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Extraordinary people, discoveries, and places

PHOTOGRAPH BY CORY RICHARDS

This iconic photo captures a near-death experience. But what happened next?

After surviving an avalanche, climber and photographer Cory Richards captured the moment. "But over the years," he says, "the story that the picture suggests ... has bothered me deeply."

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY GEORGE GRANTHAM BAIN COLLECTION, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

How the ship that was 'too tough to die' wound up at the bottom of the Pacific

The U.S.S. Nevada survived Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Okinawa, and two nuclear tests—but the discovery of its wreckage raises new questions about what ultimately brought it down.

PHOTOGRAPH BY GERT GERMERAAD, TRELLEBORGS MUSEUM

This 7,000-year-old woman was among Sweden's last hunter-gatherers

She was buried upright, seated cross-legged on a bed of antlers. A belt fashioned from more than 100 animal teeth hung from her waist and a large slate pendant from her neck. But who was she, and why was she so important to her community?

THE 'SEATED WOMAN'

COURTESY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, GEOGRAPHY AND MAP DIVISION

An extremely rare Aztec map reveals a glimpse of life in 1500s Mexico

The map above is one of fewer than 100 such documents that have survived the ravages of time. It provides a fascinating glimpse into how indigenous and Spanish cultures mixed after their worlds collided.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CARLTON WARD, JR.

How this photo changes what we thought we knew about the ghost orchid

Deep in the Florida swamps, a team of researchers and photographers made a surprising discovery about one of the world's most iconic flowers—and how it reproduces.

ILLUSTRATION BY MARK A. GARLICK, MARKGARLICK.COM

A meteor exploded over Antarctica 430,000 years ago, leaving clues in the debris

Tiny remnants from the space rock may help explain how often these cosmic explosions occur—and the threat they pose to Earth.

QUOTE

It's hard to put into words the terror of that experience—being caught like prey in the teeth of a primordial monster, waiting for your spine to snap, your consciousness to wink out, the mountain to swallow you.

Cory Richards

Photographer

From: The photo that captures a near-death experience

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK THIESSEN

When wildfires break out, this elite team of 'smokejumpers' parachute in

A dangerous race to fight remote fires begins each summer when Alaska's combustible backcountry is ablaze.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Need a distraction?

How a shipwrecked crew survived 10 days lost at sea (Outside) ››

The man who jumped into Lake Michigan every day for a year (NY Times) ››

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