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.

Iguanas and rare "banana rats" are among the many species that have found a safe haven inside the fences of the controversial U.S. naval base.

See a giant, fire-breathing "baby", a meetup with meerkats, an icy wake in Midwest floodwaters, and more in this week's best news pictures.

Most animals that live in darkness are pale and colorless. Yet caecilians, wormlike amphibians that spend most of their lives underground, are surprisingly vibrant--a trait that might be due to just a little bit of light exposure in the distant past, a new study suggests.

These fakes weren't mere April Fool's Day pranks—even the silliest convinced the public that some very tall tales were true.

See the upgraded International Space Station gliding around Earth, NASA vehicles crawling around on Earth, Martian dirt dug up by a rover's dragging wheel, and more in this week's space pictures.

Researchers may have finally come face-to-face with the real—and slightly wrinkled—face of Nefertiti, thanks to new CT scans of the iconic 3,300-year-old sculpture of the Egyptian queen.

See flaming sculptures in Spain, babies soaking in tubs, and a skeleton of the largest animal on Earth in this selection of life's moments from around the globe.

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.

Record flooding of the Red River over the weekend prompted U.S. President Barack Obama to declare national disasters in Minnesota and North Dakota.

A sword guard, tiny gold pieces, and a coin are among newfound artifacts from a shipwreck off North Carolina. The discoveries add to evidence that the ship belonged to the pirate Blackbeard.

Found in Peru's highland forests, the tiny new species has some unusual traits: Females lay only two eggs--each a third of the size of the mother herself.

A woman walking on water, a sparkling equinox sunrise, a penguin success story, and a Canadian seal hunter are among the players in the week's best news photos.

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.