered
April 17, 2012
New reptile fossils may show both the earliest evidence of live birth and of parental care, a new study says.
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Space Pictures This Week: Aurora Embrace, Shuttle Carrier
April 12, 2012
Northern lights hug Canada, a NASA jet prepares for shuttle delivery, Mars pits are exposed, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: New Suckermouth Armored Catfish Discovered
April 10, 2012
An "unusual" species of catfish likely uses its "suckermouth" to scrape algae off rocks, a new study says.
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Space Pictures This Week: Cosmic Flower, Inside-Out Star
April 6, 2012
An "iris" blooms among the stars, auroras paint Norway, a supernova gets mapped, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures We Love: Best of March
April 3, 2012
See National Geographic photo editors' ten favorite pictures from the past month—from a tornado-hit house to an eye-popping Easter tree.
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Photos: NASA Rockets Make Weird Clouds Near Edge of Space
March 27, 2012
Five suborbital rockets launched from Virginia created milky white clouds visible in predawn skies Tuesday along the U.S. Northeast coast.
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Space Pictures This Week: Aurora Bubble, Martian Veins, More
March 22, 2012
Northern lights shine over Sweden, minerals crisscross Mars, a robotic astronaut gets tested, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Photos: Bejeweled Anglo-Saxon Found in Christian "Burial Bed"
March 21, 2012
A young woman buried with an exquisite gold-and-garnet cross is offering clues to the earliest days of the English church, scientists say.
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Vernal Equinox Pictures: First-Day-of-Spring Celebrations
March 20, 2012
From driving out devils in Indonesia to dragging dead goats in Kyrgyzstan, see how people around the world mark the first day of spring.
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Pictures: New U.S. Historic Landmarks Named
March 19, 2012
A restored warship, a rock-art capital, and a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed campus are among 13 new U.S. historic sites of distinction.
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Pictures: Glowing Blue Waves Explained
March 19, 2012
Glittering or flashing seas have long been linked to marine microbes—and now scientists think they know how the life-forms create light.
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Space Pictures This Week: Conjunction, Aurora, More
March 16, 2012
Planets meet over a monastery, a cosmic unicorn sparkles, the Milky Way flows over Borneo, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Space Pictures This Week: 3-D Sun Storm, Mars Devil
March 12, 2012
See a Martian dust devil, a solar storm in 3-D, and a "surreal" desert in some of our favorite space pictures of last week.
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Photos: Where Will Next Mega-Tsunami Hit? (Japan Quake Anniversary)
March 9, 2012
One year after the great Japan earthquake and tsunami, at least six other places worldwide are vulnerable to giant killer waves. <p> </p>
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Pictures: Japan Tsunami, Then and Now
March 9, 2012
A year ago Sunday, the March 11 Japan tsunami flooded highways, tossed boats and cars, and leveled cities. See what the region looks like now.
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First Look: James Cameron's Sci-Fi Sub for Deepest Dive
March 8, 2012
The custom-made sub for James Cameron's dive to Earth's deepest point sports a vertical design, a robotic arm—and an eye-popping paint job.
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Spiderwebs Blanket Countryside After Australian Floods (Pictures)
March 7, 2012
Spiders trying to ride out floods in Wagga Wagga, Australia, are coating the town in thick webs.
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Photos: Pictures of the Year Announced
March 5, 2012
See this year's winners of the global photo contest that aims to "empower the world's best documentary photography."
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Space Pictures This Week: Aurora, Hubble … Frazils?
March 5, 2012
See stars, auroras, a grasping sun, and funnily named crystals in some of our favorite space pictures of last week.
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Pictures We Love: Best of February
March 1, 2012
See the pictures we love, as chosen by National Geographic photo editors—from gravity-defying fighters to a "flaming" caterpillar.
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New Aurora Pictures: Surprise Shows Due to Earth-Shield Cracks
March 1, 2012
The month's unexpectedly intense displays of northern lights were likely due to cracks in Earth's magnetic shield, scientists say.
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Space Pictures This Week: Supernova Preview, Spacewalkers, More
February 24, 2012
A nebula hints at a star's end, a light cone rises over Pennsylvania, the moon "bites" the sun, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Extreme Scientific Imaging: Best of 2011 Named
February 22, 2012
An underwater city in 3-D and the sharpest picture of an atom yet are among winners of the 2011 Australian Extreme Imaging competition.
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Mummy Pictures: Secrets of Stunning 19th-Century Heads Revealed
February 17, 2012
Their heads may be peeled like onions, and they may be 150 years old, but these Italian mummies are oddly lifelike. Now we know why.
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Space Pictures This Week: Rocket Launch, Saturn "Snowman"
February 17, 2012
Nebulae punctuate the sky, Europe lifts up a new lightweight, Saturn moons get stacked, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Best News Pictures of 2011: World Press Winners
February 15, 2012
See the painterly picture that won this year's World Press Photo Contest—plus a cliff-climbing polar bear, a record-breaking cave, and more.
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Pictures: Shark Swallows Another Shark Whole
February 13, 2012
Divers on Australia's Great Barrier Reef recently snapped rare pictures of a wobbegong, or carpet shark, swallowing a bamboo shark whole.
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Space Pictures This Week: Sun Storm, Mars Lander, More
February 10, 2012
A star nursery shines, a sun storm erupts, a Mars orbiter spies its cousin, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: "Supergiant," Shrimp-Like Beasts Found in Deep Sea
February 6, 2012
"It's a mystery" why giant, shrimp-like animals found off New Zealand are nearly three times larger than other amphipods, experts say.
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Space Pictures This Week: Hubble Galaxy, Poet Nebula, More
February 3, 2012
Hubble captures a Milky Way "twin," winds shape Mars lava fields, stars carve a nebula's face, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Best Science Pictures of 2011 Announced
February 2, 2012
A spiny cucumber and a nanotube ''city'' feature among the winners of the 2011 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.
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Pictures: Civil War Sub Finally Revealed
February 1, 2012
See the wreck of the <em>Hunley—</em>the world's first submarine to sink an enemy ship—finally unveiled after 11 years in a steel truss.
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Pictures We Love: Best of January
February 1, 2012
See the pictures we love, as chosen by National Geographic photo editors—from a too plush penguin to a pantsless pedestrian.<p> </p>
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Space Pictures This Week: Sun Loops, Blue Marble, More
January 27, 2012
Plasma arcs over the sun, Earth shines in high resolution, a colorful halo surrounds the moon, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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New Aurora Pictures: Solar Storms Trigger Northern Lights
January 25, 2012
Intense northern lights displays dazzled sky-watchers this week as the strongest solar storm since 2003 swept over Earth.
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New-Species Pictures: Cowboy Frog, Armored Catfish Among Finds
January 25, 2012
A cowboy frog, eye-licking gecko, and "Crayola" katydid are among new and known species found in a Suriname rain forest.
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Pictures: Oldest Dinosaur Nests Found in South Africa
January 24, 2012
Dinosaur-baby footprints and 190-million-year-old egg clutches have been pried from a rock wall in South Africa, a new study says.
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Rare Pictures From the Dawn of NASA Spaceflight
January 23, 2012
Newly released digital scans offer a rare high-resolution glimpse into NASA's Project Gemini, the precursor to the Apollo moon missions.
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Pictures: America's "Lost" National Parks
January 20, 2012
See U.S. national parks that are no more, including the second national park, a Trump pleasure palace, and more.
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Space Pictures This Week: Italy Shipwreck, Squashed Moon
January 20, 2012
The<em> Costa Concordia</em> from above, a rusty dead star, a "fresh" Mars crater, and a sinking moon are among the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: 5 Cruise Ship Disasters That Changed Travel
January 18, 2012
Some good may yet come of Italy's Costa Concordia wreck. At least since Titanic, cruise accidents have sparked new safety standards.
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Rare Pictures: Scott's South Pole Expedition, 100 Years Later
January 17, 2012
A century after British explorer Robert Scott reached the South Pole, "incredibly rich," rarely seen pictures give an inside look at the ill-fated expedition.
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Space Pictures This Week: Hubble Bubble, Dusty Dwarf, More
January 13, 2012
A "soap bubble" in space, stellar royals in hiding, and a new look at an old galactic neighbor are among this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Brainless, Faceless "Fish" Among Scottish Sea Finds
January 12, 2012
See a "fish" without a face, "dancing" feather stars, and huge mussels—all found during recent surveys of Scottish marine life.
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Space Pictures This Week: Cosmic Cigar, Solar Spout, More
January 6, 2012
The sun spews hot gas, a meteor shower lights up New Jersey, stars shine in a rosy nebula, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Nuclear-Resort Pictures: Come for the Reactor, Stay for the Beach
January 5, 2012
A new Philippine destination has something for everyone: beach, karaoke, wildlife—and a real nuclear power plant (uranium not included).
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"Lost World" of Odd Species Found Off Antarctica (Pictures)
January 4, 2012
Swarms of yeti crabs and a ghostly octopus are among the new species spotted near hydrothermal vents, a new study says.
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Pictures: New Horned Viper Found in "Secret" Spot
December 30, 2011
A big, "beautiful" snake with olive-green eyes has been discovered in a remote forest in Tanzania, scientists say.
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Pictures We Love: Best of December
December 29, 2011
See National Geographic photo editors' favorite news pictures of the month—a winter swimmer, burned Egyptian treasures, and more.
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Space Pictures This Week: Blue Moon, Wreath Nebula, More
December 28, 2011
A Saturn moon shows its colors, a nebula shines like a holiday wreath, a new island emerges, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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New Comet Pictures: Lovejoy Dazzles Holiday Sky-Watchers
December 27, 2011
After surviving a close encounter with the sun, comet Lovejoy became visible to the naked eye in the Southern Hemisphere's predawn skies.
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Space Pictures This Week: Cosmic Ornament, Pulsing Star
December 22, 2011
A starry bauble, a space shuttle decked with lights, and a rare warped galaxy feature among this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Fire Destroys "Temple of Knowledge" in Egypt
December 20, 2011
Ancient manuscripts were lost to the ages this weekend as fire consumed Cairo's "Temple of Knowledge"—a "huge shock" to Egyptologists.
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Top Ten Discoveries of 2011: Nat Geo News's Most Popular
December 19, 2011
An Earth-like planet and the biggest great white shark are among National Geographic News's most visited coverage of 2011 discoveries.
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Best Pictures: Nat Geo Photo Contest Winners, 2011
December 19, 2011
From a rain-pelted dragonfly to a double rainbow over Indonesia, see the winning shots of the 2011 National Geographic Photo Contest.
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Space Pictures This Week: Rebel Angel, Sloshed Galaxies
December 16, 2011
A stellar "angel" spreads its wings, a dead star blooms, a galaxy cluster gets sloshed, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Photos: "Elvis Monkey," Cloning Lizard Among New Mekong Species
December 14, 2011
Meet a monkey with a Presleyan pompadour, a cloning lizard found on a menu, and other new species recently found in the Mekong region.
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Space Pictures This Week: Sinking Moon, Frosty Leo, More
December 9, 2011
A starlight reserve, a warped moon, record-breaking black holes, and an icy nebula feature among the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: National Geographic's Top Ten Discoveries
December 7, 2011
To mark the National Geographic Society's 10,000th grant, Society experts have named Nat Geo's top grant projects since 1890.
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Pictures: "Scary" Volcano Erupts in Ecuador
December 7, 2011
Ecuador's "throat of fire" volcano is once again erupting in earnest—so close to people "it's scary," one expert says.
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Pictures: Prehistoric Whale "Graveyard" Found in Desert
December 6, 2011
In what's now Chilean desert, 20 whales died five million years ago. Experts are brushing away sands of time to find out why.
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Pictures: "Lost" Leopard—And Poachers—Seen in Afghanistan
December 6, 2011
Camera traps have revealed a leopard thought locally extinct in Afghanistan, along with other big predators—and a pair of poachers.
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Space Pictures This Week: Cosmic Pinwheel, Mountain Meteor
December 2, 2011
A Swedish rocket launch, a glowing spiral galaxy, and a meteor streak over Iran feature among the week's best space pictures.
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Best News Pictures of 2011: Your Picks From Nat Geo News
December 2, 2011
Japan's tsunami aftermath, an Area 51 spy plane, and a huge crocodile feature among the most viewed Nat Geo News photo galleries of 2011.
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Pictures We Love: Best of November
December 1, 2011
See National Geographic photo editors' favorite news pictures of the month—a "flying" rhino, an up-close eruption, and more.
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Best Space Pictures of 2011: Editors' Picks
December 1, 2011
An arcing aurora, a blood-red eclipse, and a warped galaxy feature among Nat Geo News's picks for the best space pictures of the year.
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Pictures: "Gorgeous" Dinosaur Nest Found Full of Babies
November 29, 2011
A nest full of dinosaur babies—fossilized in their "last, bug-eyed, terrified minutes"—suggests <em>Protoceratops</em> parents nurtured their young.
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Pictures: World's Largest Marine Reserve Announced
November 29, 2011
See the ocean wonders of the Coral Sea, where Australia plans to establish a marine park bigger than Germany and France combined.
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Ten Weirdest Life-forms of 2011: Editors' Picks
November 28, 2011
A cyclops shark, a demon bat, and an albino spider are among National Geographic News's picks for the year's weirdest new life-forms.
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Space Pictures This Week: Green Flash, Saturn Storm, More
November 25, 2011
An astronaut homecoming, a star called Jabbah, and a rare double flash over the sun feature among the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Five "Cursed" Mars Missions
November 23, 2011
The Mars curse has claimed roughly two thirds of all human attempts to reach the red planet—will NASA's Curiosity rover be next?
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New Ocean Pictures: Best Shots of Imperiled Sea Life Named
November 22, 2011
A hooked shark, a tuna "tree," and plastic-filled waters feature among the winning frames in a 2011 marine-conservation photo contest.
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Louis Daguerre: Pictures Illuminate Google's Man of the Day
November 18, 2011
Go behind the lens of Louis Daguerre—honored today, his 224th birthday, with a Google doodle.
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Space Pictures This Week: Pink Nebula, Moon Map, More
November 18, 2011
See an hourglass-shaped nebula, a space "garbage truck," and an "amazing" new map of the moon—among this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Giant Walls of Plasma Seen on Sun
November 17, 2011
Eight Earths tall and looking like giant walls of fire, loops of plasma have recently been spotted by sun observers worldwide.
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Photos: 65-Story Eruption Spurs Explosive New Adventure
November 16, 2011
New, 65-story lava fountains are a big draw in the Congo. But travel at your own risk, officials say—despite the armed guards.
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Pictures: Are These the Seven Wonders of Nature?
November 14, 2011
If the Grand Canyon and Mount Everest aren't among the "New 7 Wonders of Nature," what is? See—and judge—for yourself.
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Photos: "Dramatic" Elephant Rescue in Zambia
November 11, 2011
A mother elephant and her baby mired in mud were recently saved by a fast-acting team in Zambia.
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Space Pictures This Week: Mars Volcano, Eagle Nebula, More
November 11, 2011
A "broken" Mars volcano, a Mercury crater full of hollows, and a neighboring star cluster feature among this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Five Future Techs for Passenger Air Travel
November 10, 2011
Supersonic planes, flying in formation, and mid-air refueling are some of the concepts that could reshape air travel, a new report says.
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Pictures: Rare Black Rhinos Airlifted to Safety
November 9, 2011
In an "amazing" sight, 19 black rhinoceroses in South Africa recently traveled by helicopter to a protected reserve, conservationists say.
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New Volcano Pictures: "Monstrous" Eruption in the Congo
November 7, 2011
Africa's most active volcano rumbled to life Sunday, spewing lava toward chimp habitat and turning skies orange and red.
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New Meteor Pictures: Orionids Light Up Aurora and More
November 4, 2011
See shots of the falling pieces of Halley's comet that streaked through starry skies, and even auroras, in late October.
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Pictures: Mock Mars Mission "Returns" to Earth
November 4, 2011
After 520 days of isolation, the crew of the Mars500 mission has "returned" to Earth. See what the six men got up to during the trip.
