National Geographic May 2001

Black Sea Discoveries: Startling Evidence of an Ancient Flood { Black Sea Mysteries; Deep Black Sea}
Black Sea Mysteries Ancient shipwrecks and telltale shells bring to life epics of distant trade and a prehistoric flood. BY ROBERT D. BALLARD PHOTOGRAPHS BY RANDY OLSON
[ Pterosaurs] { The Rise of Life on Earth: Pterosaurs, Lords of the Ancient Skies}
Pterosaurs Largest animals that ever flew, pterosaurs ruled the skies for 150 million years before their sudden demise. BY RICHARD MONASTERSKY PHOTOGRAPHS BY JONATHAN BLAIR ART BY JOHN SIBBICK
Jaguars: Phantoms of the Night { Phantom of the Night}
Jaguars These elusive cats rank among Latin America’s supreme predators. Conservationists seek to connect their isolated refuges. BY DOUGLAS H. CHADWICK PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVE WINTER Web Special Watch wild jaguars being radio collared and hear the big cat
The Fragile World of Frogs
The Fragile World of Frogs Victims of pollution, disease, and habitat loss, amphibians are vanishing all over the globe. BY VIRGINIA MORELL PHOTOGRAPHS BY GEORGE GRALL
Marco Polo: Venice to China { The Adventures of Marco Polo, Part I}
The Adventures of Marco Polo The storied Venetian trader escapes bandits, rampaging rivers, and sandstorms to reach the border of far- off China in this first of three articles. BY MIKE EDWARDS PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL YAMASHITA
Deadly Haven: Mexico’s Poisonous Cave
Deadly Haven: Mexico’s Poisonous Cave An under- world of hydrogen sulfide harbors life- forms awesome and awful. BY JOHN L. ELIOT PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEPHEN ALVAREZ
ZipUSA: 87347: Down Home At the Truck Stop { ZipUSA: Jamestown, NM; ZipUSA: Jamestown, New Mexico}
ZipUSA: Jamestown, NM Pull the rig into this mammoth truck stop and get a meal, a shower, and some spiritual renewal. BY MICHAEL E. LONG PHOTOGRAPHS BY CARY WOLINSKY