National Geographic February 1985

The Poppy- -For Good and Evil { The Poppy}
Peter T. White and photographer Steve Raymer report on Papaver somniferum, the source of untold suffering, unrivaled pain relief – – and the seeds on you dinner roll.
Greenland’s 500- Year- Old Mummies { The Mummies of Qilakitsoq}
Startlingly well preserved, 500- year- old Inuit bodies offer new insights into the life of the early Greenlanders. By Jens P. Hart Hansen, Jorgen Meldgaard, and Jorgen Nordqvist.
Transatlantic Solo by Balloon { The Long, Lonely Flight}
First transatlantic solo balloonist, Joe W. Kittinger, Jr. , describes the three and a half days aloft that won him that title as well as the record for solo flight distance.
Time Catches Up With Mongolia
Former masters of Asia, Mongolians reach for industrial strength under Soviet guidance. Thomas B. Allen and photographer Dean Conger document some time warps.
Maine’s Working Coast
Threading harbors, inlets, and islands, David Jeffery and Kevin Fleming meet the lobstermen, boatbuilders, and entrepreneurs who carve a living from this granite shore.