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Space Pictures This Week: Gamma-Ray Burst, Chile Volcano, More
November 4, 2011
The space station gets a delayed delivery, a brilliant explosion lights up the early universe, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Best Wild Animal Photos of 2011 Announced
November 2, 2011
Sparring cocks and a curious fox feature in some of the year's best wild-animal pictures, according to the results of a U.K.-based contest.
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Pictures: Ten Least Crowded Places in the World
October 31, 2011
With humanity now at seven billion, is elbowroom becoming endangered? Escape to ten spacious places—and find out how they got that way.
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Pictures We Love: Best of October
October 31, 2011
See National Geographic photo editors' favorite news pictures of the month—a lightning-filled eruption, a bubbly beluga, and more.
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Space Pictures This Week: Red Auroras, Mars Avalanche
October 28, 2011
A mysterious "guest star," southern auroras, and a toothy nebula feature among this week's best space pictures.
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New Shark-Fin Pictures Reveal Ocean "Strip Mining"
October 28, 2011
Pictures taken by the Pew Environment Group in Taiwan suggest that fishers are "strip mining" the oceans of sharks, conservationists say.
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Halloween Pictures: Ten Spooky Objects in Outer Space
October 27, 2011
A hellish planet, cannibal black holes, and zombie stars are among the top ten scary space objects, as chosen by Nat Geo editors.
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Halloween Pictures: 9 Spooky New Species Found This Year
October 27, 2011
From a Beelzebub bat to a vampire flying frog-see Halloween-worthy species that crept from the shadows into the scientific limelight.
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Pictures: Best Environmental Photos of 2011 Named
October 27, 2011
See whales, penguins, fire, and fighting hummingbirds in winning pictures of this year's Environmental Photographer of the Year contest.
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Aurora Pictures: Rare Northern Lights Seen in U.S. South
October 25, 2011
In a rare treat for sky-watchers, an intense geomagnetic storm Monday spawned blood-red auroras as far south as Georgia.
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Jaguar Pictures: Record Big-Cat Numbers Spotted in Bolivia
October 24, 2011
Camera traps recently helped conservationists identify 19 jaguars in a national park—a record number for a single survey in the country.
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Turkey Earthquake Pictures: Devastation on the Day After
October 24, 2011
With the earthquake death toll now around 300, workers are racing to find survivors and shelter thousands against the cold in Turkey.
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Photos: Speared Mastodon Bone Hints at Earlier Americans
October 21, 2011
A spear tip in a mastodon rib hints that an unknown North American culture was killing big game a thousand years before the famed Clovis culture.
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Space Pictures This Week: Baby Planets, "Magic" Mirrors, More
October 21, 2011
Hints of planets being born, reflections of swirling stars, and a massive comet storm feature among the best space pictures this week.
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Pictures: Lucky Few Exotic Animals Saved From Ohio Shootings
October 20, 2011
After shootings killed dozens of lions, tigers, and other freed exotic animals in Ohio, six are safe in a nearby zoo on Thursday.
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Pictures: NASA Lands on Underwater "Asteroid"
October 20, 2011
At an underwater laboratory in the Florida Keys, the NEEMO 15 mission will test ways humans might one day visit asteroids.
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Pictures: Undersea Volcano Erupts, Stains Seas
October 19, 2011
Lava and gas spewing from an underwater volcano off Africa is churning the sea surface and turning the water weird colors.
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Pictures: How Bubble-Rafting Snails Evolved
October 19, 2011
Scientists have cracked an evolutionary mystery: How did some snails come to "surf" the oceans on mucus-bubble rafts?
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Pictures: 12 World Monuments at Risk
October 18, 2011
Gingerbread Houses, giant glyphs, and brutalist buildings are among the endangered sites on the 2012 World Monuments Watch list. See why.
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Pictures: Baby Gorilla Rescued in Armed Sting Operation
October 14, 2011
After an armed, undercover operation freed him from a poacher's backpack, an orphan gorilla is beginning the long road to recovery.
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Flood Photos: Water Submerges Thai Towns, Temples, Elephants
October 14, 2011
Ancient Buddhist temples, whole streets, and even an elephant have been submerged by waters in the country's worst floods in half a century.
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Space Pictures This Week: Pulsing Crab, Moon Halo, More
October 14, 2011
Gamma-ray pulses from a nebula, a ring around the moon, and newfound "failed" stars feature among this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Rare "Cyclops" Shark Found
October 13, 2011
A one-eyed fetus whose mother was caught by a fisher is one of only a few sharks with a documented case of cyclopia, new research says.
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New Zealand Oil Spill Pictures: Beaches, Birds Coated
October 11, 2011
See beaches and birds blackened with oil after a ship ran aground off New Zealand in the country's worst environmental disaster at sea.
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Pictures: First Quadruple Rainbow Ever Caught on Camera
October 7, 2011
Rescued from the realms of theory and myth, triple and quadruple rainbows have been caught on camera for the first time.
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Space Pictures This Week: Mars Landing, Solar Flare, More
October 7, 2011
Colliding galaxies, a planned Martian touchdown, and a star with "hidden" planets feature among this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Best Micro-Photos of 2011
October 6, 2011
From mini insect "monsters" to solar cells-turned-abstract art—see the best microphotos chosen in the annual Small World photo competition.
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Photos: Life-Changing Nobel Chemistry Breakthroughs
October 5, 2011
Quasicrystals today joined scores of Nobel prize-winning chemistry advances that have changed how we live—from radiology to neon signs.
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Pictures: Saturn Moon Coated in Fresh Powder
October 4, 2011
The ice geysers on Saturn's moon Enceladus coat the surface in "the finest powder a skier could hope for," scientists say.
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New Aurora Pictures: "Severe" Sun Storm Brightens Skies
September 30, 2011
A huge solar storm this week sparked auroras around the globe, including some unusually colorful displays.
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Space Pictures This Week: Star Gems, Galaxy Bubbles, Fogbow
September 30, 2011
A glittering nebula, auroras from above, a fogbow at sea, and a strange super-Earth feature among this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures We Love: Best of September
September 30, 2011
See National Geographic photo editors' favorite news pictures of the month--a tool-using octopus, a giant typhoon wave, and more.
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Best Wildlife Pictures: British Nature Awards 2011
September 27, 2011
From a yawning fox to a glowing jellyfish, see judges' top picks for the 2011 British Wildlife Photography Awards.
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Pictures: Crocodile, Bat Fossils Found in Underwater Cave
September 27, 2011
Ancient remains of crocodiles, monkeys, and bats have been found remarkably well preserved in the Dominican Republic's freshwater caves.
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Pictures: Ancient Chariot Fleet, Horses Unearthed in China
September 27, 2011
Hailing from China's "heyday of chariot warfare," five well-preserved chariots and accompanying horses have emerged from an urban tomb.
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Pictures: Mass Grave of Children, Llamas Found in Dune
September 26, 2011
The remains of 42 ancient sacrifice victims—their torn-out hearts replaced with fabric—have emerged from a seaside sand dune in Peru.
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Pictures: Maya Royal Tombs Found With Rare Woman Ruler
September 22, 2011
Two royal tombs—one containing a rare female ruler—have been discovered at Maya ruins in Guatemala, a new study says.
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Space Pictures This Week: Sun Halo, Galaxy Swarm, More
September 22, 2011
Astronauts come home, colorful rings encircle the sun, galaxies gather like fireflies, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Meowing Night Frog, Other New Species Found
September 16, 2011
Twelve new species of night frogs—plus three "lost" species—have been discovered in western India, a new study says.
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Space Pictures This Week: Saturn Quintet, Star Blob, More
September 16, 2011
A Saturnian "group portrait," a cosmic lagoon, and a sparkling cluster of stars feature among the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: NASA's New Rocket—And 4 "Lost Launchers"
September 15, 2011
NASA's new rocket design for sending humans into space comes from a lineage of rockets that have been drastically redesigned or abandoned.
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New Aurora Pictures: Sun Storms Trigger Sky Shows
September 14, 2011
A series of sun eruptions triggered northern lights this weekend—as far south as Minnesota, Vermont, and Washington State.
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Space Pictures This Week: Hidden Aurora, Mars Devil, More
September 12, 2011
Northern lights tint the clouds, an icy moon hangs out, a dust devil towers on Mars, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Best Astronomy Photos of 2011 Named
September 9, 2011
A sharp Jupiter, brilliant auroras, and a moon "hunt" are among the winners of the 2011 Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest.
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Pictures: "Demon" Bat, Other New Tube-Nosed Species Found
September 9, 2011
A creature with diabolic coloring is one of three new species of tube-nosed bat discovered in Southeast Asia, a new study says.
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One World Trade Center: Virtual View From the Top
September 9, 2011
An exclusive panoramic picture shows the New York skyline from above as it will be seen from the One World Trade Center tower in 2013.
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Pictures: Biggest Crocodile Ever Caught?
September 6, 2011
An allegedly 21-foot saltwater crocodile captured alive in the Philippines could be the biggest known croc—but some experts are skeptical.
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Space Pictures This Week: Sun Halo, Saturn Crater, More
September 2, 2011
Star jets in Orion, a ring around the sun, a black hole pair, and a "titanic" crater feature among the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures We Love: Best of August
September 1, 2011
See National Geographic photo editors' favorite news pictures of the month—an invisible man, sardine "storm," Swiss daredevil, and more.
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New Hubble Videos Show Star Jets in Action—A First
August 31, 2011
Vivid new time-lapse Hubble movies reveal the behavior of stellar jets—many times wider than our solar system—in unprecedented detail.
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Pictures: New Views of Saturn's "Sponge" Moon Hyperion
August 31, 2011
New pictures from a recent flyby of Hyperion may help scientists decipher the body's oddly cratered surface and "tumbling" rotation.
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Pictures: 18th-Century Ship Found Under 9/11 Site
August 30, 2011
With 9/11's tenth anniversary approaching, the remains of an 18th-century ship have been excavated at New York's World Trade Center.
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Hurricane Irene Pictures: Flooding, Damage in New York, Beyond
August 28, 2011
In the wake of Irene, New York, Virginia Beach, and other U.S. East Coast cities recover amid flooding and the debris of damaged homes.
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Hurricane Irene Pictures: Storm Lashes U.S. East Coast
August 27, 2011
<span>See the damage already wrought by the storm, and find out how other U.S. East Coast areas are preparing for the oncoming tempest.</span><span> </span>
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Space Pictures This Week: Mars Pit, Warped Galaxy, More
August 25, 2011
NASA probes a Martian ''skylight,'' a galaxy gets bent, a meteor falls on the Andes, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Huge Dust Storm Swallows Phoenix
August 19, 2011
See the dust fly as the Phoenix area gets hit by its third major dust storm, or haboob, since early July.
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Pictures: Baby Gorilla Rescued From Poachers
August 19, 2011
Found curled on a jail bed by vets, young Luck is in safe hands after being rescued from poachers in Rwanda, conservationists say.
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Space Pictures This Week: Shuttle Swap, Hubble's Jewels
August 18, 2011
Space shuttles trade places, Hubble shows a cosmic gem, a crater gets its day in the sun, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Elephant Pictures: Killed Female Highlights Poaching Rise
August 17, 2011
The recent killing of an adult female highlights the worst poaching rates seen in years in Kenya's Samburu National Reserve, experts say.
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Shipwreck Pictures: Civil War-era Wine, Cologne Found
August 17, 2011
After storms uncovered parts of a Civil War-era wreck, divers found intriguing artifacts, including unopened wine with a "strong odor."
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Fanged-Frog Pictures: 9 New Species Found
August 16, 2011
Nine new species of frogs with "fangs" were discovered on a recent expedition to Indonesia, scientists say.
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Camera-Trap Pictures: Mammals—And a Poacher—Exposed
August 16, 2011
The first global camera-trap mammal study has imaged apes, jaguars, and other mammals—including a seemingly camera-shy poacher.
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Pictures: Best Marine Park? Booming Fish Leap and Swarm
August 15, 2011
From leaping rays to lazy sea lions—the "extraordinary recovery" in a Mexican marine reserve makes it Earth's most robust, experts say.
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Perseid Pictures: Meteor Shower Seen From Space, Earth
August 15, 2011
The Perseid meteor shower has put on a show for stargazers in space and on Earth—and there's still time to catch a few shooting stars.
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Space Pictures This Week: Mars Rover, Galaxy Smashup, More
August 11, 2011
Galaxies "punctuate" the cosmos, the sun shoots a huge flare, a Mars rover reaches its target, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Photos: Multicolored Auroras Sparked by Double Sun Blast
August 10, 2011
Sparked by two blasts of charged particles from the sun, last weekend's northern lights amounted to "the most brilliant display in years."
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Pictures: Mount Etna Eruptions Light the Italian Night
August 9, 2011
It's proving to be an active year for the Sicilian volcano, with a new spate of eruptions unleashing 75-story flames in recent weeks.
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How Smart Are Planet's Apes? 7 Intelligence Milestones
August 5, 2011
They're not <em>Rise of the Planet of the Apes</em> smart, but they're no dummies. See how apes use their heads—possibly better than humans sometimes.
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Space Pictures This Week: Star Valley, Sun Waves, More
August 4, 2011
The moon skims Earth, towering jets sway on the sun, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: U.S. Frogs Deformed by Parasite Infections
August 3, 2011
See how a parasite passed from snail to frog in the western U.S. can cause "grotesque" malformations such as extra hind limbs.
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Best Travel Pictures of 2011 Named
August 2, 2011
A starry night and a giraffe hotel feature among the winners of the 2011 <em>National Geographic Traveler</em> Photo Contest. Find out why they won.
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Pictures: Wasps Turn Ladybugs Into Flailing "Zombies"
August 2, 2011
A parasitic wasp "brainwashes" ladybugs into hosting and then aggressively defending the wasp's developing larvae, a new study says.
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Pictures: Rare Antelope, Big Cats Caught by Camera Trap
August 1, 2011
Camera traps set up in a little studied Kenyan forest have revealed an extremely rare antelope, several big cats, an elephant, and more.
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Pictures We Love: Best of July
July 28, 2011
Slimy seas, stormy skies, a bull's ear—National Geographic photo editors eye the month's best new pictures and find ten favorites.
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Space Pictures This Week: Superbubble, Kinky Galaxy, More
July 28, 2011
Stars blow a huge bubble in space, the space shuttle seems to drop from the sky, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: New Shrews Found in Indonesia
July 27, 2011
Up to four new species of unusual shrews that live partly in trees have been found in an isolated Indonesian jungle, scientists say.
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Photos: Thick Green Algae Chokes Beach—Swimmers Dive In
July 25, 2011
Mats of bright green algae have again coated miles of shoreline in eastern China—and locals act like it's a day at the beach.
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Pictures: Machu Picchu, Before and After Excavation
July 22, 2011
See how the 15th-century Inca city has changed in the century since the ruins were "rediscovered" in Peru.
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Space Shuttle Pictures: Final Flight of Atlantis
July 21, 2011
From launch to landing, see some of the key moments from the final mission of <em>Atlantis</em>, the last U.S. space shuttle to fly into orbit.
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Pictures: Hundreds of Rare Gibbons Found in Vietnam
July 21, 2011
More than 400 endangered northern white-cheeked gibbons have been discovered in a Vietnam park, conservationists say.
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The Most Unforgettable Space Shuttle Pictures
July 20, 2011
See the shots chosen by National Geographic photo editors as the most memorable pictures from the entire U.S. space shuttle program.
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First Pictures: Snow Leopards Rebounding in Afghanistan
July 18, 2011
A surprisingly healthy population of snow leopards is prowling the mountains of Afghanistan, new camera-trap pictures reveal.
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Space Shuttle Pictures: Rare Behind-the-Scenes Views
July 18, 2011
A photojournalist with unique access shares visions of the people and places behind the scenes at the final U.S. space shuttle launches.
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Space Pictures This Week: Last Spacewalk, Saturn Storm, More
July 14, 2011
Astronauts take a milestone walk in space, a storm wraps around Saturn, and more in the best space pictures this week.
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First Pictures: Wild Fish Uses Tool
July 13, 2011
A fish off Australia has been seen bashing open shellfish with a rock—making it the first known wild fish observed using tools.
