Archaeologists at a remote lake in Chiapas search for clues to what life was like for the unconquered Maya 500 years ago and how it has, or hasn't, changed for their descendants.

Within the last decade, the Chubut province in Argentina has become a paradise for paleontologists seeking fossilized clues about the flora and fauna from millions of years hence.

Some 93 million years ago, dinosaur-era "sea monsters" swam the seas above what is now Utah. Thanks to paleontologists, more evidence of the ancient beasts is now surfacing.

The aftermath of an earthquake, a friendly cow, and an ethereal Paris sunset are three of the six winners of the National Geographic International Photo Contest 2008.

The two curled, tusklike teeth of the male beaked whale evolved to attract females as well as to battle other males, according to new research.

Biologists literally give fish a bath to try and eliminate parasites in the sea near a coral reef in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

See National Geographic News's most popular individual photos of 2008, including pictures of a giant stingray, a "smiling" sky, a lizard-snake standoff, and more.

An "unexpected," 20-foot-long new dinosaur has been discovered in South America, rewriting the evolutionary history of raptors, a new study says.

In remote corners, a research team is monitoring contact between humans and wild animals--particularly wild animal meat--in hopes of stopping pandemics before they start.

Elephants in one of central Africa's remaining wildlife strongholds may vanish within the next two to three years if poaching continues at recent levels, according to conservationists.

Nearly 3,700 World War II shipwrecks lie submerged in the Pacific, some containing oil, chemicals, and unexploded ordnance. Concern about corrosion is prompting increased investigation.

Recently found ceremonial relics add to what we know about Arawakan Indian populations that Christopher Columbus encountered during his first voyage to the New World.

Lonesome George, the last giant tortoise of his kind, has failed to reproduce. Eggs laid by companion females were not fertilized.

Some pre-Hispanic cultures in South America built elaborate celebration sites at their cemeteries, complete with feasting and drinking grounds, according to a new archaeological study.