Visitors can snorkel and swim with whale sharks as they make an annual appearance to feed on plankton blooms each September off Mexico. But there's concern the tourists could innocently harm this vulnerable species.

A new Middle Eastern skyscraper is now the tallest freestanding structure in the world, developers claimed in September 2007.

Islamists tried to blow up a statue of Buddha carved into a mountain in Pakistan on September 10. "Whether it is destroyed or not, it does not matter," said one villager. "It is just an engraving made by foreigners."

Wildfire ravages California, divers try out the life aquatic, Typhoon Nari lashes South Korea, more.

A bear, a beheaded caribou, a cigarette-smoking deity, and other wild wonders stalk our selection of winning pictures from the latest Banff Mountain Photography Competition.

Deadly cobra guards $125,000 sandal, Russia detonates "father of all bombs," Ethiopia rings in year 2000, more.

Spaceport America's futuristic terminal is designed to serve as an eco-friendly museum and resting place for visitors and space tourists.

A two-headed turtle celebrates his tenth birthday, locusts plague Yemen, surfers in Africa attempt new record, and more.

Renowned balloonist Steve Fossett remains missing after taking off in Nevada in a single-engine airplane Monday morning without filing a flight plan.

See a roundup of this week's news: Lunar eclipse seen over Sydney, eight-year-old runs across China, Burning Man lights up Nevada, and more.

See a roundup of this week's news: New neutron star discovered, German police test gyrocopter, Egyptians seek sand treatment, and more.

See a roundup of this week's news: India celebrates its 60th year of independence, London's Big Ben gets a cleaning, Mexico's Saint of Death gets a makeover, and more.

See a roundup of the week's news: coal mine collapse in Utah, record-breaking battery-operated car, giant sea bloom, and more.

Three Mexican students beat teams from Canada and the United States to take the gold at the eighth National Geographic World Championship.

Take a virtual tour of Rome circa A.D. 320, and compare the city's digital re-creations with modern photos of the real-life monuments.