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Pictures: Largest "Sea Monster" Skull Revealed?
July 12, 2011
An ancient marine reptile with eight-foot jaws packed the biggest bite in history—and may be a new species, scientists suggest.
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Photos: 4 Natural Wonders Added to World Heritage List
July 11, 2011
It's not hard to see why these sites were added this year to the UN's list of global natural treasures. Plus: sites on the rebound—and the decline.
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Pictures: Prehistoric Eyes Found—Surprisingly Advanced
July 11, 2011
Surrounded by creepy-crawlies, the 500-million-year-old fly-like eyes are surprisingly advanced and are likely from a shrimplike predator.
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World's Loudest Animals—Bug With "Singing" Penis, More
July 11, 2011
From an insect with "singing" genitals to frogs as loud as lawnmowers, see which species are the noisiest known to science.
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Space Shuttle Pictures: NASA's Last Launch a Success
July 8, 2011
See <em>Atlantis</em>'s Friday launch—the final time a NASA space shuttle will rocket to the International Space Station, or anywhere else.
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Space Pictures This Week: Shuttle, Strange Clouds, More
July 7, 2011
"Night shining" clouds creep southward, a space shuttle shuts down, a storm circles Saturn, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Human Sacrifice Found in Maya City Sinkhole
July 6, 2011
The submerged remains of six humans, jade beads, and ceramic vessels are among Maya objects discovered in a giant hole in Chichén Itzá.
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Pictures: New "Uncontacted" Tribe Found in Amazon
July 5, 2011
Photographed deep in the Brazilian Amazon, two new buildings help confirm the existence of a new isolated tribe, authorities say.
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Space Pictures This Week: Lunar Sunrise, Saturn Slice, More
July 1, 2011
The most distant quasar yet, a sunrise over a lunar crater, and a pair of starry "eyes" feature among this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures We Love: Best of June
June 30, 2011
So good we had to share—ten new images that gripped Nat Geo photo editors: "supertrees," an upside-down horse, a surfer on ice, and more.
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Pictures: Blood-Red Pyramid Tomb Revealed by Tiny Camera
June 29, 2011
Fed through a hole, a tiny camera exposed a Maya tomb to its first light in centuries, revealing a blood-red chamber, jade, and more.
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Pictures: Six New Natural Landmarks Named
June 28, 2011
Dinosaur footprints and a "hanging lake" are now preserved as part of six new U.S. National Natural Landmarks.
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Pictures: "Pancake" Sea Slug Among New Philippines Species
June 28, 2011
An "inflatable" shark and colorful sea slugs join hundreds of new species hauled up during a recent expedition to the Philippines.
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Pictures: Thousands of New Species Found in New Guinea
June 27, 2011
A snub-fin dolphin and a blue-eyed possum are among more than a thousand new species found over the past decade on the Pacific island.
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Pictures: Ancient "Solar Boat" Unearthed at Pyramids
June 24, 2011
Locked underground for millennia, an ancient Egyptian sun-god ship found by the Pyramids is slowly making its way to the surface.
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Pictures: First True Cocaine Submarine
June 24, 2011
See the first fully submersible drug sub captured by the U.S. in Colombia—a swamp-built vehicle that can carry six underwater for a week.
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Pictures: 11 Most Endangered U.S. Historic Sites Named
June 23, 2011
From the ranch house where John Coltrane wrote <em>A Love Supreme</em> to a giant Pillsbury mill—see historic sites said to be on the edge of ruin.
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Space Pictures This Week: Lunar Eclipse, Sun Spurts, More
June 23, 2011
The moons rests in the Milky Way, opals shine on Mars, a black hole spits gamma rays, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Summer Solstice Pictures: Fire, Druids, Lasers, Llamas
June 22, 2011
See how the world welcomed the first day of summer 2011: lasers strafed Paris dancers, burned llama fetuses were borne aloft, and more.
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Photos: "Smiling" Tarsier Among New Most Endangered Species
June 22, 2011
An impish-looking primate is among species recently deemed critically endangered—although researchers also found a species bounding back.
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Pictures: Volcano Ash Smothers Lake, Buildings, Sheep
June 21, 2011
Ash from Chile's Puyehue volcano has fallen a foot deep in parts of Patagonia, choking rivers and streams and coating livestock.
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Pictures: Celtic Princess Tomb Yields Gold, Amber Riches
June 21, 2011
Ornate gold and amber jewelry are among treasures found in an Iron Age noblewoman’s grave, which was recently excavated whole.
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Pictures: Volcano Supercharges Sunsets Far and Wide
June 17, 2011
See the silver linings of the ash clouds spewing from Chile's Puyehue volcano: fiery sunsets as far away as New Zealand.
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Space Pictures This Week: Galaxy Tendrils, Star Glob
June 16, 2011
Hubble sees a cosmic briar patch, a supernova shows its age, volcanic ash spews over Chile, and more in this week's best space pictures.
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Lunar Eclipse Pictures: See Wednesday's Red Moon Rising
June 15, 2011
See pictures of the June 15 total lunar eclipse—the longest in a decade—which turned the moon blood red for almost two hours.
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Pictures: Biggest Whale Shark "Swarm" Found
June 13, 2011
The biggest gathering of the world's biggest fish—the whale shark—occurred in 2009 off Mexico, a new study says.
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Pictures: Nat Geo Picks of the Week
June 10, 2011
See National Geographic photo editors' favorite news pictures of the week, including a cross-eyed opossum, an epic ashfall, and more.
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Space Pictures This Week: Solar Flare, Green Aurora
June 10, 2011
The sun erupts, a green aurora glows, and a partial solar eclipse shines over Norway in this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Homemade Personal Spacecraft Lifts Off
June 8, 2011
Private spaceflight took one giant step forward Friday, when the homemade, one-person <em>Tycho Brahe</em> spacecraft lifted off in Denmark.
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Arizona Wildfire Pictures: Blaze Advancing on Towns
June 8, 2011
The second largest wildfire in Arizona's history has charred hundreds of miles of forest and forced more than 3,500 people from their homes.
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Photos: "Glam Rock" Lizard Among New Madagascar Species
June 6, 2011
See pictures of a bright pink snake, a see-through frog, and a one-ounce lemur—among hundreds of species found on the island since 1999.
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Pictures: Chile Volcano Plume Explodes With Lightning
June 6, 2011
Spewing an apocalyptic, lightning-strewn plume this weekend, Chile's Puyehue volcano burst back to life after a decades-long slumber.
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Space Pictures This Week: Crystal "Rain," Shuttle Finale
June 6, 2011
The shuttle <em>Endeavour</em> retires, green crystal "rain" douses a star, and plasma gets tugged by the sun in this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Ten Best U.S. Beaches of 2011 Named
June 3, 2011
From a bird lover's paradise to the whitest sands in the world—see the best shores of 2011 as chosen by a coastal scientist.
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Solar Eclipse Pictures: See Last Night's Midnight Madness
June 2, 2011
A solar eclipse at night? See the rare sky show enjoyed by high-north stargazers last night.
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Photos: Shape-Shifting Cuttlefish Can Mimic Pictures
June 1, 2011
Cuttlefish use visual cues to rearrange their bodies for maximum camouflage, a new study confirms.
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Pictures: Space Shuttle Endeavour's Final Mission
June 1, 2011
See pictures of space shuttle <em>Endeavour</em>'s final mission, from a cloud-busting launch to the shuttle program's last spacewalk to today's touchdown.
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Space Pictures This Week: Lone Star, Shining Spirit
May 27, 2011
A stellar giant sits alone, astronauts return home, a Mars rover ends its run, and more in our editors' picks of the best new space shots.
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Pictures: Gorilla Mother "Mourns" Dead Baby
May 26, 2011
Seemingly grieving, a wild gorilla holds on to her dead baby for days as family gathers around.
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Top Ten New Species: "Walking" Fish, T. Rex Leech, More
May 24, 2011
From a human-size lizard with a double penis to glow-in-the-dark mushrooms—see scientists' picks for the top new species announced in 2010.
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Pirate Pictures: Captain Morgan's Cannons Found?
May 24, 2011
Six cannons said to have belonged to 17th-century buccaneer Henry Morgan have been recovered from shipwrecks in Panama.
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Joplin, Missouri, Tornado Pictures: "WWII" Devastation
May 23, 2011
See the aftermath of tornado that killed at least 116 people and left Joplin, Missouri, in ruins Sunday.
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Space Pictures This Week: Shuttle Seen From Plane, More
May 23, 2011
A plane view of the shuttle, an enormous nebula, and dust devils on Mars feature among our editors' picks of the best new space pictures.
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Pictures: Iceland Volcano Spews Ash, Sparks Lightning
May 23, 2011
A 12-mile-high ash cloud rising from an Iceland volcano is creating a spectacle but isn't expected to widely disable European air traffic.
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Exclusive Area 51 Pictures: Secret Plane Crash Revealed
May 20, 2011
In 1963 a prototype rocketed out of the secret base—and never returned. See the crash for the first time, and get closer to the truth about Area 51.
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May 21 Doomsday Pictures: 11 End-of-the-World Predictions
May 20, 2011
Preacher Harold Camping isn't first to forecast the end of the world. His prophecy—that May 21 is doomsday—is part of an age-old tradition.
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Pictures: See-Through Frog, Other "Lost" Species Found
May 17, 2011
Five ''lost species'' of frog--including a see-though species and one the size of a fingernail--have been found in Congo, scientists say.
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Best Night-Sky Pictures of 2011 Named
May 17, 2011
Star trails, an "alien" lake, and a "rainbow" aurora are among winning visions of the splendor of the night—and effects of light pollution.
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Space Shuttle Pictures: 12 Endeavour Images to Remember
May 16, 2011
Now that NASA's <em>Endeavour</em> has launched for the last time, see the space shuttle in a 12-picture retrospective of the craft's career.
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Mississippi Flood Pictures: Pets, Wild Animals Seek Safety
May 13, 2011
See a few of the Mississippi River flood's other victims—pets, livestock, and wild animals seeking safety as the waters rise.
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Space Pictures This Week: Hubble Starburst, Sun Magnetism
May 12, 2011
Hubble spies star birth, hot gas hovers over the sun, satellites see fires burn in Georgia, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Spain Earthquake Pictures: Buildings Fall, Dozens Hurt
May 11, 2011
Two earthquakes in Spain killed at least ten, damaged historic buildings, and fractured highways Wednesday afternoon.
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Best Pictures: World Photography Awards 2011
May 11, 2011
From the unforgettable eyes of a child in Bangladesh to leaflike bugs in Tokyo, see our favorite winners of the 2011 World Photography Awards.
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Flood Pictures: Mississippi River at Its Worst
May 10, 2011
As the Mississippi River--peaking this week in Memphis, Tennessee--nears historic levels, see how major floods of the past century compare.
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Space Pictures This Week: Vibrant Lagoon, Mock Mars
May 6, 2011
A nebula swirls with color, a Mars mission gets a trial run, satellites see a Russian eruption, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Photos: Space Suit Evolution Since First NASA Flight
May 5, 2011
See how U.S. space suits have advanced since Alan Shepard made the first U.S. human spaceflight 50 years ago in modified Navy pilot gear.
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Volcano Pictures: "Throat of Fire" Erupts
May 4, 2011
Active for years, Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano—''throat of fire'' in a local language—exploded especially violently Friday.
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Pictures: Sinkhole Opens in Beijing Road, Swallows Truck
May 3, 2011
A sinkhole big enough to swallow a truck recently opened up in a Beijing road, possibly due to subway construction, news reports say.
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Osama bin Laden Dead: Unlikely Last Hideout in Pictures
May 2, 2011
See the surprising, ''scenic'' spot where Osama bin Laden was killed Monday in a Pakistani military center.
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Pictures: Royal Wedding Dresses, and What They Meant
April 28, 2011
Many are wondering who designed Kate Middleton's wedding dress, but for centuries British royal gowns were about a lot more than fashion.
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Space Pictures This Week: Shuttle Launch, Green Flash
April 28, 2011
X-rays arc in a supernova, a green flash caps the moon, <em>Endeavour</em> preps for its final flight, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Alabama Tornado Pictures: Mile-Wide "Monster" Slams Towns
April 28, 2011
Vast, violent tornadoes obliterated whole blocks in Alabama Wednesday during possibly one of the most devastating U.S. tornado outbreaks.
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Pictures: Fire Ant Swarms Form Living Life Rafts
April 25, 2011
When a fire ant colony is flooded, the bugs use their natural buoyancy to form life rafts that can last for weeks, a new study shows.
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Earth Day Pictures: 20 Stunning Shots of Earth From Space
April 22, 2011
Auroras, glaciers, and gullies feature among the most stunning pictures of Earth from space, chosen by National Geographic photo editors for Earth Day 2011.
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Space Pictures This Week: Hubble's Rose, Glinting Lagoon
April 21, 2011
Auroras on Saturn and Hubble's birthday rose are among National Geographic editors' picks of the best new space pictures.
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Texas Wildfire Pictures: Crews Fight Statewide Blaze
April 20, 2011
Severe drought and gusting winds have contributed to 22 separate blazes now raging across more than a million acres of the Lone Star State.
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Pictures: 20 Surprising Species of the Past 20 Years
April 18, 2011
From the "Yoda bat" to a "walking" shark—see 20 new and rare species spotted during two decades of "ecological SWAT team" expeditions.
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Egypt Mummy Pictures: Scans Show Ancient Heart Disease
April 15, 2011
Recent scans of 52 mummies revealed at least half the dead had clogged arteries—including a princess with the oldest known heart disease.
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Space Pictures This Week: Aurora Sunrise, "Sliced" Moon
April 14, 2011
An aurora lights up Lake Superior, galaxies make a cosmic lens, a tiny moon gets "sliced," and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Fort Sumter Pictures: Destruction of 1st Civil War Battlefield
April 12, 2011
Famous as the site of the first shots of the Civil War, Fort Sumter actually faced its toughest tests years into the conflict.
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Fort Sumter in Pictures: The Civil War's First Battle
April 12, 2011
See how Fort Sumter—designed against sea attacks—was explosively done in by its own neighbors, sparking the Civil War 150 years ago.
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Yuri Gagarin: First Human Space Flight in Pictures
April 12, 2011
On the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's first orbit, see pictures of the man, his spacecraft, and the global impact of his flight.
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New Aurora Pictures: Deep-Sky Lights Revealed
April 8, 2011
Sometimes invisible to the naked eye, faint auroras as far south as Wisconsin sprang to life in long-exposure pictures taken last week.
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Space Pictures This Week: Star Jets, Saturn Moons
April 7, 2011
A nebula ''party'' shines in infrared, a star makes twin jets, colors swirl off the French coast, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Millions of Puppy Mummies in Egypt Labyrinth
April 6, 2011
Perhaps supplied by ancient puppy mills, millions of animal mummies—likely seen as conduits to a jackal-headed god—fill newly excavated tunnels.
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Pictures: Gold Treasure, Roman Coins Revealed in U.K.
April 4, 2011
A newfound hoard of prehistoric golden neck ornaments and a huge haul of Roman-era British coins are headed for display in Britain.
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Pictures: Sharks Taught to Hunt Alien Lionfish
April 4, 2011
Divers in Honduras are trying to help the top predators acquire a taste for the destructive invasive species, described by one expert as "rats of the sea."
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April Fools' Day Pictures: Six Animal Hoaxes
April 1, 2011
From a human-dog hybrid to a Tasmanian mock walrus, see pictures of famous animal hoaxes, including some used as April Fools' Day pranks.
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Pictures: Trees Cocooned in Webs After Flood
March 31, 2011
Documented by an aid worker, millions of spiders and possibly insects took to the trees to spin webs after heavy floods inundated Pakistan in 2010.
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Space Pictures This Week: Aurora Orb, Galaxy Dance
March 31, 2011
Auroras ripple over Canada, galaxies tango toward a merger, stars make a ''rose'' bloom, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Robert Bunsen: Breakthroughs Bigger Than the Burner
March 31, 2011
A lab flame fuels Wednesday's Google doodle for Robert Bunsen's 200th birthday. But the chemist did much more than better his burner.
