Cuba’s revolution ages, perhaps mellows, but keeps its grip on this island nation. Quick as ever to point out their accomplishments under socialism, Cubans now recognize the growing power of the U.S. dollar in their country.

*Read the complete NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC story. Read our essay and share your thoughts in our forum.

The Rebirth of Old Havana
Photographs by David Alan Harvey

See more of David Alan Harvey’s photographs of Cuba in his Visions Gallery.

When the prehistoric object of a bitter custody battle sold for 8.36 million dollars, scientists finally began to piece together the skeleton—and saga—of the largest T. rex ever found.

In 1962 John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. Thirty-six years later, at the age of 77, the senator returned to space to help us understand how the body ages—and to remind us that the spirit never does.

Go behind the scenes of John Glenn’s historic mission in our gallery.

Is space exploration a good investment? Read our essay and tell us what you think in our forum.

A refuge for wildlife—and for weekenders from Hanoi—also draws international scientists, who are cataloging the rare and endangered creatures of Vietnam’s new national park even as poachers scoop them up.

Intriguing scenes carved in rock shelters and on cliffs survive the elements but fall victim to collectors.

The oldest river on the eastern seaboard flows through the Appalachians with waters calm enough for church baptisms and wild enough for white-water rafters.

Iran: Testing the Waters of Reform; Mars on Earth; The Shrinking World of Hornbills; Quest for Color; Celebrating Canyon Country; Humpback Whales.