Today the Obamas' new Portuguese water dog, Bo, makes his official debut. Bo needs lots of activity or he may end up "running full-speed down the West Wing or barking at Republicans," an expert said.
See how life might start on another planet, a test drive of a large new moon robot, a fresh look at a Saturn moon's atmosphere, and more in this week's space pictures.
More than 70,000 beads of a surprising variety of materials, colors, and shapes have been dug out of an island along a 17th-century Spanish trade route, offering a new view of the reach of the Spanish Empire.
In a tomb like no other, the 1,500-year-old "Lord of Ucupe" has been found with 19 golden headdresses and other treasures that shed light on the little-known Moche Indians.
Have a look at a turtle with a prosthetic flipper, a sun blessing that only happens once every 28 years, and an alarming child-like robot in this week's selection of the best news photographs.
Isn't it amazing what some people will do to get attention? Pancake stacks, pond skimming, and competitive yoga all make an appearance in this round-up of some of the weirdest competitions held so far this year.
New pictures of a planetary nebula, a stellar nursery, and scads of sparkling galaxies were among the images released as part of a live astronomy webcast, Around the World in 80 Telescopes.
See giant mammoths in Russia, a burning neighborhood in Cairo, and spindly cucumbers from India in this selection of life's moments from around the globe.
NASA's x-ray eye in the sky recently snapped pictures of a hand-shaped nebula created as energetic particles get flung from the rotating core of a dead star.
Newly released photos reveal some of the subterranean wonders documented by a team of National Geographic Young Explorer grantees, who recently braved the depths of the Earth to map a 7,808-foot (2,380-meter) cave in Gabon for the first time.