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NASA's First Pictures of Mercury Taken From Orbit
March 30, 2011
After a six-year journey, NASA's MESSENGER has sent back its first pictures from Mercury orbit, showing the hot planet in sharp focus.
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Pictures: New Dinosaur, Crocodile Cousin Found in Brazil
March 30, 2011
"Incredible" fossils of an ancient crocodile cousin and a dinosaur with shark-like teeth have been found in Brazil, scientists say.
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Pictures: New Ruby-Eyed Pit Viper Discovered
March 28, 2011
A new pit viper species with jewel-colored eyes has been found in the forests of Southeast Asia, scientists say.
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Earth Hour Pictures: Before and After, Around the World
March 28, 2011
See what it looked like Saturday night when hundreds of landmarks went dark—and cities went darkish—in the name of energy conservation.
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Space Pictures This Week: Supernova Stripes, Trojan Moon
March 25, 2011
Satellites spy power outages in Japan, a supernova remnant shows its stripes, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Rare Penguins Blackened by Remote Oil Spill
March 25, 2011
A cargo ship crash has oiled hundreds of rare penguins on a remote Atlantic island—a ''grave environmental disaster,'' experts say.
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New Tsunami Pictures: Head-on View of Approaching Wave
March 24, 2011
Newly released before-and-after pictures show what it was like to be face-to-face with the tsunami.
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Photos: Preserving Beauty, Providing Hydropower in Scotland
March 21, 2011
Scotland harnessed power from water in the Highlands 60 years ago, amid conflicts that echo with relevance for a world still struggling to find clean and safe energy.
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Supermoon Pictures: Best Shots of Biggest Full Moon
March 21, 2011
See our favorite supermoon shots by National Geographic fans and seasoned photographers, who took a shine to the biggest full moon in years.
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Space Pictures This Week: Stormy Sun, Oldest Galaxies
March 19, 2011
See the "stunning" Tarantula Nebula, before-and-after pictures of the Japan earthquake, and "surreal" star births in this week's best space photos.
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Japan Reactor Crisis: Satellite Pictures Reveal Damage
March 18, 2011
New and old satellite pictures reveal just how much damage Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has sustained.
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Japan Tsunami: 20 Unforgettable Pictures
March 15, 2011
A giant wave tosses cars like toys, a yacht teeters atop a building, and a refinery burns in unforgettable pictures chosen by our editors.
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Space Pictures This Week: "Runaway" Star, Shuttle Flyby
March 11, 2011
A French island becomes a world awash in stars, <em>Discovery</em> streaks over Earth for the last time, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Tsunami Pictures: Epic Waves, Earthquake Shock Japan
March 11, 2011
The biggest earthquake in Japan's history Friday sparked three-story tsunami waves, hundreds of casualties, and towering infernos.
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Pictures: Lifelike "Wet Mummy" Found During Roadbuilding
March 10, 2011
Freed from a liquid-filled coffin last week, the centuries-old Chinese woman had been found when roadbuilders stumbled upon a tomb.
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Pictures: Odd Stingless Stingrays Discovered in Amazon
March 9, 2011
Looking more like pancakes than fish, two new species of freshwater stingrays have been discovered in the Amazon, a new study says.
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Pictures: Prehistoric American Skull Found in Sea Cave?
March 9, 2011
Divers in an underwater cave in Mexico may have found the skull of one of the earliest Americans—and maybe his or her mastodon leftovers.
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Space Shuttle Discovery: Final Flight in Pictures
March 9, 2011
As the space shuttle <em>Discovery</em> lands for the last time, see highlights from the final historic mission of NASA's "workhorse" orbiter.
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Pictures: Discovery Launch Seen via Miles-High Balloon
March 9, 2011
Built with student aid, a helium balloon loaded with cell phones and cameras captured the shuttle's liftoff from high above Earth.
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Kilauea Volcano Pictures: Hawaii Eruption Spurts Lava
March 7, 2011
A new vent in Hawaii's Kilauea volcano ripped open Saturday, shooting lava up to 80 feet high, scientists say.
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Space Pictures This Week: Discovery Docks, Orion Sparkles
March 4, 2011
A space shuttle makes its final flight, the sun explodes with activity, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Deadly Mud Volcano to Erupt for 26 More Years
March 4, 2011
Enough mud to fill 56,000 swimming pools is expected to spew from the Indonesian volcano before it simmers down, a new study says.
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Pictures: New Iceman Is Fit, Nearly Naked—And Too Old?
March 4, 2011
Revealed this week, a new reconstruction portrays "Ötzi," the Iceman mummy, oddly half naked and older looking than usual.
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Photos: "Zombie" Ants Found With New Mind-Control Fungi
March 3, 2011
Mind-controlling fungi that create ''zombie'' ants in Brazil's rain forests are more diverse than thought, a new study says.
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Bolivia Landslide Photos: Neighborhoods, Cemetery Fall
March 2, 2011
During this week's Bolivian landslide, whole neighborhoods and even a cemetery split, with land falling multiple stories downhill.
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"Dramatic" New Pictures: Rare Javan Rhino Spotted
March 2, 2011
Javan rhinoceroses—possibly the rarest mammals on Earth—are among the animals recently snapped by camera traps in Indonesia's rain forests.
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Pictures: Bones Evidence of Himalaya Death Ritual?
March 1, 2011
Found in dangerously high Himalayan cliff caves, newfound bones—many of which had been defleshed—point to an unknown ancient ritual.
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Best Rare-Bird Pictures of 2010 Named
February 28, 2011
From the marvellous spatuletail to a flightless parrot, see 12 award-winning pictures of birds most in danger of extinction.
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Pictures: Otzi the Iceman's New, Older Face Unveiled
February 25, 2011
More Gandalf than Aragorn, the new face of ''Ötzi,'' the famous Iceman mummy, is more wizened and weathered than previous reconstuctions.
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Space Pictures This Week: Woolly Galaxy, Solar Flare, Shuttle
February 24, 2011
An island draped in sea ice, flares spurting from the sun, and dark landslides on the moon are featured among the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Five Forerunners of NASA's Robot Astronaut
February 24, 2011
See some of the forerunners of NASA's first android in space, Robonaut 2, which blasts off today aboard the space shuttle Discovery.
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A Cubic Foot of Tropical Forest
February 23, 2011
See what crawls, flies, and sets roots down in a cubic foot of Mo'orea's mountain trees
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Earthquake in New Zealand: Pictures From a "War Zone"
February 22, 2011
A powerful earthquake Tuesday collapsed buildings, and killed at least 65 in what the prime minister called the country's "darkest day."
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New Aurora Pictures: Solar Storms Light Up Arctic Night
February 18, 2011
Shimmering curtains of neon color added sparkle to Valentine's Day, as bursts of particles from the sun triggered brilliant auroras.
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Tropical Island Infinite Photo
February 18, 2011
Our new infinite photograph features the diversity of marine and terrestrial life found on and near Mo'orea and in Biocode Project labs.
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Cutting-Edge Science Meets Centuries-Old Tradition
February 18, 2011
The waves of exploration that have washed over Mo’orea -- both Polynesian and European, cultural and scientific – have altered the landscape, natives, and research community in profound ways.
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Photos: Bubble-nest Frog, Other "Extinct" Species Found
February 17, 2011
Fifteen ''lost'' frogs and toads have been rediscovered during a global search—a disappointing number, conservationists say.
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Space Pictures This Week: Black Hole Blobs, Mars Rations
February 17, 2011
Images of a Pacific-island "Valentine," a hungry black hole, and a mock meal on Mars are among the week's best space pictures.
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Best Science Pictures of 2010 Announced
February 17, 2011
A horror-movie virus and a forest of fungi feature among the winners of the 2010 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.
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Watson Wins Jeopardy!—6 Artificial Intelligence Milestones
February 17, 2011
IBM's Watson seemingly came from out of nowhere to win Jeopardy! But the computer is just the latest artificial intelligence sensation.
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Pictures: "Deep Impact" Comet Revealed by NASA Flyby
February 16, 2011
In the first NASA mission to visit a comet twice, close-ups of Tempel 1 show that a 2005 smashup left a scar.
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Pictures: 1823 Whaling Shipwreck Found in Hawaii
February 11, 2011
Nearly two centuries after it sank off a remote Hawaiian atoll, an 1800s whaling vessel that was a sister ship to the<em> Essex</em>, of <em>Moby-Dick</em> fame, has been rediscovered, blubber pots and all.
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Best News Pictures of 2010: World Press Winners
February 11, 2011
Whooper swans, a victim of the Taliban, and Bolivian wrestlers are among the winners of the 2010 World Press Photo Contest.
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11 Thomas Edison Predictions That Came True—Or Didn't
February 11, 2011
Celebrated Friday with a Google doodle, Thomas Edison was the "nation's inventor philosopher." See how his predictions hold up in 2011.
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Pictures: 10 Most Threatened Forest Hot Spots Named
February 10, 2011
From California's redwoods to Cambodia's wetlands—see which forest hot spots are in trouble around the world, according to a new report.
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Space Pictures This Week: Black Hole Ring, Moon Pit, More
February 10, 2011
Black hole ''jewels'' adorn a galactic ring, the sun aims a particle stream at Earth, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Nine Surprisingly Gassy Cities
February 9, 2011
Forget Beijing and Mexico City: Denver and Rotterdam are among the world's top polluters in terms of per-person CO2 emissions, a new study says.
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Photos: Time Capsule Mansion Opened After 100 Years
February 9, 2011
A French mansion shuttered for a century has become a museum of 19th-century life, thanks to the last wishes of an ''egocentric'' owner, a curator says.
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Pictures: "Remarkable" Ice Age Fossil Cache Found
February 9, 2011
The ''bumper crop'' of prehistoric animals—including mammoths and a giant sloth—is giving scientists a peek into Ice Age life in the Rockies.
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8 Jules Verne Inventions That Came True (Pictures)
February 8, 2011
See eight real-life inventions dreamed up decades earlier by Jules Verne—whose 183rd birthday is honored Tuesday with a Google doodle.
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Space Pictures This Week: Fiery Aurora, Surreal Venus, More
February 4, 2011
Stars swirl through the northern lights, the moon and Venus meet over the Alps, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Kickoff Time for Green Stadiums
February 4, 2011
As Green Bay and Pittsburgh face off Sunday in Super Bowl XLV in the NFL's newest and largest stadium, a drive for greener design and cleaner energy is under way at arenas worldwide.
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New Pictures Show "Uncontacted" Tribe "Well and Strong"
February 2, 2011
Last seen aiming arrows at an aircraft two years ago, an isolated Amazon group has now been photographed in unprecedented detail.
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Pictures: Ancient Bog Girl's Face Reconstructed
February 2, 2011
Working with skull fragments, a 3-D printer, and more, scientists have given several new faces to an Iron Age girl found in a peat bog.
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Pictures: "Ominous" Japan Volcano Erupts Again
February 1, 2011
The biggest explosion since the Shinmoedake volcano awoke last week coated cities in gray ash and shot debris 6,500 feet into the air.
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Pictures: Ancient Egyptian Artifacts Damaged in Looting
January 31, 2011
Mummies were decapitated and statues were snapped apart by looters at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo as mass protests seized Egypt.
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Pictures: Volcano Lightning Electrifies Japan Eruption
January 28, 2011
A volcano in a James Bond setting flared to life Wednesday, sparking lightning and a huge ash plume as well as prompting evacuations.
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5 Myths of Challenger Shuttle Disaster Debunked
January 27, 2011
On the 25th anniversary of the space shuttle disaster, find out what really happened to <em>Challenger.</em> For starters, there was no explosion.
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Space Pictures This Week: Bow Shock, Mars Moon, More
January 27, 2011
A speeding star makes waves, a pitted moon gets its closeup, Jupiter's scar is diagnosed, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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"Pink Meanie" Pictures: New Jellyfish Attacks Other Jellies
January 24, 2011
With a taste for other jellyfish, the species is so different physically that it sparked the creation of a whole new animal family.
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Space Pictures This Week: Orion's Jewel, Horned Dunes, More
January 21, 2011
Amateurs dig up cosmic gems, a Mercury-bound craft feels the heat, a whirlpool brims with dust, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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New Aurora Pictures: First Big Show of 2011
January 20, 2011
In the year's first big northern lights show, ''gusts'' of solar wind set the Arctic sky alight in shades of green.
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Pictures: Best Amateur Astronomy Images Announced
January 20, 2011
A spooky bubble and other "hidden treasures" are among the winners of a contest that asked the public to process raw astronomy data.
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Pictures: "Red Hot" Nuclear-Waste Train Glows in Infrared
January 19, 2011
Nuclear waste glows red-hot in new thermal pictures of a controversial European train. But does that mean it's dangerous?
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Pictures: Mount Etna Erupts Overnight
January 14, 2011
See this week's explosive nighttime spectacle from Europe's most active volcano—plus classic pictures from years, and centuries, gone by.
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Space Pictures This Week: Ring of Fire, Rare Moon, More
January 14, 2011
A solar eclipse occasions a blazing halo, Earth-size jets shoot from the sun, and more in this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: "Nasty" Little Predator From Dinosaur Dawn Found
January 13, 2011
Fast and fierce, dog-size <em>Eodromaeus</em> dates to the advent of the dinosaur age and may have led to both <em>T. rex </em>and the humble turkey.
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Pictures: Blackbeard's Ship Yields Ornamental Sword
January 12, 2011
A gilded sword hilt has been recovered from Blackbeard's shipwreck off North Carolina. Could it have belonged to the 18th-century pirate?
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Haiti Earthquake Anniversary: Pictures Show Slow Recovery
January 11, 2011
A year after the Haiti earthquake that killed 220,000, nearly a million remain homeless, and before-and-after images are sadly similar.
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Space Pictures This Week: Fiery Eclipse, Blue Lagoon, More
January 7, 2011
The space station makes an eclipse cameo, streams of dust carve a nebula, blue fans decorate Mars, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Photos: Huge Observatory 1.5 Miles Deep in Antarctic Ice
January 6, 2011
Just completed deep under South Pole ice, the world's largest neutrino observatory is set to search for clues to cosmic mysteries.
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2011 Quadrantid Meteors: See What You May Have Missed
January 6, 2011
Did the winter chill keep you from watching the Quadrantids this week? See global views of this "reliable and productive" meteor shower.
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Pictures: "Bodies" Fill Underwater Sculpture Park
January 5, 2011
A new underwater sculpture garden off Mexico is to help lure tourists away from fragile natural reefs, says the project's creator.
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Solar Eclipse Pictures: See What You May Have Missed Today
January 4, 2011
Miss Tuesday's rare partial solar eclipse? Look now (no funny glasses required).
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Partial Eclipse "Preview": What You'll See Tomorrow
January 3, 2011
Find out when and where to see Tuesday's partial solar eclipse, and get a glimpse of what lies in store for sky-watchers.
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Pictures: Birds Fall From Sky in Arkansas
January 3, 2011
Birds were falling from the sky and fish were found floating dead en masse in two recent but unrelated Arkansas die-offs, experts say.
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Space Photos This Week: Gravity Waves, Chicken Nebula
December 30, 2010
Stars swirl over Kilimanjaro, the moon gets a color treatment, weird waves roll off New Zealand, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Ancient Roman Spa City Reburied in Turkey
December 29, 2010
A well-preserved, almost 2,000-year-old Roman spa city has been reburied as part of a Turkish dam project that's triggered a flood of controversy.
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Sun Pictures: A Full Year in a Single Frame
December 28, 2010
Can a single picture sum up all of 2010? In a way, yes. Follow the sun's path over the course of a year in analemmas past and present.
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Pictures: Lighthouse Turned Into Ice Castle
December 23, 2010
Wrapped for the holidays, an Ohio lighthouse is so coated in ice that even its light is obscured, thanks to freezing spray from Lake Erie.
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Pictures: Giant Mars Pits Revealed in Sharp Detail
December 21, 2010
Peer inside two mysterious, debris-strewn holes that may be evidence for caves on Mars. But don't worry—no sign of space slugs yet.
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Lunar Eclipse 2010 Pictures: See What You Slept Through
December 21, 2010
So you were snug in bed while the moon turned red? We've got you covered—see the first winter solstice lunar eclipse in 372 years.
