For years, photographer and National Geographic Explorer Tamara Merino traveled the globe, from Utah to Jordan to Australia, to capture a vanishing world—humans living in caves. This is just one of the gripping features filling our incredible August issue, an issue that really showcases the kind of journalism that only National Geographic can do. Where else can you read about the most expensive mistake in Ancient Roman history, the race to save the first color photos, and the boldest fossil hunt ever attempted? Let alone something as obscure as the hunt for the world’s rarest duck!

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A last glimpse inside the world’s vanishing cave societies

For centuries, humans have lived underground. Today, that ancient practice is under dire threat—even as cave life makes more sense than ever.

What do you do with thousands of dead Everglades pythons? Wear them.

The non-native snakes are overrunning Florida and must be eliminated. Fashion designers are determined to make sure their remains don’t go to waste.

Read all the stories from this month’s issue

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