National Geographic News

Zebra Stripes Evolved to Repel Bloodsuckers?

Rachel Kaufman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:45:47 -0500

Stripes may do more than help zebras hide in tall grass—the pattern may scramble the vision of bloodsucking horseflies

Black Hole in Milky Way Seen Snacking on Asteroids?

Jason Major — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:51:25 -0500

An ongoing rocky buffet would explain bright x-ray flares seen around our galaxy's supermassive black hole since 1999, astronomers say.

Russian Scientists Breach Antarctica's Lake Vostok—Confirmed

Christine Dell'Amore — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:34:06 -0500

Russian scientists have confirmed that they have breached the subglacial Lake Vostok in Antarctica—a first.

New "Porta Potty" Flower Discovered

Rachel Kaufman — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:35:33 -0500

A new relative of the "corpse flower" growing in Madagscar smells like rotting meat and feces, researchers say.

Pictures: Bird Mummies "Fed" After Death, Stuffed With Snails

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:27:37 -0500

Some of the millions of ancient Egyptian ibis mummies were "fed" after death, scans reveal—the better to live the afterlife.

Oldest Animal Discovered—Earliest Ancestor of Us All?

Ker Than — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:51:36 -0500

Could 760-million-year-old African "sponges" be humankind's earliest known ancestors?

Bubble Curtains: Can They Dampen Offshore Energy Sound for Whales?

Jackson Kuhl — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:38:16 -0500

Oil and wind power companies are testing a novel technology—air bubbles—to shield marine mammals from the sound of their offshore operations.

Guinea Pigs Were Widespread as Elizabethan Pets

Christine Dell'Amore — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:59:24 -0500

The tiny South American rodents were bred as pets throughout 16th- and 17th-century Europe, a new study suggests.

Pictures: "Supergiant," Shrimp-Like Beasts Found in Deep Sea

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:01:46 -0500

"It's a mystery" why giant, shrimp-like animals found off New Zealand are nearly three times larger than other amphipods, experts say.

Russians "Close" to Drilling Into Antarctica's Lake Vostok

Christine Dell'Amore — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:59:19 -0500

Russian scientists at Lake Vostok are "very, very close" to being the first to penetrate an Antarctic subglacial lake, news reports say.

Iran’s Undisputed Weapon: Power to Block the Strait of Hormuz

Marianne Lavelle — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:30:33 -0500

Although Iran’s ability to throw the global economy into chaos has long been recognized, there’s no ready alternative for moving oil out of the Strait of Hormuz.

Planets Can "Ping Pong" From Star to Star

Andrew Fazekas — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:36:45 -0500

A planet in a two-star system can chaotically bounce between its stars for thousands of years before being ejected, a new study suggests.

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.