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Lunar Eclipse Pictures: When the Moon Goes Red
December 20, 2010
Call it foreshadowing: Past lunar eclipse pictures hint at what you may see during the first winter solstice lunar eclipse in 372 years.
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Pictures: Entire Sun Rocked by Explosions
December 20, 2010
Intense storms can envelop the entire sun at the same time, a new NASA satellite reveals for the first time.
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Seven Great Mars Pictures From Record-Breaking Probe
December 17, 2010
See highlights from the ten-year career of NASA's Mars Odyssey, which this week became the longest-working craft to study the planet.
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Pictures: Brilliant Geminid Meteors Dazzle Sky-Watchers
December 16, 2010
See what you missed: Earlier this week dark skies provided the ideal backdrop for the peak of the 2010 Geminid meteor shower.
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Best Pictures: Nat Geo Photo Contest Winners, 2010
December 16, 2010
From a charging buffalo to an erupting volcano—see the winning pictures of the 2010 National Geographic Photo Contest.
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Pictures: "Pizzly" to Be Joined by More Arctic Hybrids?
December 15, 2010
The ''pizzly,'' or ''grolar bear,'' has made headlines, but up to 34 mammal species may interbreed as the Arctic ice shrinks.
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Space Pictures This Week: Cosmic Gem, Sun Burp, Vegas
December 15, 2010
A supernova leftover glows like an opal, the sun spews hot gas, snow blankets the Midwest, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: New Head-Bobbing Lemur Found in Madagascar?
December 15, 2010
Meet the new rock star of Madagascar: an odd lemur species with head-bobbing theatrics, a high-pitched call, big feet, and a long tongue.
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Pictures: Are These Prehistoric Game Boards?
December 13, 2010
See ''enigmatic'' semicircles that may be the earliest evidence of game-playing in Mexico and possibly North America.
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Photos: Bolivia Seeks Electric Car Future in Salt Flats
December 10, 2010
Bolivia moves to begin production from its lithium reserves, the largest in the world, but it needs help in its effort to share in the global electric car boom.
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Space Pictures This Week: Sun Snake, Ice Curtain, More
December 10, 2010
A plasma loop erupts from the sun, Falcon 9 takes flight, Hubble spies a star-spangled ''eagle,'' and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: 14 Rarest and Weirdest Mammal Species Named
December 6, 2010
From echidnas to hairy-nosed wombats, see ten of the rarest and weirdest mammals on Earth, as ranked by the Zoological Society of London.
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Photos: Inside Qatar, Host of the 2022 World Cup
December 3, 2010
Get a glimpse into the conservative Islamic country that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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Space Pictures This Week: Towering Cloud, Moon Geysers
December 2, 2010
A thundercloud aims high, stars are born near a galactic void, a Saturn moon spews ice, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Medieval Cave Tunnels Revealed as Never Before
December 1, 2010
3-D laser scans are revealing anew the man-made caves under Nottingham, U.K., including dungeons, secret tunnels, bowling alleys, and more.
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Best Space Pictures of 2010: Odd Aurora, Ring of Fire, More
November 30, 2010
See our editors' picks of the best space pictures of 2010, including a "moonbow," a disintegrating spacecraft, and a rare view of a craggy asteroid.
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Pictures: New Squat Lobsters Found Off Australia
November 29, 2010
Looking colorful enough to eat, several squat lobsters found during recent expeditions are new to Australia—and two are new to science.
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Best News Pictures of 2010: Your Picks From National Geographic News
November 29, 2010
See the best photo galleries of 2010 from National Geographic News, as measured by viewer interest--including a shocking sinkhole in Guatemala, fish with "hands," volcanic lightning in Iceland, and a crocodile-elephant fight.
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Space Pictures This Week: Flaming Runaway, Moon Avalanche
November 24, 2010
A ''putrid sea'' shines from above, an ejected star burns, a comet bites the dust, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Best Underwater Views of 2010 Announced
November 22, 2010
See a diver exploring an deep trench, a seahorse being born, an eel baring its teeth, and more in winners from an undersea photo contest.
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Space Pictures This Week: Star Jelly, Mars Pit, Wispy Moon
November 19, 2010
Earth becomes art, stars create glowing rings, pale veins scar a Saturn moon, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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New Satellite Pictures: "Magnificent" Views of Earth
November 19, 2010
See Earth's largest sand sea, swirling ice "galaxies," Van Gogh-ready algae, and more in a new collection of artistic satellite images.
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New Comet Pictures: How Hartley 2 Creates "Snowstorm"
November 18, 2010
A detailed dive into NASA's pictures of comet Hartley 2 shows how the odd body's reservoir of dry ice drives a flurry of particles.
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Pictures: "Mr. Burns" Toad, More New Amphibians Found
November 17, 2010
A beaked amphibian said to resemble <em>The Simpsons' </em>Mr. Burns and a poison dart frog are among new species discovered in Colombia.
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Pictures: Bright New Mecca Train Ferries Hajj Pilgrims
November 17, 2010
New lime green light-rail trains launched in early November transport Muslim pilgrims to Mecca and other holy sites during the annual hajj.
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Exotic Plant's Once-a-Century Bloom in Pictures
November 17, 2010
The rare, 40-foot-tall Queen of the Andes plant flowers just once in its 80- to 100-year lifetime, blooming for a few weeks before it dies.
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Pictures: Oldest Dinosaur Embryos Show "Big Surprises"
November 16, 2010
The most detailed look yet at the 190-million-year-old babies reveal a lack of teeth, suggesting their parents may have cared for them, a new study says.
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Pictures: 12 New Sphinxes Confirm Legendary Egypt Route
November 16, 2010
Long known from Egyptian texts, a storied stretch of the Avenue of Sphinxes has been confirmed by the discovery of 12 new sphinxes.
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GigaPan: Diseased Bees
November 12, 2010
Billion-pixel photographs are proving powerful for science, such as this ''GigaPan'' of honeycomb and diseased bees.
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GigaPan: Fish Ball
November 12, 2010
Billion-pixel photographs are proving powerful for science, such as this ''GigaPan'' of a ball of fish.
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GigaPan: Pill Bug
November 12, 2010
Billion-pixel photographs are proving powerful for science, such as this ''GigaPan'' of a pill bug.
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GigaPan: Insect Collection
November 12, 2010
Billion-pixel photographs are proving powerful for science, such as this ''GigaPan'' of an insect collection.
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GigaPan: Rock Art
November 12, 2010
Billion-pixel photographs are proving powerful for science, such as this ''GigaPan'' of rock art.
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Pictures: Worst Beach Destinations Rated
November 12, 2010
From the U.S. Gulf Coast's oil-stained shores to India's sun-and-sand hedonism, get experts' picks for the worst coastal destinations.
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Rare Pictures: Crocodile Attacks Elephant
November 11, 2010
In an unusual ambush, a Nile crocodile grabs onto an elephant's trunk at an African water hole. See which animal comes out alive.
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Space Photos This Week: Leaky "Heart," Sun Devil, More
November 10, 2010
A heart-shaped sea ebbs, plasma dances on the sun, galaxies collide, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Photos: Rev Up Your Motors, Electric Cars Zip Into View
November 10, 2010
The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, both launching into production, lead an array of electric cars into a market that analysts see as eager for an alternative to oil-fueled transport.
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Photos: Best European Wildlife Pictures Announced
November 10, 2010
See a ghostly owl, a cheetah fleeing fire, and a turtle's first swim in this year's best shots by European wildlife photographers.
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Photos: X-Ray History—Hidden Kittens, Quackery, and More
November 8, 2010
See some of the most important—and oddest—images associated with x-rays, whose 115th anniversary is marked Monday with a Google doodle.
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Pictures: Volcano's Biggest Blast Yet Scorches Villages
November 5, 2010
Warning: graphic images. Thursday night Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano saw its biggest eruption since the mountain's October reawakening.
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Comet Photos: First Close-ups of Peanut-Like Hartley 2
November 5, 2010
Initial pictures from the EPOXI mission to comet Hartley 2 show an odd ''peanut'' spewing jets of carbon dioxide and cyanide gas.
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Space Photos This Week: Sun Cowlick, Night Lights, More
November 4, 2010
NASA honors a decade of space station living, a supercyclone moves over the U.S. Midwest, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Space Shuttle Discovery's Milestone Moments
November 3, 2010
From Hubble to the first woman space shuttle pilot—Discovery, whose final mission begins soon, has helped make spaceflight history.
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"Mind-Boggling" Pictures: Goats Scale Dam in Italy
November 1, 2010
Yes, these viral pictures of goats clinging to an impossibly steep rock face are real. Get the facts behind the Internet rumors.
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Halloween Costume Pictures: Spooky Styles a Century Ago
October 29, 2010
From roller skates to swastikas, see how people in the early 1900s celebrated what one expert calls the United States' "rogue holiday."
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Photos: Merapi Volcano Ash Smothers Indonesian Villages
October 28, 2010
Pompeii-like scenes are proliferating on the Indonesian island of Java, where the Mount Merapi volcano's eruptions have killed dozens.
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Space Photos This Week: Shuttle, Sun-Kissing Comet, More
October 28, 2010
The space shuttle Discovery by moonlight, a kamikaze comet, and evidence of a Martian flood are among the week's best space pictures.
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New Amazon Species: "Bluetooth" Tarantula, Electric Fish
October 27, 2010
A new Amazon species was found roughly every three days between 1999 and 2009—among them a ''bluetooth'' tarantula and an electric fish.
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Pictures: Indonesia's Mount Merapi Volcano Erupts
October 26, 2010
One of the word's most active volcanoes, Indonesia's Mount Merapi is the bringer of life and death for a wide swath of the island of Java.
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Photos: Mummy Bundles, Child Sacrifices Found on Pyramid
October 25, 2010
Wearing a false head, a bundled mummy--and three child sacrifices--emerge from an urban pyramid in Peru.
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Pictures: 12 Ancient Landmarks on Verge of Vanishing
October 23, 2010
A Haitian palace, a Swahili port town, and a Maya complex are among the ancient sites disappearing due to modern neglect, a new report says.
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Ocean Pictures: Contest Winners Show Sea Life in Peril
October 21, 2010
Netted turtles, a finned whale shark, and a drowned albatross feature among the winning frames in a 2010 marine-conservation photo contest.
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Pictures: Dead Sea Scrolls Being Digitized for Web
October 20, 2010
With Google's help, the Dead Sea Scrolls are going online, and in multiple light spectra—''much better than the original.''
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Space Photos This Week: Cosmic Spiral, Eclipsed Sun, More
October 20, 2010
Hubble's latest ''pinwheel,'' a new view of a solar eclipse, and a Saturn moon ''road trip'' feature among the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Green Comet Visible This Week
October 19, 2010
Visible with binoculars, comet Hartley 2 will make its closest pass by Earth this week since its discovery in 1986, astronomers say.
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Pictures: Egypt Priest's Tomb Found Near Pyramids
October 19, 2010
Buried in a painted cliffside tomb, the ''purification priest'' Rudj-Ka likely lived about 4,350 years ago and served in a dead pharaoh's cult.
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New Deep-Sea Pictures: Snailfish, Eels Found in Trench
October 14, 2010
A new snailfish species and an eel swarm are among the creatures spotted nearly five miles deep in a Pacific Ocean trench, scientists say.
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Space Photos This Week: Toxic Sludge, Sun Burp, More
October 13, 2010
Hungary's spill spied from above, galaxies getting cold meals, and gases blown off the sun are among the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: King Herod's VIP Box Excavated
October 13, 2010
''There is nothing like this,'' says archaeologist Ehud Netzer of the vibrantly painted royal theater box excavated near Bethlehem.
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Pictures: Best Micro-Photos of 2010
October 13, 2010
A zebrafish nose, a wasp nest, and a mosquito heart took home top honors in the 2010 Small World Microphotography Competition.
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Pictures: "Scruffy" New Carnivorous Mammal Found
October 12, 2010
Likened to a "scruffy ferret," an odd mammal on Madagascar may be the first new species of meat-eater found in 24 years.
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Pictures: Rare Roman Helmet Sells for $3.6 Million
October 11, 2010
An "extraordinary" Roman helmet, dating to the first or second century A.D., had been found "virtually intact" by a metal detector in England.
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Pictures: Return to the Crystal Caves
October 8, 2010
Returning to Mexico's otherworldly Cave of Crystals, explorers have uncovered a new cavern, microscopic life-forms, and more.
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Space Photos This Week: Sun Circles, Mars Rock, More
October 8, 2010
Atmospheric circles above France, a meteor on Mars, and a catalog of Earth's most threatening neighbors—all in the week's top space pictures.
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Photos: Canadian Rain Forest Edges Oil Pipeline Path
October 7, 2010
In the home of the elusive "spirit bear," nine Coastal First Nations people await a decision on a pipeline to carry Canadian oil to sea for export to Asia.
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Photos: "Huge" Toxic Sludge Flood Hits Hungary
October 6, 2010
''This is huge,'' says one toxicologist of the failure of a toxic-sludge reservoir in Hungary. "If you are trapped in it, it will kill you."
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Pictures: Tube-Nosed Bat, More Rare Species Found
October 6, 2010
A bat with trumpet-like nostrils and a katydid that ''aims for the eyes'' are among the hundreds of species recently seen in Papua New Guinea.
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Faces of Koro: Photos of "Hidden" Language's Last Speakers
October 5, 2010
See a few of the 800-odd remaining guardians of Koro, a ''hidden'' language recently documented in India and revealed Tuesday.
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Photos: Great Whites "Take Turns" Feeding on Dead Whale
October 4, 2010
A veritable swarm of great whites tucked into a whale carcass in South African waters earlier this month—and kept their table manners, says a scientist who witnessed the rare event.
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13 Stunning Photos From 10-Year Sea Census
October 4, 2010
See "Mr. Blobby" and the other stars of our 13 favorite pictures from the Census of Marine Life, which concluded Monday.
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New Species Photos: Vader-like Jelly, Whale Eater, More
October 4, 2010
See jellyfish with a Darth Vader-like look, a whale-eating worm, and other new species from the final haul of Census of Marine Life.
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Undersea Mountain Photos: Brittlestar Swarm, More Found
October 1, 2010
Swarms of orange fish and other deep-sea creatures have been spotted during a five-year survey of the world's underwater mountain ranges.
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Pictures: Five-Foot Fossil Penguin Revealed
September 30, 2010
See how a giant new species of red-and-gray penguin might have looked 36 million years ago, based on fossil-feather evidence.
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Space Photos This Week: Moon Mash-up, Saturn Aurora, More
September 30, 2010
See southern lights ripple over Saturn, ''conjoined'' worlds form, and more in our picks of the week's best space pictures.
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Pink-Hippo Pictures: Rare Youngster Spotted in Kenya
September 29, 2010
The young Kenyan hippopotamus has leucism, a condition in which the skin produces less pigment than usual, a scientist says.
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Best Environmental Photos of 2010 Named
September 29, 2010
See a hummingbird-viper face-off, swarm of devil rays, and more in these winning images from a conservation group's global photo contest.
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Pictures: "Bizarre" New Tailless Whip Scorpions Found
September 28, 2010
Four new species of ''peculiar,'' spider-like creatures with spine-studded appendages have been discovered in Borneo caves, a new study says.
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Photos: Poison Crab, Glass Shrimp, More Found in Korea
September 27, 2010
See an ''alien'' crustacean, poisonous crab, and freckled shrimp that takes shelter in clams—all found in South Korea for the first time.
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Photos: Fiery Sea Slug Discovered, Lays Lacy Egg Case
September 23, 2010
A bold, spiky new species of nudibranch—and its doily-like egg mass—has been found near a California campground.
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Space Photos This Week: Mars Wrinkles, Titan Equinox, More
September 23, 2010
The shuttle <em>Discovery</em> rolls out, a nebula melts, spring comes to a Saturn moon, and more in our picks of the week's best space pictures.
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Autumnal Equinox Pictures: Rituals of Fire and Light
September 22, 2010
Burning beasts, parading pagans, and glowing serpents usher in the first day of fall around the world.
