 | National Geographic - Science & Nature |
| |
Current Headlines | Most Read | Archives |
|
| |
 |
VIDEO: Rocket Man Makes Debut Flight (16 May 05:30) |
| Real-life rocket man Yves Rossy soared through the Alps this week on his first demonstration flight with a self-made flying contraption.
|
| |
|
VIDEO: Puerto Rico Horses Put Down (16 May 05:30) |
| More than 400 racehorses—many of them in perfect health—are "destroyed" each year in the U.S. territory, where keeping injured or retired horses can be costly. Warnin... |
| |
|
Study Warned of China Quake Risk a Year Ago (16 May 05:30) |
| The Sichuan quake's epicenter was practically pinpointed in a decade-long fault study, which warned last July that the region was ripe for a shock. |
| |
|
At Ten, Dark Energy "Most Profound Problem" in Physics (16 May 05:30) |
| A decade after its discovery, scientists are struggling to pin down the properties of the "dark side" of gravity and unravel a mystery that accounts for about 74 percent ... |
| |
|
VIDEO: Primates Climb Treadmill (16 May 05:30) |
| The tree-dwelling creatures were put on a specially built treadmill of ropes and pulleys as part of new research into how much energy the animals expend. |
| |
|
PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Rare Bust of Wrinkled Caesar Found (16 May 05:30) |
| The marble bust of the Roman emperor—possibly the oldest ever found—was discovered by divers in a French river. |
| |
|
China Quake Zone Jolted by Strong Aftershock (16 May 05:30) |
| A 5.5.-magnitude tremor set off landslides Friday near the epicenter of this week's massive quake, while the search for survivors took on an added urgency. |
| |
|
Pilot Whales Are "Cheetahs of the Sea," Study Finds (16 May 05:30) |
| Short-finned pilot whales have been observed making high-speed chases after prey at great depths, the first time such behavior has been seen in deep-diving mammals. |
| |
|
PHOTO IN THE NEWS: Myanmar's Jeweled Temple Damaged (15 May 05:30) |
| Cyclone Nargis stripped gold panels and precious gems from parts of the 2,500-year-old Shwedagon Paya temple complex, one of the world's largest Buddhist sites. |
| |
|
Pandas Sensed China Quake Coming? (15 May 05:30) |
| Captive pandas were observed acting strangely before Monday's devastating quake, mirroring previous accounts of animals reacting before disaster strikes.
|
| |
|
Any Possible Mars Water or Life Is Deep Below Surface (15 May 05:30) |
| Mars's ice caps are about 5 million years old and its bedrock is puzzlingly cold and thick, reducing the boundary where liquid water may exist, a new study suggests. |
| |
|
Climbing as Easy as Walking for Small Primates (15 May 05:30) |
| Using a rope treadmill, researchers have revealed that tiny species use no more energy climbing vertically than they do walking on the ground, a find that bolsters theori... |
| |
|
Shorebirds "Defy Gravity" to Eat, Study Says (15 May 05:30) |
| Scientists have unlocked the secret of how shorebirds called phalaropes use fluid dynamics to direct water up their long, slender beaks and into their mouths. |
| |
|
VIDEO: Pandas Sensed Quake Coming? (15 May 05:30) |
| A tourist visiting a reserve during the massive earthquake in China says pandas seemed to sense something was wrong before the quake struck. |
| |
|
VIDEO: Polar Bears Deemed Threatened (15 May 05:30) |
| The U.S. has listed the polar bear as threatened, sparking a global warming debate and garnering mixed reactions from environmentalists. |
| |
|
China Quake Delivered Seismic One-Two Punch (15 May 05:30) |
| The earthquake fault probably buckled in two stages, and the hardness of the terrain contributed to the wide reach of the damage, scientists say. |
| |
|
WEEK IN PHOTOS: Giant Bug, Rocket Man, Baby Croc, More (15 May 05:30) |
| See "Fusion Man" fly via a jet-powered wing on his back, a giant beetle escape a smuggler, volcanic ash falling eerily, and more. |
| |
|
Tourists, Pandas Safe After Quake; Local Towns Leveled (14 May 05:30) |
| Landslides have prevented rescuers from entering much of the remote, mountainous region near the Wolong National Nature Reserve where many villagers have died. |
| |
|
Mysterious Ailment Could Wipe Out U.S. Northeast Bats (14 May 05:30) |
| Scientists hope the summer emergence of pregnant females can shed some light on the enigmatic white-nose syndrome—before time runs for the animals and their environment... |
| |
|
Myanmar Cyclone a "Catastrophe" for Wildlife (14 May 05:30) |
| The urgent need for food and shelter resulting from the disaster could have a devastating impact on forests and wildlife, conservationists warn. |
| |
|
VIDEO: Quake Panic Filmed (14 May 05:30) |
| Two amateur videos taken in Chengdu, China—near the epicenter of Monday's devastating earthquake—show people running in panic as the ground shakes.
