2012 January – June

New Tricks From Old Dogs

The genetic code for canine shapes and sizes may help scientists unravel human disease.

The Calm Before the Wave

A tsunami strikes almost every year. When and where will the next giant wave hit?

{ Essay } A Japanese mother's tsunami warning.

Kazakhstan's Tomorrowland

The oil-rich country's brash, billion-dollar new capital has everything - including "the banana."

Leonardo... Or Not?

A chalk-and-ink drawing purchased for $21,850 could be a $100 million masterwork. The proof may come down to a 500-year-old book

Reclusive Rocks

Do you like grit in your teeth? Isolation? Hoodoos that shift hues? Then come to the Southwest's well-kept secret: Vermilion Cliffs Monument.

Last of the Cave People

They came to meet Papua New Guinea's no-mads-and stumbled into a life-and-death crisis.

Bringing the Civil War to Life

In the 1860s combat artists captured battlefield drama. Today reenactors reimagine the conflict.

{ Special Poster } The March to Gettysburg / Civil War to Civil Rights

A Showboating Bird

To woo a mate, a male manakin might make music with its wings ... or do the moonwalk.

Egypt In The Moment

A Nile journey reveals how the revolution is playing out far from its epicenter in Tahrir Square.

A Show of Hands

Humans, of course, have them. So do bats, cats, dolphins, elephants, and frogs. Our artwork takes you inside these useful appendages.

Iceland's Resilient Beauty

Icelanders and sheep have taken a toll, but the volcanic-glacial landscape is still astonishing.

The Race to Rescue Koalas

Megan Aitken drives Australian streets, saving marsupials that face urban hazards and disease.