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Pictures: "Extinct" Frogs, Salamander Found
September 21, 2010
The first ever search for a hundred "lost" amphibians has already rediscovered three species, including a cave-dwelling salamander, conservationists say.
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Pictures: Toxic Foam Chokes Brazil River
September 21, 2010
An outbreak of toxic foam pollution in Brazil's Tietê River has been made worse by the driest August in decades, experts say.
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New Aurora Pictures: Sky Shows Sparked by Sun Eruption
September 21, 2010
On September 11 a NASA satellite spied a magnetic eruption on the sun. A few days later northern skies got an electric shot of sheer beauty.
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Pictures: New Armored, Wood-Eating Catfish Found in Amazon
September 21, 2010
See a new species of armored Amazonian catfish that uses its four jaws to grind away at underwater logs.
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Pictures: Undersea Cave Yields Prehistoric Skeleton
September 17, 2010
Divers have retrieved one of the oldest skeletons in the Americas from a deep cave in Mexico—a 10,000-year-old young man.
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Photos: World's Biggest, Strongest Spider Webs Found
September 17, 2010
A new spider species in Madagascar weaves 80-foot webs out of the world's toughest biological material, new studies say.
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Pictures: Fish Suffocated in Giant Louisiana Die-off
September 16, 2010
Thousands of dead fish found in a Louisiana marsh likely suffocated—but oil from the Gulf spill may also have played a role, experts say.
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New Giant-Cave Photos: Surreal Formations, More in Borneo
September 16, 2010
In a vast Borneo cave system, a new expedition captured scenes of surreal formations, immense chambers, a natural "showerhead," and more.
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Space Photos This Week: Aurora "Rain," Moon Pit, More
September 15, 2010
Northern lights shine, the sun spits fire, the moon gets a color treatment, and more in our picks of the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Giant Fossil Bird Found With Spiky "Teeth"
September 15, 2010
The newfound prehistoric species had a beak lined with jagged "pseudoteeth" and a 17-foot wingspan, scientists announced Wednesday.
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Pictures: Best Astronomy Photos of the Year Named
September 13, 2010
From starlit trees to a ring of fire, see the 2010 winners of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich's annual astrophotography contest.
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San Bruno Fire Pictures: "Hell on Earth" in California
September 10, 2010
A gas line explosion that unleashed deadly, thousand-foot-high fireballs reduced blocks of San Bruno, California, to "hell on earth" on Thursday, one resident said.
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Pictures: Hubble Spies Oddly "Perfect" Celestial Spiral
September 9, 2010
A new Hubble picture has revealed an oddly ''perfect'' cosmic spiral likely being created as a dying star orbits a stellar twin, astronomers say.
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Space Photos: Galaxy Laser, Moon Bridge, More
September 9, 2010
See a galactic garbage truck, the first ever evidence of a natural bridge on the Moon, and more in this week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: New Proof Spiral Galaxies Eat, Digest Dwarfs
September 9, 2010
A new survey is the first to show that spiral galaxies beyond our cosmic neighborhood eat and digest orbiting dwarf galaxies.
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Photos: Saddam AK-47, Ancient Artifacts Return to Iraq
September 8, 2010
An AK-47 with Saddam Hussein's portrait and ancient artifacts are among the hundreds of returned Iraqi artifacts displayed this week in Baghdad.
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Pictures: What Drives Death Valley's Roving Rocks?
September 8, 2010
What causes stones to sail in the hottest place in North America? New evidence suggests the mysterious rocks "float" on winter ice.
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Before & After: Wine-Cult Cave Art Restored in Petra?
September 8, 2010
Offering a window on a likely ancient wine cult, "magical" cave paintings at Petra have been rescued from millennia of soot, experts say.
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Photos: Few Remaining River Dolphins Indicators of River, Human Health
September 8, 2010
Photos: Few Remaining River Dolphins Indicators of River, Human Health
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New Zealand Earthquake Pictures: Walls, Roads Crumble
September 3, 2010
See wrecked cars and collapsed buildings following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand, on Saturday.
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Pictures: Crab Swarms Overtake Island—Mystery Solved
September 3, 2010
A surge in hormones allows millions of migrating Christmas Island red crabs to make their epic annual trek to the ocean, a new study says.
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Fire-Tornado Pictures: Why They Form, How to Fight Them
September 3, 2010
Recent ''firenadoes'' in Brazil and Hawaii aren't rare, just rarely reported, an expert says: Large-scale versions occur once a year in the U.S.
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Oil Rig Explosion Photos: Mariner Energy Platform Burns
September 2, 2010
Just months after BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, which leaked millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, another Gulf oil rig—this one owned by Mariner Energy—exploded into flames Thursday.
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Space Photos This Week: Rocket Test, Tropical Storm, More
September 2, 2010
The world's strongest solid rocket motor revs up, a star nursery is seen in its sharpest view yet, and more in this week's best space pictures.
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Photos: Africa's Disappearing Damselflies, Fish, and Wildflowers
September 2, 2010
Photos: Africa's Disappearing Dragonflies, Fish, and Wildflowers
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New Titanic Pictures Mark 25th Anniversary of Discovery
September 1, 2010
On the 25th anniversary of Titanic's rediscovery, high-resolution images from a new expedition are shedding light on the shipwreck.
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New Deep-Sea Pictures: Chimaera, Ten-armed Starfish, More
August 31, 2010
A hitchhiking anemone, a perching sea robin, and a many-armed sea star were recently spotted off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
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Pictures: World's Biggest Tent Rises in Kazakhstan
August 31, 2010
Kazakhstan's new Khan Shatyr evokes a traditional dwelling but boasts futuristic fancies such as an indoor "beach," a monorail, and more.
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New Sunspot Pictures: Sharpest View Yet in Visible Light
August 30, 2010
A new telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory has captured the most detailed image yet of a sunspot in visible light, astronomers say.
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Pakistan Flood Pictures: Millions Flee Rising Rivers
August 27, 2010
Pakistan Flood Pictures
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Pictures: Live Tiger Cub Found in Luggage
August 26, 2010
The cat's out of the bag for a woman caught smuggling a live, drugged tiger cub at a Thai airport Sunday.
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Hurricane Katrina Pictures: Then & Now, Ruin & Rebirth
August 26, 2010
Houses wiped off the map, submerged islands, and flooded cemeteries—see how sites hit by Hurricane Katrina five years ago are faring in 2010.
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Pictures: Pea-Size Frog Found—Among World's Smallest
August 25, 2010
Completely lost on a penny, the new frog species was mistaken for a baby for a hundred years.
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Space Photos This Week: Sun Spikes, Odd Magnetar, More
August 25, 2010
The sun gets prickly, planets are ground to dust, Saturn shines darkly, and more in our selection of the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: "Lost" Deer, Rare Cuckoo Caught in Camera Traps
August 25, 2010
The Sumatran tiger and rhinoceros hornbill are just some of the rare species spotted in Sumatra during a recent photographic survey.
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Photos: Honeycomb Clouds "Communicate," Rain in Unison
August 20, 2010
Like blinking fireflies, some marine clouds "communicate" with each other, forming, raining, and re-forming in unison, a new study says.
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Space Photos This Week: Star Blob, Perseids, More
August 18, 2010
Plankton swirl, stars cluster, meteors streak, and Earth shines in our selection of the week's best space pictures.
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Space Photos This Week: Meteor, Epic Iceberg, and More
August 13, 2010
Catch a shooting star, a tweet-happy NASA robot, Earth's biggest iceberg, and more in our picks of the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Bushy-Bearded Titi Monkey Discovered
August 12, 2010
The "fascinating" new species of monkey mates for life—and may be critically endangered by habitat loss in the Amazon rain forest.
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Perseid Pictures: Meteor Shower Dazzles Every August
August 11, 2010
Wondering what to look for Thursday night? See photos of past and present Perseids. The meteor shower puts on a stellar show every year.
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Wildfire Pictures: Russia Burns, Moscow Chokes
August 10, 2010
The worst known Russian heat wave is fueling hundreds of fires across the country and driving up Moscow's death rate. See just how bad it is.
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Pictures: Huge Solar Storm Triggers Unusual Auroras
August 10, 2010
See some of the colorful auroras triggered by last week's huge coronal mass ejection, which brought the sky show farther south than normal.
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Photos: Ten Most Wanted "Extinct" Amphibians
August 10, 2010
From the golden toad to the Turkestanian salamander—the quest begins for the ten likely extinct amphibian species conservationists most want to rediscover.
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Space Photos This Week: "Moontrail," Sun Eruption, More
August 6, 2010
The crescent moon sets over Iran, plasma bursts from the sun, an island makes waves in the sky, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: "Ghost" Robot Lets User Cuddle, Chat Remotely
August 5, 2010
Part phone, part ventriloquist's dummy, the Telenoid R1 robot can stand in for distant relatives, friends, or teachers, its creators say.
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Pictures: Ancient "Cat Crocodile" Discovered
August 4, 2010
See features that made the newfound fossil crocodile Pakasuchus kapilimai unique: mammal-like teeth, a bendy back, and more.
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Photos: New Natural Wonders Added to World Heritage List
August 3, 2010
See the Pacific atolls, mountain forests, and other natural sites that have been named by the UN as places of universal value to humanity.
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Photos: Algae Blankets China Beaches; Dead Zone Brewing?
July 30, 2010
Mats of green algae have covered miles of coastline in China, creating foul odors and possibly choking life underneath the waves.
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Pictures: Human-Sacrifice Chamber Discovered in Peru
July 30, 2010
Built for the "presentation," in which prisoners' cuts filled cups with blood, an ancient chamber has emerged in Peru with burials intact.
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China Oil Spill Photos: Fire, Crude, and an Inky Cleanup
July 30, 2010
Fire, crude, and an inky cleanup mark the great China oil spill of 2010—a drop in the barrel compared to the Gulf of Mexico spill.
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Pictures: Huge Jets Shoot From Dam During China Floods
July 29, 2010
China's massive Three Gorges Dam is being pushed to its limits by heavy monsoon rains that have sent water gushing through spill gates.
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Space Photos This Week: Mars Bull's Eye, Sooty Stars
July 29, 2010
Radar of a rocky desert, a Martian bull's eye, and "cool" mirrors feature among the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: New Flying-Car Design Revealed
July 28, 2010
The first flying car with a shot at making it to market got a new look Monday, as seen in pictures of the craft as a car, a plane—and something in-between.
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Pictures: Creeping Lava Consumes Home
July 27, 2010
As lava from the Kilauea volcano crept closer to his Hawaiian home, resident Gary Sleik felt three years of anxiety go up in smoke.
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Photos: "Spectacular" Deep-Sea Species Found off Canada
July 27, 2010
New pictures reveal a potentially new—and arguably adorable—purple octopus and other rare species found this month off Canada's east coast.
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Photos: Cameras "Trap" Hairy-Nosed Otter, More Rarities
July 26, 2010
The hairy-nosed otter—long thought locally extinct—and a stink badger are among rare mammals "caught" by camera traps in a Borneo forest.
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Pictures: Stonehenge "Twin" Revealed
July 23, 2010
See the ghostly images that revealed Stonehenge's sister site, how the new henge may have looked, the gear that got the job done, and more.
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Photos: "Glass" Crustacean Among Hundreds of New Species
July 23, 2010
A see-through crustacean and a weird water bug are among the hundreds of species discovered so far during a survey of Korean biodiversity.
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Pictures: Baby Gulf Turtles Released Into Atlantic
July 22, 2010
Hatchlings from 700 Gulf sea turtle nests are being released into the Atlantic, part of a U.S. federal effort to avoid a "lost generation" due to the Gulf oil spill, experts say.
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Space Photos This Week: "Enterprise" Crew, Big Baby Star
July 22, 2010
The V.S.S. <em>Enterprise</em> takes flight, a Mars lander gets an eye, a Saturn moon makes snowballs, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Odd Maya Tomb Yields Jeweled Teeth, More
July 21, 2010
Human fingers in stunningly preserved tamale bowls, jeweled teeth, monkey-head pottery, and more have been found in a Maya tomb, archaeologists say.
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Pictures: Walls of Fat Clog London Sewers
July 20, 2010
Nine double-decker buses' worth of congealed food waste filled a London sewer until shovel-wielding "flushers" hacked it away last week.
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Pictures: Oil "Devastated" Major Gulf Nesting Site
July 19, 2010
Only a month after teams reported the area free from oil, Raccoon Island, home to the largest waterbird nesting colonies in Louisiana, has been "devastated" by the Gulf spill.
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Pictures: Surprising Creatures Found Deep off Australia
July 16, 2010
See a "prehistoric" shark, a hairy anglerfish, jellyfish glowing like Avatar extras, and more—dark-adapted oddities of the Deep Australia Project.
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Pictures: New Cap Stops Gulf Oil Spill, BP Says
July 15, 2010
See the saga of the containment caps, from the removal of the old "top hat" to the installation of the new one, which BP said Thursday has finally stopped the Gulf oil spill.
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Pictures: Giant Undersea Volcano Revealed
July 15, 2010
More than 11,500 feet tall, the newly explored peak off Indonesia is home to odd creatures, spewing vents, and a potentially new squid.
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Space Photos This Week: Eclipse, Hubble Stunner, More
July 14, 2010
Hubble spies a cosmic cauldron, a moon probe peers down a "rabbit hole," Easter Island goes dark, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Asteroid Pictures: Battered World Found in Lutetia
July 13, 2010
The Rosetta spacecraft's first pictures of asteroid 21 Lutetia reveal a worn, cratered world perhaps as old as our solar system, astronomers say.
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Cocaine Submarine Pictures: New Seizure Shows Advances
July 13, 2010
Hand-built by drug smugglers, a "game changing," hundred-foot craft seized this month shows how far cocaine subs have come.
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Solar Eclipse Photos: Easter Island, Other Sites Darken
July 12, 2010
The stone heads of Easter Island were among "witnesses" of a total solar eclipse Sunday. Earth won't see another like it until 2012.
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Photos: 2010 International Conservation Photography Awards
July 12, 2010
See some of the year's best nature pictures—winners of the 2010 International Conservation Photography Awards.
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Photos: Leaking Nuclear Waste Fills Former Salt Mine
July 8, 2010
More than a hundred thousand barrels of radioactive waste are to be removed from "the most problematic nuclear facility in Europe"—a first.
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Space Photos This Week: Cosmic Dragon, "Fireworks," More
July 8, 2010
A star cluster sparkles, a new map reveals ancient light, a "dragon" emerges from a nebula, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Photos: Glowing Oil Could Aid Gulf Spill Cleanup
July 8, 2010
A crime scene tool reveals that beached oil from the Gulf spill glows in ultraviolet light, which could be a boon to cleanup crews.
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Photos: New Species, "Living Fossils" Found in Atlantic
July 7, 2010
A recent Atlantic expedition discovered many rare sea creatures, from swimming sea cucumbers to potential, pink "missing links."
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Pictures: Secret Tunnel Explored in Pharaoh's Tomb
July 7, 2010
Archaeologists have finally discovered what lies at the end of a tunnel leading steeply downward from a 3,300-year-old royal tomb.
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Gulf Spill Pictures: Toxic Oil Found Just Under Beaches
July 5, 2010
Even "clean" patches of beach along the Gulf of Mexico harbor unsafe oil just beneath the surface, as new pictures from Florida show.
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PHOTOS: Amid Drought, Pakistan Prays for Rain
July 1, 2010
Sparse rainfall, surging demand, and inefficient infrastructure have combined to create devastating drought conditions across much of Pakistan.
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Pictures: Hurricane Alex Pushes Oil on "Cleaned" Beaches
June 30, 2010
Rough seas churned up by Hurricane Alex are pushing oil onto cleaned Louisiana beaches that hadn't seen oil since mid-May.
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Pictures: Gulf Oil Coats Popular Florida Beach
June 24, 2010
Thick pools of oil washed ashore on Pensacola Beach Wednesday, prompting officials to close a stretch of the famous white sands, according to news reports.
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Pictures: Oldest Apostle Images Revealed by Laser
June 24, 2010
Lasers have cut through previously unknown images of the Christian Apostles in a fourth-century-A.D. Roman catacomb.
