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Extraordinary people, discoveries, and places

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK THIESSEN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

This face changed the human story

The discovery of Homo naledi was one of the greatest fossil finds of the past half century. Found hidden deep within a South African cave, the species became a baffling new branch on the family tree. Here's what it might tell us about human evolution.

HOW IT WAS FOUND

ICYMI: Scientists just found the oldest human burial in Africa +

ILLUSTRATION BY LEONELLO CALVETTI, ALAMY

Why did T. rex have such tiny arms?

The true purpose of the giant predator's relatively small arms has long been a mystery. The consensus in recent years seemed to be that they were vestigial, like the wings of flightless birds. But one researcher argues we've got it all wrong.

VICIOUS WEAPONS?

ILLUSTRATION BY NASA/JPL-CALTECH

Interstellar space is even weirder than we expected

In 2018, NASA's Voyager 2 marked a milestone of exploration, becoming just the second spacecraft ever to venture beyond the boundary that separates us from the rest of the galaxy. Here's what it saw as it crossed the threshold.

WHAT LIES BEYOND?

MANUEL COHEN/AURIMAGES

The fate of a legendary diamond puzzled historians for centuries

The prized blue diamond, stolen in 1792 along with the French Crown jewels, stayed lost for centuries. Here's the story of how historians and scientists cracked the case.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SATORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK

The ancestor of the house cat was found in a Polish cave—2,000 miles from home

The wildcat's presence in a cave visited by Neolithic farmers suggests it was comfortable living alongside, if not exactly with, humans—an important step on the road to becoming fully domesticated.

QUOTE

Whatever you're meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible.

Doris Lessing

Nobel Prize-winning writer

PHOTOGRAPHS BY EVGENIA ARBUGAEVA

Inside the murky world of butterfly catchers

It's hard to pin down the exact size of the global black market for butterflies today, but estimates range up to hundreds of millions of dollars a year. For those who capture and trade the delicate insect, the rules are intricate and the prize is mesmerizing.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRUNO ZANZOTTERA, PARALLELOZERO

A photo tour of Italy's ghost villages

Each village has its own story of abandonment: Some were deserted after natural disasters; others emptied for economic reasons. Many are set in areas of breathtaking natural beauty—perched along scenic coastlines and set high on cliffs.

SEE MORE PHOTOS

Need a distraction?

The battle for the soul of artificial intelligence (Overheard at Nat Geo) ››

Why it's nearly impossible to buy an original Bob Ross painting (The Hustle) ››

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