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Who were these 'Queens of the Stone Age'?

Collectively referred to as the Venus figurines, these statues created during the Paleolithic period seem crude, with large and exaggerated breads, bellies, and hips, and faces that often lack distinctive features. But were they goddesses—or toys? Their true purpose has stumped scholars for more than a century.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB SWEATT

This unassuming flower has been hiding a secret

The white-bloomed flower called a false asphodel has been known to science for over a century, but until recently, nobody knew the truth about it: It's a carnivore.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHANNA-MARIA FRITZ

An inside look at the lives of circus performers

Johanna-Maria Fritz has been photographing the circus since she was 17, first in her native Germany, then Iceland, and the Middle East. In these intimate images, she documents Sirkus Islands—Iceland's first and only circus.

SEE MORE IMAGES

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT PLUMA

Remember the Alamo? A battle brews in Texas over history versus lore

A complex argument of facts versus fiction, right versus wrong, and what the conflict was even about hasn’t let up since it ended, in 1836.

RE-EXAMINIG A MYTH

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES

Why the wildebeest is the unlikely king of the Serengeti

Their annual migration is an exquisite example of nature's elaborate clockwork. But observed up close, they're funny-looking, enigmatic creatures that can seem hopelessly dim-witted. And yet for millennia, they've inhabited this complicated, unforgiving landscape.

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QUOTE

I noticed one wildebeest step out of the line. It looked around and started in the opposite direction, as if it had concluded the group was heading the wrong way ... That wildebeest, I thought, is doomed.

Peter Gwin, writer

From: Why the wildebeest is the unlikely king of the Serengeti

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRECK P. KENT, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

Ammonites ruled the prehistoric seas for millions of years. Why did they vanish?

During their long history, ammonites survived three mass extinctions—most notably the Permian extinction, which killed 96 percent of the planet's marine species. Here's what finally killed them.

COURTESY OF AKIRA ICHIKAWA

How a pyramid rose from the ashes of a colossal volcanic eruption

One of the largest volcanic events in recorded history destroyed an ancient Maya world. Archaeology reveals how they rebuilt.

STORY OF RESILIENCE

MORE GREAT READS

The loneliest mountaineer on Everest (New York Times) ››

How the world's deepest shipwreck was found (BBC) ››

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