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Pictures: Butterfly Wing Colors Imaged in 3-D
June 24, 2010
The crystals that give butterfly wings their vibrant colors have been revealed in 3-D for the first time, a new study says.
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Space Photos This Week: Odd Aurora, Solar Flare, More
June 22, 2010
Astronauts see a shifted aurora, two Saturn moons align, the sun sends up a bright eruption, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Summer Solstice 2010 Pictures: Fire Rites, Druids, More
June 21, 2010
Pagans play with fire, druids flock to Stonehenge, and revelers build a "friendship nest" to mark the first day of summer 2010.
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Pictures: Pagan-Cult Worship Objects Found
June 16, 2010
A face-adorned cup and incense ritual stands are among more than a hundred intact idol-worship objects found recently in Israel, archaeologists say.
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Space Photos This Week: Hayabusa Fireball, Whirlpools
June 16, 2010
A dazzling fireball from a Japanese spacecraft, a whirlpool galaxy with an appetite, and a boomerang-shaped stellar jet are among the week's space pictures.
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Photos: Human Sacrifices Found at Ancient China Complex
June 15, 2010
How better to say "bless this house" than by sacrificing horse or human? A new dig in China sheds light on the ancient practice's beginnings.
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Pictures: Arkansas Flash Flood Aftermath
June 15, 2010
Flood-tossed RVs and mangled campsites were left behind after a flash flood ripped through a national forest in Arkansas last weekend, killing at least 20.
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Pictures: 8 National Parks Threatened by Oil Spill
June 11, 2010
Eight national parks lie in the trajectory of the Gulf oil spill, putting rare animals and pristine coastlines at risk, the Park Service says.
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Space Photos This Week: Falcon 9, Jupiter Impact, More
June 8, 2010
A commercial craft heads into orbit, a fireball smacks Jupiter, a new planet hunter debuts, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Gulf Oil Spill Pictures: Birds, Fish, Crabs Coated
June 8, 2010
The fallout from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is increasingly visible, with masses of oil-laden birds and other animals now on Louisiana shores.
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Pictures: Guatemala Sinkhole Adds to World's Famous Pits
June 4, 2010
The sinkhole that opened up in Guatemala adds to the chasms—natural and human-induced—that have appeared from Alabama to Iceland.
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Pictures: "Shark Elevator" Lifts Great Whites From Sea
June 4, 2010
See a giant, ship-mounted hydraulic lift hoist live great white sharks out of the ocean, offering unprecedented research opportunities.
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Pictures: NASA Guts 747, Adds 17-Ton Telescope
June 2, 2010
A candy-colored view of Jupiter is among the first pictures taken by SOFIA, a 17-ton telescope mounted into a modified Boeing 747.
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Space Photos This Week: Black Holes, Bent Moon, More
June 1, 2010
Alpine cities shimmer, "backward" black holes show their jet power, Earth crumples the moon, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Giant Sinkhole Pierces Guatemala
June 1, 2010
Yes, it's real. See multiple views of the 30-story-deep sinkhole in Guatemala that swallowed a three-story building.
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New Pictures: Gulf Oil Rig Burning, Sinking
May 27, 2010
See exclusive, up-close pictures of the <em>Deepwater Horizon</em> oil rig—source of the Gulf oil spill—capsizing and sinking in April.
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Photos: Hundreds of New Species Found off Tasmania
May 27, 2010
See photos of some of the hundred new marine species found by Australian scientists in the latest of a string of underwater discoveries.
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Space Photos This Week: Space Shuttle, Supernova, More
May 26, 2010
<em>.Atlantis</em> crosses the sun, a supernova shoots an odd ''bullet,'' a moon rock makes a hole in one, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Space Shuttle Atlantis: Final Flight in Pictures
May 26, 2010
Wednesday's smooth landing at Kennedy Space Center marks what will most likely be the final flight of the NASA space shuttle <em>Atlantis.</em>
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Photos: Dracula Fish, Bomber Worm on Top New Species List
May 26, 2010
From a psychedelic fish to a "phallic" fungus, see some of the most unusual species described in 2009, as chosen by a team of taxonomists.
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Pictures: Nine Fish With "Hands" Found to Be New Species
May 24, 2010
Nine fish that use handlike fins to walk, rather than swim, off Australia have been identified as new species.
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Pictures: 11 Most Endangered U.S. Historic Sites Named
May 21, 2010
A Jersey stadium and a scenic parkway are among the most at-risk sites of 2010, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
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Pictures: Massive Maya City Revealed by Lasers
May 20, 2010
Within days, lasers "stripped" away tangled rain forest to reveal a sprawling Maya city bigger and more advanced than anyone had imagined.
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Space Photos This Week: Full Moon, Shuttle Docks, More
May 19, 2010
<em>Atlantis</em> does a backflip, an orange moon looms over Germany, a satellite tracks Chinese dust, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Pyramid Tomb With Human Sacrifices Found
May 18, 2010
Jewel-adorned skeletons of ancient elites and remains of a sacrificial adult and child were found in the 2,700-year-old tomb in Mexico.
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Mount St. Helens Pictures: Before and After the Blast
May 18, 2010
From snow-capped peak to smoldering crater, see how the major eruption 30 years ago today changed the face of the famous volcano.
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Pictures: America's Ten Most Dangerous Volcanoes
May 18, 2010
Thirty years later, Mount St. Helens—which erupted 30 years ago today—holds steady at number two. See all ten of America's most dangerous volcanoes, ranked by government experts.
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New Species Found in "Lost World": Pinocchio Frog, More
May 17, 2010
See the nosy "Pinocchio frog," the world's smallest wallaby, and other new species found in the tropical Indonesian mountains on New Guinea called the Lost World.
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Gulf Oil Spill Pictures: Oil, Tarballs Hit Beaches
May 14, 2010
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is likely behind the sticky tarballs and dead dolphins washing up on U.S. beaches, experts say.
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Space Photos This Week: Gulf Oil Spill, Star Birth, More
May 11, 2010
An astronaut spies the Gulf oil spill, a runaway star gets caught, the sun erupts with a twist, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Rare Bees Make Flower-Mud "Sandwiches"
May 10, 2010
Colorful "flower sandwiches" of mud and petals provide havens for rare solitary bee larvae, a new study says.
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Glowing Sea Beasts: Photos Shed Light on Bioluminescence
May 7, 2010
A new report reviews why, for sea species, bioluminescence can be a very healthy glow—and how so many creatures evolved it in so many ways.
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Mother's Day Mayhem: "Worst" Animal Moms?
May 7, 2010
Meet the animal world's "worst" mothers—and find out why their tough parenting may not be so awful after all.
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Gulf Oil Spill Pictures: Ten Animals at Risk
May 6, 2010
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is poised to do widespread damage to coastal wildlife, from pelicans on the shore to dolphins at sea.
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Photos: Huge Containment "Domes" for Gulf Oil Spill
May 4, 2010
Designed to be dropped onto the Gulf of Mexico's seafloor oil leaks, three building-size oil-containment chambers are nearing completion.
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Satellite Pictures: Gulf Oil Spill's Evolution
May 4, 2010
See the growth and evolution of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, as viewed from space.
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Space Photos This Week: Black Holes, Sahara Storm, More
May 4, 2010
Midsize black holes, a dust "wall" pushing across Africa, and recently made streaks on Mars feature among the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Ancient Egypt Crocodile Mummies Revealed
April 30, 2010
A crocodile's last meal and an ancient fishhook are among "exciting" details revealed by new CT scans of the 2,000-year-old mummies.
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Pictures: Gulf Oil Spill Hits Land—And Wildlife
April 30, 2010
The first birds covered in oil have been found after the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico reached land along the Louisiana coast.
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Gulf Oil Spill Pictures: Aerial Views Show Leak's Size
April 29, 2010
The spread of oil on the water's surface is a main clue being used to determine the size of the leak from the Gulf of Mexico rig disaster.
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Pictures: Lion Steals Roving Camera, "Takes" Photos
April 27, 2010
This time, curiosity killed the camera: A lion mangled the remote-controlled BeetleCam—after taking a few pictures of African wilderness.
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Space Photos This Week: Mystic Mountain, Mars Ice, More
April 27, 2010
Hubble snaps a cosmic "mountain," a satellite spies an oil slick, a Mars crater exposes ice, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: "Rarest of the Rare" Species Named
April 26, 2010
A giant bat and a tiny fox are among 12 of the world's most endangered species recently highlighted by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
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Hubble Telescope at 20: NASA Astronomers' Top Photos
April 24, 2010
For the Hubble telescope's 20th anniversary, NASA astronomers selected the pictures they think best highlight the Hubble's scientific and societal impacts.
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Hubble 20th Anniversary Photos: NASA Astronomers' Picks
April 22, 2010
For Hubble's 20th anniversary, NASA astronomers selected the pictures that best highlight the telescope's scientific and societal impacts.
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Photos: "Ninja" Slug, Longest Insect Among New Species
April 22, 2010
In time for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a new report spotlights new species from Borneo, including a flying frog and the world's longest insect.
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Pictures: NASA Solar Observatory's First Shots
April 21, 2010
A plasma loop shot into space and a high-speed surface wave star among the first sun pictures from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
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Pictures: Strange Sea Species Found Off Greenland
April 21, 2010
From deep-sea "aliens" to promising seafood specimens, 38 striking fish species have been spotted off Greenland for the first time.
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Space Photos This Week: Star Lagoon, Iceland Ash, More
April 20, 2010
Newborn stars swim in a lagoon, satellites spy Iceland's ash, a webcam catches a fiery meteor, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Egypt Pictures: Roman-Style Mummy, Tombs Found
April 20, 2010
Dwarf? Woman? Girl? The occupant of a tiny, Roman-style coffin remains largely a mystery even as the burial hints at a golden past.
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Iceland Volcano Pictures: Lightning Adds Flash to Ash
April 19, 2010
Intense lightning storms mixed with ash clouds to electrify the night sky over Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano on Sunday.
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Pictures: Hard-to-See Sea Creatures Revealed
April 16, 2010
From alien-looking baby starfish to snowflake-like crabs, some of the ocean's smallest life-forms have been revealed.
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Pictures: America's Next National Parks?
April 16, 2010
With U.S. National Park Week upon us, cast your eyes on potential parks of the future, from a volcano zone to the "Yellowstone of the East."
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Pictures: Iceland Volcano Spews Giant Ash Clouds
April 15, 2010
See the source of the giant volcanic ash clouds that hung over much of northern Europe Thursday, grounding flights.
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Pictures: Iceland Volcano Erupts, Under Ice This Time
April 14, 2010
The second new hot spot on Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano is under a glacier, meaning big steam and major flooding.
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Space Photos This Week: Mars Gullies, Odd Galaxy, More
April 14, 2010
"Monster" stars get exposed, an ice-watching satellite gets a fiery start, Hubble snaps an oddball galaxy, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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China Earthquake Today: The Aftermath in Pictures
April 14, 2010
The "roof of the world"—the Tibetan Plateau—received a devastating jolt when a major earthquake struck Qinghai Province, China.
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Pictures: New Human Ancestor Fossils Found
April 8, 2010
See the fossil skulls that helped identify the new human-ancestor species with an unprecedented mix of human and ape features.
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First Pictures: Mystery Disk Eclipses Star
April 7, 2010
New pictures confirm that a dark disk is responsible for the star Epsilon Aurigae's regular, 18-month-long eclipses. Also: how to see it in the night sky.
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Space Photos This Week: Soul Nebula, Aurora, More
April 6, 2010
Stars hollow out a dusty "soul," the space station meets an aurora, a two-faced nebula shines, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Millions of Sea Turtles Killed Accidentally?
April 6, 2010
Millions, not thousands, of sea turtles have been unintentionally killed by fishing operations in the last 20 years, a new report says.
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Best News Pictures of 2009: World Press Winners
April 6, 2010
Rooftop protesters, a soldier in boxers, and drought-stricken wildlife feature among the winners of the 2009 World Press Photo Contest.
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First African Amber Pictures: Thunder Fly, Wasps, More
April 5, 2010
Frozen in "time capsules" of fossilized tree sap, bugs and spores from the dinosaur era have been dug up at a site in Ethiopia.
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Iceland Volcano Pictures: Eruption Sparks Tourist Boom
April 2, 2010
A cascading "lavafall," hikes to cooling flows, and fiery fountains have helped boost tourism around Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano.
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Iceland Volcano Pictures: Aerial Views of the Inferno
March 31, 2010
See the ongoing eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano from space, from the air, and from the fiery mountain's icy summit.
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Space Photos This Week: Giant Crater, Trojan Moon, More
March 30, 2010
A colorful crater, a stellar giant reduced to dust, and a trojan moon are among the stars of this week's best space pictures.
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Goliath Tiger Fish: "Evolution on Steroids" in Congo
March 29, 2010
On an unprecedented Congo River run, scientists and kayakers have found potential new species, the spike-toothed goliath tiger fish, and evidence that the African river may be the world's deepest.
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Pictures: Giant Squid Get Extreme Plastic Surgery
March 26, 2010
See two giant squid corpses become "the most lifelike specimens yet"—a two-year process involving dissection, 396 gallons of silicon, and hundreds of needles.
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Pictures: 7 Emergency Climate Fixes
March 24, 2010
From artificial volcanoes to sailing cloud makers, "geoengineering" may be the only option left to stop a global warming catastrophe, experts say.
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Space Photos This Week: Virgin Galactic Flight, More
March 24, 2010
Virgin Galactic's commercial spaceship gets its first test flight, stars paint a cosmic rosebud, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Earth Hour Pictures: Lights On, Lights Off
March 24, 2010
As hundreds of cities prepare to dim their skylines for Earth Hour 2010, see before-and-after shots of the empowering event in years past.
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Earth Hour Pictures: Before and After, 2009
March 23, 2010
Last Saturday night the lights went out in more than 2,800 cities, towns, and villages. See what a difference Earth Hour made in New York, Hong Kong, and other famously bright burgs.
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Iceland Volcano Pictures: Lava Explodes From Ice Cap
March 22, 2010
Thirty-story-tall jets of lava exploded from an ice-capped volcano in Iceland Sunday—and they show no signs of stopping.
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Vernal Equinox Pictures: First-Day-of-Spring Rituals
March 18, 2010
Druid celebrations, pyramid pilgrimages, and street fires are among the ways the world welcomes the first day of spring on the vernal equinox, or spring equinox.
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Pictures: 7 Cat Species Found in 1 Forest—A Record
March 12, 2010
Seven cat species all live in a single Indian rain forest, camera traps show—the world's highest known cat diversity.
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Haiti Earthquake Pictures: Your Images of the Aftermath
March 12, 2010
See National Geographic enthusiasts' eyewitness views of recovery and ruin in Haiti after the January 12 earthquake.
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Space Photos This Week: Sun Plume, Moon Lander, More
March 10, 2010
A satellite sees an oncoming iceberg smashup, an artist re-creates a Saturn moon lander's arrival, a Mars orbiter celebrates a milestone, and more in this week's best space pictures.
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Exclusive: Chile Earthquake Aerial Pictures
March 9, 2010
See exclusive views of tsunami-tossed boats, a collapsed bridge, and a crumbled cliff—scenes of the devastating toll of the February 27 Chile earthquake.
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Turkey Earthquake Pictures: The Day After
March 8, 2010
A strong earthquake rattled eastern Turkey Sunday, killing at least 51 and crumbling minarets, barns, and flimsily built mud-brick houses.
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Glowing Animals: Pictures of Beasts Shining for Science
March 3, 2010
Dogs, cats, monkeys, worms, fish: all now glow in the dark, thanks to one jellyfish and a whole lot of research. In this photo round-up of glowing animals (and the odd plant), see the gamut of what science has done with a few fluorescent proteins.
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Space Photos This Week: Mars Streaks, Cosmic Web, More
March 3, 2010
Dark streaks paint a Martian trough, the Amazon shines, spring thaws out the Phoenix Mars lander, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Pictures: Snake vs. Dinosaur in New Fossil Find
March 1, 2010
See the first proof that snakes ate dinosaurs—a first-ever fossil dinosaur-nest scene showing a serpent at the moment of attack.
