National Geographic News

Superfast Stars Have Five-Minute Orbits

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:24:14 -0500

Two stellar corpses circle each other in just 5.4 minutes, whirling tightly together at 310 miles a second, a new study confirms.

Headless Man's Tomb Found Under Maya Torture Mural

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:07:33 -0500

The tomb of a headless Maya man has been discovered beneath an ancient chamber famously painted with scenes of torture.

Haiti Earthquake Pictures: Your Images of the Aftermath

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:56:36 -0500

See National Geographic enthusiasts' eyewitness views of recovery and ruin in Haiti after the January 12 earthquake.

Time-Lapse: Mountaintop Mine Spreads Across Forest

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:11:39 -0500

Time-lapse satellite views of a West Virginia coal mine show how long-term mountaintop mining can wipe out swaths of forest.

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Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:11:39 -0500

Saturn Moon Has Surprisingly "Slushy" Insides

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:35:49 -0500

Under the brittle, icy crust of Titan lies a surprisingly icy mush, followed by a liquid ocean and a core of rock and ice, new data suggest.

Stolen Sarcophagus Handed Over to Egypt

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:46:10 -0500

Confiscated in Miami, a brightly painted, 3,000-year-old sarcophagus was handed over to Egypt's antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass, on Wednesday. Video.

New Frog Found—Has "Striking" Color Change

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:20:04 -0500

The jungle species undergoes a "striking" change from a black, yellow-spotted youngster to a peachy, blue-eyed adult, scientists say.

Sea Spray Detected 900 Miles Inland

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:06:31 -0500

Sea spray has been detected in the middle of the United States, some 900 miles (1,400 kilometers) from any ocean—and it may be contributing to air pollution, a new study says.

See-Through Vision Invented

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:55:53 -0500

Scientists have figured out how "see" through thin opaque barriers by unscrambling what little light passes through.

Space Photos This Week: Sun Plume, Moon Lander, More

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:34:30 -0500

A satellite sees an oncoming iceberg smashup, an artist re-creates a Saturn moon lander's arrival, a Mars orbiter celebrates a milestone, and more in this week's best space pictures.

Einstein's Gravity Confirmed on a Cosmic Scale

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:59:35 -0500

We may finally have proof that general relativity applies to cosmic bodies great and small—and that dark matter and dark energy are real.

Lava, Not Water, Made Mars "Riverbed"

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 17:35:15 -0500

At least one channel thought to have been carved by water was actually built by lava flows, according to a new study of Martian surface features.

Ancient Corpses Ritually Dug Up, Torn Apart, Reburied

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 17:33:30 -0500

For 4,500 years in what is now Mexico, decomposing bodies were pulled apart and reburied, according to what may be the first evidence for ritual "double burials."

Water Found in Apollo Moon Rocks

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 17:23:21 -0500

It turns out evidence for water on the moon was right under our noses all along, according to new studies of rocks retrieved by Apollo astronauts.

Exclusive: Chile Earthquake Aerial Pictures

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 15:40:35 -0500

See exclusive views of tsunami-tossed boats, a collapsed bridge, and a crumbled cliff—scenes of the devastating toll of the February 27 Chile earthquake.