|
| |
|
VIDEO: Rare Dead Sea Scroll Displayed (14 May 05:30) |
| A small, fragile piece of a 2,000-year-old Dead Sea scroll was shown briefly to visitors at a Jerusalem conference. |
| |
|
Polar Bears Listed as Threatened Species in U.S. (14 May 05:30) |
| The bears, which rely on Arctic sea ice, are now protected under the Endangered Species Act, but officials emphasize that the decision will not be used to determine U.S. ... |
| |
|
Youngest Supernova in Milky Way Found (14 May 05:30) |
| Thought to have exploded just 140 years ago, the supernova will allow scientists the rare chance to observe an astronomical event in action. |
| |
|
Heavy Rains Barrel Toward Cyclone-Hit Myanmar (14 May 05:30) |
| As another potentially powerful storm heads for the devastated delta, relief agencies warn about a second wave of deaths. |
| |
|
One Degree of Warming Having Major Impact, Study Finds (14 May 05:30) |
| An exhaustive analysis of data from about 30,000 physical and ecological systems shows that human-induced climate change is already having a dramatic effect on the planet... |
| |
|
Pandas, Tourists Safe After Quake; Local Towns Leveled (14 May 05:30) |
| Landslides have prevented rescuers from entering much of the remote, mountainous Chinese region near the Wolong National Nature Reserve where many villagers have died. |
| |
|
Pandas Safe After Chinese Quake, Officials Say (14 May 01:47) |
| The 83 captive pandas kept at the Wolong National Nature Reserve near Chengdu have been relocated following a devastating quake, Chinese officials announced. |
| |
|
VIDEO: Quake Survivors Found (13 May 05:30) |
| As the death toll from Monday's quake in China nears 12,000, survivors are being pulled from the rubble of buildings and schools. |
| |
|
Dead Sea Scroll Put on Rare Display in Israel (13 May 05:30) |
| One of the most important Dead Sea scrolls is going on display in Jerusalem this week—more than four decades after it was last seen by the public. |
| |
|
China Quake Deaths Top 12,000 (13 May 05:30) |
| The massive quake toppled buildings and schools and buried untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel, and earth in the country's worst quake in three decades.
|
| |
|
U.S. Major Importer of Illegal Asian Timber, Study Says (13 May 05:30) |
| Vietnam has become a hub for processing Asia's illegally logged timber, much of which is sold in the United States as outdoor furniture, conservationists say. |
| |
|
VIDEO: Asian Plate Caused Quake (13 May 05:30) |
| Monday's devastating earthquake in central China occurred along a fault where South Asia pushes against the Eurasian land mass, scientists say. |
| |
|
Pandas' Fate Unknown After China Quake (13 May 05:30) |
| There was no news Tuesday about whether a devastating earthquake that rocked central China has hurt rare pandas and people in the Wolong National Nature Reserve near Chen... |
| |
|
Mars Lander Team Prepares for "Seven Minutes of Terror" (13 May 05:30) |
| Two weeks before the Mars Phoenix Lander is slated to touch down, scientists say they are ready for the critical descent phase that could make or break the mission. |
| |
|
China Tree Frogs Sing Ultrasonic Duets, Study Finds (13 May 05:30) |
| A species of Chinese frog has evolved an elaborate system of ultrasonic mating calls to circumvent its noisy hot spring environment, researchers say. |
| |
|
China Quake Death Toll Hits 10,000 (13 May 05:30) |
| The massive quake toppled buildings and schools and buried untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel, and earth in the country's worst quake in three decades.
|
| |
|
Fewer Caribou Born as Warming Causes Missed Meals (12 May 05:30) |
| As plants bloom earlier due to rising temperatures, caribou are arriving at their calving grounds when the bounty is past its peak, leading to fewer births and a lower su... |
| |
|
Toxic Town Hit by Tornado, May Pose Health Risks (12 May 05:30) |
| A deadly twister blew through a polluted former mining town in Oklahoma, sparking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to check for high lead levels on Monday. |
| |
|
VIDEO: U.S. Tornado Survivors Speak (12 May 05:30) |
| A Picher, Oklahoma, man describes waiting an "eternity" as a tornado lifted his house with his family inside. They survived, but the twister killed seven. |
| |
|
VIDEO: Lab Probes Universe's Secrets (12 May 05:30) |
| In a laboratory under the Swiss Alps, a 17-mile (27-kilometer) circular particle accelerator—the world's largest—may help answer the oldest questions known to humans.... |
| |
|
Inca Skull Surgeons Were "Highly Skilled," Study Finds (12 May 05:30) |
| Dangerous skull surgery was commonly and successfully performed among the Inca, likely as a treatment for head injuries suffered during combat, a new study finds. |
| |
|
Massive Quake Rattles China, Nearly 9,000 Dead (12 May 05:30) |
| The magnitude 7.8 temblor also trapped nearly 900 students under the rubble of their school in Sichuan Province, state media reported. |
| |
|
PHOTOS: 7.8 Earthquake Rocks China, Kills Thousands (12 May 05:30) |
| Hundreds of schoolchildren are trapped under the rubble and thousands are dead after a massive earthquake shook China's Sichuan province on Monday. |
| |
|
Massive Quake Rattles China, More than 7,600 Dead (12 May 05:30) |
| The magnitude 7.8 temblor also trapped nearly 900 students under the rubble of their school in Sichuan Province, state media reported. |
| |
|
Antarctic Melt Releasing DDT, Tainting Penguins (12 May 05:30) |
| Poisonous chemicals trapped for decades in ice are now seeping into the polar ecosystem via glacial meltwater, researchers report. |
| |
|
WEEK IN PHOTOS: Texas Sinkhole, Myanmar Cyclone, More (09 May 05:30) |
| See a supercell light up the Texas sky, U.S. Marines braving a sandstorm in Afghanistan, the Olympic torch reach the top of Mount Everest, and more. |
| |
|
Livestock, Pets Left Behind As Chile Volcano Fears Loom (09 May 05:30) |
| Tens of thousands of animals are trapped in an ash-covered region of southern Chile after their owners have been forced to flee the still-active volcano. |
| |
|
1,000 Ancient Tombs, Unique Remains Found in Colombia (09 May 05:30) |
| Among the unusual finds are a possible victim of human sacrifice and a skeleton with curiously curved bones, anthropologists report. |
| |
|
Chile Forces Volcano Evacuation After Hot-Rock Eruption (09 May 05:30) |
| Troops forced out the last holdouts after glowing rocks spewed from Chaitén. An expert warns that a catastrophic flow of toxic gas and ash could follow. |
|
