Ed Viesturs has summitted 13 of the 14 highest mountains in the world without the aid of supplemental oxygen—thanks to his alpine skills, mental focus, and near freakish physiology.

Combing detective work with old-fashioned digging, archaeologists may have unearthed evidence that Spanish soldiers roamed Appalachia in the 16th century.

Some 17,000 changes have been made since the previous edition of the National Geographic Atlas of the World. Chief Cartographer Allen Carroll tells what's involved in tracking the changing world.

National Treasure, the new Nicolas Cage movie, plays to the public's fascination with conspiracy theories and secret societies like the Freemasons. So how true is it?

A study in central Africa suggests that logging and tropical rain forests can coexist. Some environmental groups disagree.

In Spain scientists have discovered 13-million-year-old fossils of a new species of ape. The species may have been the last common ancestor of humans and all great apes living today. Includes photo gallery.

More than 22,000 antiquities survived 25 years of turmoil in Afghanistan in a secret vault. The discovery that they are safe and intact is a ray of hope in the quest to restore Afghanistan's rich cultural heritage. Photo gallery.

The distinctive human body form—long legs, springy feet, short forearms, big buttocks—may have evolved to run, rather than walk, a new study says.

Menacing body posture can be as threatening as a frightening facial expression, according to new research. The finding may explain how fear spreads.

When Alfred Kinsey's sexual-behavior studies were published half a century ago, the United States was shocked. The topic remains so sensitive that some scientists think Kinsey would not have been able to do his work today.

National Geographic News interviews Darwinist Richard Dawkins on evolution and his latest book, The Ancestor's Tale.

Freelance photographer Nicolas Reynard died yesterday. The seaplane in which he was traveling crashed in the Negro River near Manaus in northern Brazil.

The Leonid meteor shower will peak on Friday in the early hours before dawn. Sky-watchers say long, glowing meteor trails will highlight the heavenly show.

With the Incredibles up for an Oscar, superheroes are flying higher than ever. Now one expert says some superpowers are not exactly far-fetched.

A fragment of a bear skull housed for several years in a Canadian museum may be rewriting the history of North America's brown bears.