Through a land ravaged by war, poverty, and the relentless desert sun, two men travel 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) in a modern-day caravan in search of an ancient way of life.
By Donovan Webster. Photographs by George Steinmetz.

Taking to the sky with a paraglider, a motorized backpack, and three gallons (11.35 liters) of gas, a daring photographer gains an extraordinary perspective on the desert.
Article and photographs by George Steinmetz.

Cave divers probe the dark depths of these natural fountains to puzzle out the intricacies of Florida’s flooded basement.
By Ken Ringle. Photographs by Wes Skiles.

These powerful raptors build nests as big as king-size beds and feast on rich salmon runs in Russia’s Far East.
Article and photographs by Klaus Nigge.

Improved warning systems have reduced the destruction, but the periodic warming and cooling of Pacific waters continue to blast the globe with deadly storms.
By Curt Suplee.

Read the complete NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC story and get El Niño/La Niña updates.

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Ten years after the Exxon Valdez fouled 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers) of Alaska coastline, the oil spill’s impact on wildlife—and human lives—is still being calculated.
By John G. Mitchell. Photographs by Karen Kasmauski.

Read the complete NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC story.

Read our essay and share your insights on the recovery of the Alaska environment.

Often the hunted and not the hunter, these surprisingly graceful denizens of ponds and streams can live more than a hundred years and weigh in at 200 pounds (90 kilograms).
By Richard Conniff. Photographs by George Grall.

Galápagos: Paradise in Peril; Galápagos Underwater; Traveling the Blues Highway; Journey to the Copper Age; Return to the Battle of Midway; Texas Hill Country; The Pools of Spring.