"Normal brains" are in demand at the Harvard Brain Bank—the largest bank of its kind worldwide. Here fresh brains are received, analyzed, and farmed out to researchers investigating devastating diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and schizophrenia. This story airs tonight on our U.S. cable television program National Geographic Today.

A flood of interstellar dust is breaching the sun's weakened magnetic shield and drifting into the solar system, according to European astronomers. The tide of dust may chip away at spacecraft solar panels and knock particles off asteroids, increasing the number of shooting stars observed on Earth.

In 1958 Eugene Parker discovered that a stiff wind blows incessantly from the sun, filling local interstellar space with ionized gas. The discovery forever changed how scientists perceive space and helped explain many phenomena, from geomagnetic storms that knock out power grids on Earth to the formation of distant stars.

Stargazers in a frenzy by the spectacle of Mars' closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years Wednesday may be compelled to snap a photo of the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. They'll need some patience and a little luck, but it can be done. This story includes the latest image of Mars made by the Hubble telescope.

A lack of calcium isn't good for the bones, especially when you've got antlers to grow. So to compensate for their mineral-deficient diet, over the next few weeks deer living on a remote Scottish island will be filling up on live seabird chicks.

An elephant never forgets—or does it? Scientists have long believed that animals do not have so-called episodic memory—the kind that allows humans to remember past events. But recent experiments with scrub jays, chimpanzees, and gorillas have led to rethinking of the nature of memory in animals.

Sharks have survived some 400 million years on Earth. Could their longevity be due in part to an extraordinary resistance to cancer and other diseases? If so, humans might someday benefit from shark secrets—but leading researchers caution that today's popular shark cartilage "cancer cures" aren't part of the solution.

New research provides the first experimental evidence that hermaphrodite animals, like plants, focus resources on their male side during times of stress. Challenging environmental conditions have also been shown to affect the ratio of male to female offspring in non-hermaphroditic animals.

The world's oceans are in crisis. Pollution, overfishing, invasive species, habitat destruction are daily threats. Attention to marine conservation science lags far behind that paid to conservation of firm ground, says a scientist.

Scientists at the University of California in San Diego are studying ocean mixing at the Hawaiian Ridge, a 1,600-mile (2,600-kilometer) long chain of largely submerged volcanic mountains. Their findings may shed light on global climate and oceanic temperature variations.

Paleontologists are familiar with mostly gray and brown fossils, the color determined by the rock they are embedded in. Now scientists have found and described a spectacular beetle fossil that still retains bright blue metallic wing cases after 50 million years.

Humans and gorillas share much of the same genetic makeup—but that doesn't mean they always get along. Researchers in the dense forests of central Africa are working to bring the two together for ecotourism. Ensuring that the animals are worth more alive than dead may be their only shot at survival. This story airs on Ultimate Explorer, in the U.S. Sunday, 8 p.m. ET/PT on MSNBC.

A recent discovery that the so-called "fixed" hot spot of molten magma, which created the Hawaiian Islands, actually drifted southward between 81 and 47 million years ago and is causing geologists to revise their descriptions of the interior workings of the Earth.

A new species of dinosaur was announced by Indian and American scientists today: a 30-foot (9-meter), horned carnivore that hunted other dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The research was supported in part by the National Geographic Society. Includes a gallery of Rajasaurus images, charts, and maps.

Sky watchers are readying their telescopes for a close look at Mars. On August 27, the red planet will be the closest it's been to Earth in 60,000 years. Mark your calendar, because the next time Mars gets as close won't be until the year 2287.