National Geographic Magazine

Amazing discoveries and experiences await you in every issue of National Geographic magazine. The latest news in science, exploration, and culture will open your eyes to the world’s many wonders.

FROM THE EDITOR

A FANTASY IN FINS • A camera lens shows the artful aspect of a common household pet, the Siamese fighting fish.

THE BACKSTORY • CREATIVE INSPIRATION IS ALL AROUND US, SAYS THIS PHOTOGRAPHER. HE FOUND HIS MUSE IN A FISH TANK.

5 Things Scuba Diving Taught Me • PLUNGING INTO THE OCEAN DEPTHS CAN SEEM INTIMIDATING. BUT IT CAN ALSO CHANGE YOUR MINDSET—AND YOUR LIFE.

By Land and Sea

Prehistoric petals

DISAPPEARING ACT • THESE SEE-THROUGH FROGS SLEEP SAFER FROM PREDATORS BY HIDING THEIR RED BLOOD CELLS.

An oil that’s better for the planet?

CARTER CLINTON • This scientist analyzes African Americans’ past to inform the present.

LAST STOP ON THE LOVE TRAIN

The Wild at Scotland’s Heart • NATURE AND TRAVELERS BENEFIT AS REWILDING, A GROWING GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO RETURN NATIVE FLORA AND FAUNA, GAINS MOMENTUM IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS.

THAT GHOSTLY GLOW? IT COMES FROM A FUNGUS

AN UNLIKELY HERO • THE EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN WHO HID ANNE FRANK—AND SAVED HER JOURNALS—CONSIDERED HERSELF JUST AN ORDINARY PERSON.

SECRETS OF THE ELEPHANTS

WHERE THE ELEPHANTS ROAM • Like our distant human ancestors, woolly mammoths and other early elephants originated in Africa and spread toward Europe and Asia. On the way, they adapted to varying environments thanks to complex social structures, behaviors, communication styles, and brains. Three species remain—all adjusting to the challenges of living alongside people.

THE ELEPHANT NEXT DOOR • THESE ADAPTABLE ANIMALS ARE LEARNING TO LIVE WITH US—BUT WILL WE LEARN TO LIVE WITH THEM?

FORCIBLY REMOVED • For centuries, Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed in missions and boarding schools. For former students like those in these portraits, the reckoning has just begun.

PAINFUL LESSONS

THE MAGIC AND MYSTERY OF SLIME MOLDS • THEY’RE DAMP-LOVING, SPORE-SPOUTING, RAINBOW-HUED MARVELS, MORE AMOEBA THAN MOLD—AND STILL FULL OF SURPRISES.

THE LONG SHADOW OF WAR • To build a vital future, Kosovo seeks to be recognized as an independent country and to resolve its conflicts with Serbia.

KOSOVO IN LIMBO

KOSOVO IN CONTEXT • Through centuries of shifting rule, the region’s people have sought to assert their own identity.

A YEAR OF EXTREMES • The Arctic archipelago of Svalbard is the fastest-warming place on Earth. To document how climate change is affecting the land, water, and wildlife, a photographer lived there through four seasons.

KARTHIK SUBRAMANIAM • GRAND PRIZE WINNER