National Geographic News

Is This Russian Landscape the Birthplace of Native Americans?

Christine Dell'Amore — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:28:48 -0500

The genetic homeland of Native Americans is a small mountainous region in southern Siberia, a new study suggests.

Elephants Took 24 Million Generations to Evolve From Mouse-Size

Ker Than — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:32:02 -0500

For mammals, evolving into bigger sizes takes a lot longer than shrinking, new evolution study shows.

Space Pictures This Week: Hubble Galaxy, Poet Nebula, More

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:47:34 -0500

Hubble captures a Milky Way "twin," winds shape Mars lava fields, stars carve a nebula's face, and more in the week's best space pictures.

Giant Crack in Antarctica About to Spawn New York-Size Iceberg

Richard A. Lovett — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:53:44 -0500

A vast iceberg is splitting from Antarctica, thanks to a giant crack in a glacier that's "really important" to sea level rise.

New "Super Earth" Found at Right Distance for Life

Rachel Kaufman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:02:58 -0500

The likely rocky planet orbits squarely in its star's habitable zone, making it a prime candidate for life, astronomers report.

Two New Moons Found Orbiting Jupiter

Jason Major — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:30:24 -0500

Two tiny satellites add to the planet's swarm of "backward" moons and bring the full Jovian family up to 66 natural satellites.

New Life-Forms Found in Blue Holes—Clues to Life in Alien Oceans?

Dave Mosher — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:30:43 -0500

Bacteria in water-filled Caribbean sinkholes could offer clues to what might live on icy moons such as Europa, scientists say.

Groundhog Day 2012: Punxsutawney Phil's Forecast Is In

Ker Than — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:05:08 -0500

Early spring or long winter? "Immortal" rodent Punxsutawney Phil has made his forecast. Get the odd facts behind Groundhog Day 2012.

Best Science Pictures of 2011 Announced

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:43:11 -0500

A spiny cucumber and a nanotube ''city'' feature among the winners of the 2011 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.

Pictures: Civil War Sub Finally Revealed

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:25:25 -0500

See the wreck of the Hunley—the world's first submarine to sink an enemy ship—finally unveiled after 11 years in a steel truss.

Groundhog Day 2012: Behind Phil's Immortal Allure

Ker Than — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:03:17 -0500

With ancient origins, "immortal" rodent Punxsutawney Phil rules Groundhog Day 2012. Get the surprising facts behind winter's wackiest U.S. weather prediction.

Prehistoric "Shield"-Headed Croc Found

Brian Handwerk — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:50:18 -0500

A fossil croc sporting an odd head "shield" has been found in Morocco, paleontologists say.

Pictures We Love: Best of January

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:43:53 -0500

See the pictures we love, as chosen by National Geographic photo editors—from a too plush penguin to a pantsless pedestrian.

"Alien" Particles Found Invading Our Solar System—A First

Andrew Fazekas — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:08:50 -0500

For the first time, a NASA spacecraft has directly observed particles that came from beyond our solar system, astronomers announced.

"Solar Systems" Common Across the Galaxy, NASA Probe Hints

Ker Than — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:26:33 -0500

A new analysis of Kepler data hints that scientists can add more than 400 new worlds to the NASA mission's confirmed discoveries.

Reclaimed Wastewater for Drinking: Safe But Still A Tough Sell

Ker Than — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:22:04 -0500

A new report highlights advancements in recycling technology and predicts growth in treatment programs, if people can get beyond ick factor.

First Picture of Alien Planet … Isn't?

Brian Handwerk — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:13:59 -0500

The first picture of a planet outside our solar system may actually depict a swirl of space dust, a new study suggests.

Pythons Eating Through Everglades Mammals at "Astonishing" Rate?

Christine Dell'Amore — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:09:26 -0500

Invasive Burmese pythons are likely behind "dramatic" declines of the swamp's mammals—from rabbits to bobcats—new research suggests.

Near-Extinct Monkeys Found in Colombian Park

Christine Dell'Amore — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:59:20 -0500

A new population of one of the world's rarest primates has been found in a Colombian park, conservationists announced today.

Stonehenge Precursor Found? Island Complex Predates Famous Site

James Owen — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:58:20 -0500

What's more, the Scottish island complex may have been the model for England's famous stone-circle site, new data suggest.

Hottest Thing on Earth: X-rays Heat Metal to 3.6 Million Degrees

Dave Mosher — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:18:26 -0500

By zapping a scrap of metal with superpowerful x-rays, scientists created plasma that rivals the sun for heat.

Hyperactive Sun Helping to Clear Out Space Junk

Ker Than — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:55:44 -0500

The recent uptick in solar flares and other sun activity has been causing orbiting debris to fall faster, a NASA scientist reports.

Space Pictures This Week: Sun Loops, Blue Marble, More

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:31:27 -0500

Plasma arcs over the sun, Earth shines in high resolution, a colorful halo surrounds the moon, and more in the week's best space pictures.

Giant Veil of "Cold Plasma" Discovered High Above Earth

Dave Mosher — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:22:38 -0500

Clouds of slow-moving charged particles reach from the top of Earth's atmosphere to a quarter of the distance to the moon, new data show.

Death Valley's Big Bang: Volcano "Potentially Active"

Richard A. Lovett — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:42:40 -0500

It may be barren, but California's Ubehebe Crater is anything but dead, according to a new study.