The face of exploration is changing. It is no longer synonymous with climbing mountains or trekking to remote corners of the Earth. Today, National Geographic explorers and researchers are redefining exploration by the very fields they specialize in: teaching, filmmaking, conservation—and even space architecture. The exploration they're undertaking uses DNA to teach us about our collective history; utilizes films to share untold stories; and studies geography to investigate why societies disappear or "collapse." Through Society grants, National Geographic continues to support these and many other pioneers in their fields.

National Geographic has supported more than 8,500 scientific expeditions and field studies in nearly every country on Earth, on all seven continents, and in the world's oceans. With support from our donors, we continue to push boundaries by funding cutting edge scientists and explorers through our grant-making arms, including the Committee for Research and Exploration (CRE) and the Expeditions Council (EC). Here are a few highlights:

• The CRE has supported three-time grantee Dr. Jill Pruetz, who recently made the landmark discovery that African savanna chimpanzees use tools to hunt smaller mammals for food, offering insight into how early human hunting practices might have evolved.
• Geographer Dr. Jared Diamond received his first CRE grant in 1965 for a survey of the breeding habits and distribution of birds in the Karimui Basin in New Guinea. Jared today continues his groundbreaking work as a Society Explorer-in-Residence.
• Expeditions Council grantee and Emerging Explorer Kira Salak is searching for bonobos, an ape species that is mankind's closest relative, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These apes have never been witnessed by Western scientists.

Exploration is at the core of National Geographic. Help us fund more exploration and research of your world by donating today.