1993 January – June

Newborn Panda in the Wild: A First Look
Close- up photographs chronicle the first days of a cub named Hope, born in the mountains of China to be one of the last 1, 200 giant pandas in the world.
Venus Revealed
Piercing the thick sulfuric clouds of our sister planet, the Magellan spacecraft maps in unprecedented detail a superheated world of impact craters and lava flows.
In the Heart of Appalachia
Faced with layoffs in the coal mines and a general shortage of jobs, the people of central Appalachia fight to turn their lives around and rebuild their region.
The Twilight of Apartheid- -Life in Black South Africa
Free at last - - almost - - the black majority in South Africa faces a new hurdle: bloody political infighting among the very groups that led the struggle for equality.
The Violent Saga of a Maya Kingdom
Landmark excavations in the rain forest of Guatemala uncover fortified cities abandoned in the ninth century, shedding light on the collapse of Maya civilization.
Mekong River { The Mekong- -A Haunted River's Season of Peace}
The killing fields of Southeast Asia are still. Along the region's major river - - flowing 2, 600 miles from China to Vietnam - - development attests to the hopes of six nations.

Past Becomes Future for Mongolian Nomads
With the collapse of communism and central planning, nomadic herders return to their old ways. Leaving cradle- to- grave welfare behind, they ride unfamiliar terrain in a market economy.
Europe Faces an Immigrant Tide
Fleeing poverty or persecution, millions of immigrants from Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe seek refuge in the West. But resentment and even violence make for an often bitter welcome.
U. S. Beekeepers: Hives for Hire { America's Beekeepers: Hives for Hire}
Load the bees and hit the road. Key players in U. S. agriculture, migratory beekeepers roll with the seasons, renting out beehives to pollinate crops and reaping their own rich harvests of honey.
Middle East Water- -Critical Resource { Water- -The Middle East's Critical Resource}
Will water someday trigger war in the Middle East? The possibility exists, unless nations in the region set aside ancient animosities and cooperate to make use of adequate but dwindling supplies.
Central Park: Oasis in the City
The great green retreat in the heart of Manhattan offers pastoral landscapes that draw 15 million visitors each year. Since 1858, Central Park has been a model for bringing parks to city people.