National Geographic Traveler and Conservation International this week named 12 outstanding tourism finalists in the 2004 World Legacy Awards, which recognize excellence in environmental, social, and cultural travel. Finalists include travel enterprises in natural travel, heritage tourism, hotels and resorts, and destination stewardship.

Robert Ballard, the explorer who discovered the resting place of the Titanic 19 years ago, has just set sail on a follow-up expedition to investigate how the wreck has withstood the elements and the nearly two decades of human activity. The one-hour special "Return to Titanic" airs on Monday, June 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT only on the National Geographic Channel.

Correctly answering three straight tiebreaker questions, 14-year-old Andrew Wojtanik from Lakewood Middle School in Kansas City, took home the 2004 National Geographic Bee championship title and a U.S. $25,000 scholarship.

Genius geographers between the ages of 10 and 15 are gearing up for the 16th annual National Geographic Bee finals, held today and tomorrow in Washington, D.C. The biggest question on their minds now: Who will walk away with this year's top honors?

Photo sensors dim lamps when sunlight is bright enough to read by. Conference-room chairs are made from recycled seatbelts. Water collected from the roof is used to flush toilets. Welcome to the Natural Resources Defense Council office in Santa Monica, California—named the greenest office building in the United States.

In the Himalaya hair-raising healing rituals are taking place as the sick seek the powers of local oracles. In sometimes-violent rituals, oracles suck what are thought to be disease-causing substances from their patients. (A related story airs Monday, May 24, on our U.S. cable television series Taboo.)

Everyone agrees that Earth's oil supply is limited—but just how close are we to running out? Some experts predict an irreversible shortage within a few years. But at least one analyst argues that new technologies and underestimated reserves mean that the sun is far from setting on the oil age.

Retired after selling his sensor business, Norwegian-born entrepreneur Fred Kavli has devoted his personal fortune to trying to resolve some of the fundamental questions he pondered as a child: How did the universe begin? How is it that we think?

Archaeologists have discovered an underground maze packed with mummies from nearly 3,000 years ago. The site, south of Cairo, was most likely an multifamily cemetery, Egypt's top archaeologist said.

Scientists have discovered a new dinosaur that roamed the long-gone coast of Montana about 150 million years ago. It is the first new dinosaur to be identified in the region in more than a hundred years and exhibits several unusual features.

This article is third in a series. Author Anthony Brandt is following the trail of the Lewis and Clark expedition across the North American West. Along the way, he's reporting on 200th-anniversary events at pivotal locations—and on what happened all those years ago.

National Geographic photographer Jodi Cobb set out to expose the secret world of 21st century slavery—27 million people kept against their will as prostitutes, laborers, and factory workers. Her photos cast light on their condition and raised awareness that slavery persists almost everywhere.

On June 8, 2004, at National Geographic's Washington, D.C., headquarters, Queen Noor of Jordan is scheduled to again present the World Legacy Awards (WLA) for sustainable tourism—a joint program of National Geographic Traveler magazine and Conservation International.

Sea gypsies who dive the waters of Myanmar and Thailand have adapted eyesight to see a lot more clearly underwater than other humans. Is this learned or genetic? Scientists are trying to find out.

Dinosaur fossil hunters have found a "very good" Tyrannosaurus rex on a Montana ranch. Not content to announce their finds after the expedition, they're inviting the world to follow the dig as it happens, online.