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Chile Tsunami Pictures: Earthquake's Other Aftermath
March 1, 2010
Far from city centers, cars and cargo containers were tossed like toys by the tsunamis sparked by the Chile earthquake. One coastal town alone saw more than 350 people perish.
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Pictures: Epic Iceberg Smashup Could Change Currents
March 1, 2010
A Luxembourg-size iceberg recently crashed into a glacier "tongue" in Antarctica, creating a second giant iceberg—which could spell double trouble for ocean currents and marine animals.
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Chile Earthquake Pictures: Quake Spurs Tsunami Threat
February 27, 2010
Days after one of the biggest earthquakes ever recorded, more than 700 people have died and survivors are left without food or running water.
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Space Pictures: New Geysers Seen on Saturn Moon
February 25, 2010
New pictures reveal an unknown population of plumes on Saturn's moon Enceladus—and the most detailed heat maps yet of the fissures that spawn the watery jets.
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Pictures: Shipwreck Discovery Yields Ancient Treasure
February 24, 2010
The discovery of a 3,000-year-old shipwreck—complete with gold jewelry and raw materials to make bronze—suggests prehistoric Britain had international trade links.
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First Photos: Space Station's Observation Deck Unveiled
February 18, 2010
The International Space Station's new "bay window on the world" offers astronauts panoramic views of Earth and will serve as a robotic control center.
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Best Science Pictures Announced
February 18, 2010
See some of 2009's most incredible science photos, illustrations, and installations—winners of the International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.
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First Pictures: NASA's WISE Telescope Spies Comet, More
February 18, 2010
A fiery galaxy swirl, baby stars, and a streaking comet have been spotted in the first images from NASA's new WISE space telescope.
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King Tut Pictures: DNA Study Reveals Health Secrets
February 16, 2010
Don't be fooled by the shining visage. Golden boy King Tut was beset by malaria and health issues that forced him to use a cane, a new study says.
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Vancouver 2010: Olympic Logo No "Friend" to Some
February 12, 2010
The Vancouver 2010 Olympic logo, Ilanaaq—"friend" in an Inuit language—has some native groups in Canada feeling left out in the cold.
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Pictures: Undersea Volcano Erupts, May Form New Island
February 10, 2010
Spewing ash and smoke some 30 stories above the sea, a submarine volcano erupting off Japan could eventually form a new island.
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Space Photos This Week: Shuttle Launch, Moonbow, More
February 10, 2010
<em>Endeavour</em> lifts off on the final space shuttle night launch, Mars shines over a lunar rainbow, "Snowpocalypse" hits the U.S. East, and more in our selection of the week's best space pictures.
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True-Color Dinosaur Pictures: First Full-Body Rendering
February 4, 2010
See the woodpecker-like dinosaur that's made history as the first to be fully and scientifically colored—and the feathery fossil that spawned the new view.
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Haiti Earthquake Pictures: 3 Weeks of Survival, Strife
February 2, 2010
In the three weeks following the January 12 Haiti earthquake, aid workers have struggled to provide for the millions of survivors, who now face longer-term challenges finding basic resources and rebuilding communities.
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Space Photos This Week: Odd "Comet," Mars Rover, More
February 2, 2010
Astronauts spy Dubai's artificial islands, a massive star's birth "reassures" astronomers, the Mars rover Spirit surveys its surroundings, and more in our selection of the week's best space pictures.
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Groundhog Day Pictures: Punxsutawney Phil, Now and Then
February 2, 2010
The groundhog has spoken, predicting six more weeks of winter in 2010. See Punxsutawney Phil through the years—plus Groundhog Day origins and a wild woodchuck.
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Best Fluid Motion Pictures Named
February 1, 2010
The "breeze" from a fan, an upside-down "wine glass," and a virtual "river valley" are among five winning pictures from the American Physical Society's annual gallery of fluids in motion.
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Pictures: "Mythical" Temple Found in Peru
January 29, 2010
A thousand-year old temple complex, including a tomb for 33 tortured women, may be proof that a god's "descendants" really existed, archaeologists say.
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Pictures: Evolution of Dinosaur Art
January 27, 2010
See how science has changed the art of dinosaur illustration—from the addition of feathers to, as of today, the discovery of dinosaur pigment.
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Pictures: Dinosaur True Colors Revealed by Feather Find
January 27, 2010
See the first ever scientifically colored dinosaur illustration—and get the facts on the feather-pigment discovery that made it possible.
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Pictures: "Energy Oases" to Green the World's Deserts?
January 22, 2010
A high-tech energy complex designed for the desert could be a "game changer," one expert says, creating water, food, and jobs while restoring ecosystems lost to climate change and deforestation.
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Photos: Queen's Cat Goddess Temple Found in Egypt
January 21, 2010
An ancient temple filled with about 600 cat statues was built for the goddess Bastet by Queen Berenike II, say archaeologists who found the ruins under modern-day Alexandria.
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New Species Photos: Slug-Sucking Snake, Mini-Gecko, More
January 20, 2010
A see-through frog and a gecko the size of a pencil eraser are among rare and new species spotted in Ecuador.
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Pictures: Dinosaur "Death Pits" May Be Fossil Footprints
January 19, 2010
Following in a giant dinosaur's footsteps could be fatal—but not for the reasons you might suspect. A new study suggests that death traps filled with rare raptor fossils may have been created when a behemoth strolled across ashy mud.
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Eclipse Photos: "Ring of Fire" Shines Over Africa, Asia
January 15, 2010
The first solar eclipse of the decade, a so-called annular eclipse, was also the longest lasting of the millennium, creating a bright ring in the sky for ten minutes or more over Africa, India, and China.
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Haiti Earthquake Pictures: Aerial Views of the Damage
January 14, 2010
Even--or perhaps especially--from a distance, the scale of destruction and despair after the Haiti earthquake is graphically clear.
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Haiti Earthquake Pictures: Devastation on the Day After
January 13, 2010
The morning after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Haiti, the capital is in rubble and thousands await aid.
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SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Alien Dust, Zodiac Light, More
January 12, 2010
A rocky collision churns up unusual dust, zodiacal light appears over Chile, a spring thaw sends sand cascading down Martian dunes, and more in our selection of the week's best space pictures.
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PHOTOS: Antarctic "Time Capsule" Hut Revealed
January 11, 2010
As snows threaten to bury the base forever, more than 8,000 artifacts—including butter and ketchup—have been revealed in the hut of ill-fated British explorer Robert Falcon Scott, according to preservationists.
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PHOTOS: "Fossil" Fireballs Found in Supernova Debris
January 8, 2010
New x-ray pictures from the Suzaku space telescope have revealed the embers of high-temperature infernos that immediately followed the explosive deaths of two massive stars, astronomers say.
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New T. Rex Cousin Suggests Dinosaurs Arose in S. America
January 8, 2010
The newfound, 215-million-year-old species suggests dinosaurs originated in what is now South America--and reveals the roots of the lineage that spawned T. rex and, eventually, birds.
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SEVEN-WONDERS PICTURES: Natural-World Finalists Named
January 7, 2010
From the limestone caves to the world's tallest waterfall--'the eyes of the planet' are on the finalists from which the seven natural wonders of the world will be chosen.
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PICTURES: Tigers Butchered for Trade at "Zoos" in China?
January 7, 2010
Many Chinese tourist attractions are secretly operating as fronts for illegal tiger farming, butchering captive tigers for the multibillion-dollar black market in wildlife parts, conservationists say.
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PICTURES: New Cloud Type Discovered?
January 7, 2010
For the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, National Geographic News asked leading scientist for their picks of the most important fossil evidence for evolution.
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PHOTOS: 7 Major "Missing Links" Since Darwin
January 7, 2010
For the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, National Geographic News asked leading scientist for their picks of the most important fossil evidence for evolution.
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PHOTOS: Oldest "Human" Skeleton Refutes "Missing Link"
January 7, 2010
See images of Ardi, the new human ancestor that could rewrite evolutionary theory.
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Ten Climate Change "Flagship" Species Named
January 7, 2010
copenhagen-climate-talks-species-list
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SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Star Birth, Active Sun, More
January 6, 2010
A planet-forming disk has its temperature taken, a satellite spies on Fiji's mangrove forests, bright blemishes hint at increased action on the sun, and more in our selection of the week's best space pictures.
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PHOTOS: Dolphin "Drive Hunts" Continue in Japan, Europe
January 6, 2010
Dolphin "drive" hunts, a bloody tradition denounced in the recent documentary "The Cove," continue in Japan and Denmark's Faroe Islands.
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PICTURES: "Night Shining" Clouds Getting Brighter
January 6, 2010
Shimmering high in the atmosphere, night-shining clouds have long graced polar sunsets. But now the clouds are appearing more often and with more intensity at lower latitudes—possibly due to climate change, scientists say.
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APOCALYPSE PICTURES: 10 Failed Doomsday Prophecies
January 6, 2010
Just as some people today believe a Maya calendar pinpoints 2012 as the end of the world as we know it, people through centuries and across cultures have long forecast our collective doom.
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RARE ANIMAL PHOTOS: Giant Armadillo, Bush Dog, More
January 6, 2010
In a remote region of the Amazon rain forest, camera traps have captured new images of elusive animals, including ocelots, armadillos, and the extremely rare and little studied bush dog.
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Top Ten Space Pictures: Best of 2009
January 6, 2010
A silvery meteor, a cosmic "butterfly," and a rare green comet feature among the most beautiful, dramatic, or surprising space news pictures of the year, as chosen by National Geographic News editors.
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VOLCANO PICTURES: Philippines' Mayon About to Blow?
January 6, 2010
Flowing lava and increasing gas levels, quakes, and ash explosions are among signs that a major eruption of Mayon Volcano could occur at any time, experts say.
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SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Star Blasts, Titan Shadow, More
January 6, 2010
Sunlight turns Italian waters to liquid gold, supernovae get in shape, Saturn's largest moon casts a long shadow, and more in our selection of the week's best space pictures.
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SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Tiny Galaxy, Sun's Iron, More
January 6, 2010
A tiny galaxy helps uncover the secret life of dust, a stellar "autopsy" reveals something exotic, a stream runs through our galactic neighborhood, and more in our selection of the week's best space pictures.
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PICTURES: "Natural Treasure" Threatened by Industry?
January 5, 2010
Mountain lions, grizzly bears, and cutthroat trout are among the Rocky Mountain animals snapped during a recent photography expedition to the Flathead region, which conservationists say is threatened by mining, logging, and drilling.
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PHOTOS: Ten Environmental Wins of 2009
December 16, 2009
From the discovery of new ghostsharks to a potential new technique for mass production of solar panels, 2009 wasn't all bad news for the environment. See what experts list as major wins for the year.
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SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Geminids, Two-Faced Moon, More
December 16, 2009
A superbright meteor pierces the California sky, Hubble unveils its ''holiday wreath,'' dust helps solve a Saturn moon mystery, and more in our selection of the week's best space pictures.
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BONE-WORM PICTURES: Whale-Eaters Surprise Scientists
December 15, 2009
Discovered only recently, bone-eating sea worms have evolved an unlikely array of shapes, sizes, and colors, a new study says. According to one researcher: "We never expected to find this level of diversity among these animals."
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PHOTOS: Ten Environmental Losses of 2009
December 15, 2009
The environment—and the environmental movement—suffered significant setbacks in 2009, experts say. Among the lowlights: Lemurs became food, a lot of ice became water, and in the Caribbean some sharks became nonexistent.
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PHOTOS: "Alien" Jellyfish Found in Arctic Deep
December 14, 2009
A naked snail, a brightly colored jellyfish, and a ten-foot-long string of bell-like animals are among the odd discoveries—some only recently described by science—made during a 2005 expedition of the frigid and little-known polar waters.
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Ten Climate Change "Icons" Announced
December 14, 2009
What do quiver trees, clownfish, and koalas have in common? They're among ten "flagship" species likely to suffer huge loses due to a diverse array of global warming impacts, according to a new report.
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Octopuses Carry Coconut Hideaways
December 14, 2009
Octopuses off Indonesia make stow-and-go shelters out of empty coconut shells, a new study says. Once they stopped laughing, scientists hailed the behavior as a new form of tool use.
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Photos: Ten U.S. Species Feeling Global Warming's Heat
December 14, 2009
Climate change is turning up the heat on some of the U.S.'s already threatened species, including ten highlighted by a new Endangered Species Coalition report.
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Space Pictures: Rosy Haze, Black Hole Jet
December 10, 2009
A dusty nebula reflects an odd light, orbiting probes reveal forest decline, a black hole "zaps" a galaxy into existence, and more in the week's best space pictures.
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Space: Virgin Galactic Debut and More
December 7, 2009
Space photos
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BEST PHOTOS: Nat Geo Global Contest Winners, 2009
December 7, 2009
Peppermint shrimp, volcano-loving clouds, and bus shelters now have one thing in common: They've all been featured in winning pictures from National Geographic magazine's 2009 International Photography Contest.
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"Ghost Ship" Pictures: Gold Rush-Era Wreck Found
November 24, 2009
With boots thrown hastily on deck and cooking utensils scattered, the last moments of the crew aboard the gold rush-era paddleboat A. J. Goddard are preserved in the ship's recently found wreck, archaeologists say.
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New Species Pictures: Deep-Sea "Jumbo Dumbo," More
November 22, 2009
A see-through sea cucumber, a ''big eared'' octopus-like animal, a ''gold treasure'' crustacean, and more are among the many new deep-dwellers collected during an ongoing marine census.
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Rare Photos: Giant Squid Eaten by Sperm Whale
October 29, 2009
"Absolutely sensational" new pictures are rare proof that the world's largest toothed whales feed on elusive giant squid. And if researchers are right, the photos may also show a baby whale's hunting lessons.
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Photos: Epic Migration Seen "Through Eyes of" Antelope
September 11, 2009
For the first time, a photographer has walked alongside Wyoming pronghorn on their annual treks, documenting the modern obstacles endangering the ancient migration.<br />
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Giant Cave Pictures: World's Biggest Found in Vietnam
July 24, 2009
The recently explored Son Doong cave, filled with poisonous centipedes and towering stalagmites, beats out the previous world-record holder for the largest single cave passage ever found, British explorers report. <br />
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Photos: 8 Moon-Landing Hoax Myths -- Busted
July 16, 2009
Forty years have passed since humans first walked on the moon, but many conspiracy theorists still insist that it was all an elaborate hoax. Examine the evidence, and find out why experts say some of the most common claims simply don't hold water.<br />
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Kodachrome: First Great Color Film Remembered
June 24, 2009
Called a "photographer's liberation," Kodachrome produced clear, vivid color photographs that drastically changed <em>National Geographic</em> magazine. Kodak announced Monday it will cease production of the iconic medium.
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Father's Day Pictures: "Best" Animal Dads
June 18, 2009
"Pregnant" seahorses, ferocious egg-carrying water bugs, and midwife monkeys--meet some of the dedicated fathers that are rarities in the animal kingdom.
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Pictures: "Zombie" Ants Controlled, Decapitated by Flies
May 14, 2009
Flies that inject eggs into fire ants are being used to fight the invasive ants. The larvae grow inside the ants' heads, appear to control the ants' behavior, then ''hatch'' from the now empty skulls.
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April Fools' Day Pictures: 4 Historic Science Hoaxes
March 31, 2009
These fakes weren't mere April Fool's Day pranks--even the silliest convinced the public that some very tall tales were true.
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Earth Hour 2008: Before & After the Lights Went Out
March 26, 2009
On Saturday night, March 28, look for lights to go out in more than 2,800 cities, towns, and villages for Earth Hour. But first, see darkening skylines of Earth Hour 2008 in before-and-after pictures.
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First Photos: Weird Fish With Transparent Head
February 23, 2009
With a head like a fighter-plane cockpit, a Pacific barreleye fish shows off its transparent head and barrel-like eyes in the first specimen ever found alive.
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Pictures: New Seven Wonders of the World vs. Ancient Seven Wonders
July 9, 2007
Pictures of the seven new wonders of the world and the seven ancient wonders.
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