In one of Africa's oldest national parks, illegal settlers have destroyed more than 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) of prime habitat for the critically-endangered mountain gorilla.
Next month U.S. Navy and NOAA researchers will resume their search for the U.S.S. Alligator, a Civil War-era sub that sank during a storm at sea off the North Carolina coast.
In March National Geographic Traveler magazine rated 115 destinations for sustainable-tourism practices. In response to the "Destination Scorecard," some vacation hot spots are taking action.
Feral parrots are colonizing Britain at a blistering rate, according to a new study. Experts say the population, which is growing 30 percent each year, may threaten native birds and crops.
Emotions have sometimes run high as the Olympic flame—a beloved symbol of the Olympic ideals of competition, friendship, peace, and culture—has made its way around the world ahead of next month's Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Pamplona, Spain, has begun its annual nine-day festival to honor its patron saint, San Fermín. The celebration includes fireworks, parades, music, dances, bullfights, and religious ceremonies. But perhaps the biggest draw for many tourists is a daily three-minute spectacle known as the running of the bulls.
In Haiti voodoo believers pray and perform animal sacrifices to feed—and beckon—the spirits. Then they dance until a spirit takes over their bodies and, it is said, heals them or offers advice. (A related story airs Wednesday, July 7, on our U.S. cable television program Taboo: Spirit Worlds.)
Once the fantasy of science fiction, battlefield robots are now a reality. The United States military has already deployed robots that can clear explosives and conduct reconnaissance. Now it is developing new machines that can accomplish more complicated—and deadly—missions.
Microscopic organisms that get their energy by inhaling metals in the ground play a key role in the arsenic poisoning of drinking water for millions of people in Bangladesh and West Bengal, according to a new study.
July 4 is enshrined as the quintessential U.S. holiday—forever celebrating the day that the U.S. broke away from England. Historians point out that the Continental Congress actually approved the Declaration of Independence on July 2, however. July 4 did not become a paid federal holiday until 1941.
Annual car sales in China leapt nearly 80 percent last year, making the country the world's fastest growing auto market. As Chinese consumers have embraced the comfort, convenience, and status of car ownership, road accidents, traffic, and pollution have also grown.
The Masai of Kenya and Tanzania are struggling with poor education, inadequate health services, shrinking land, and a lack of water. During a rare U.S. visit, 15 Masai tribespeople learned that many indigenous groups face similar challenges.
The floors are a living tangle of undulating fur. Thousands of rats dine with people and scamper over their feet. It may sound like a nightmare from the New York City subway to some, but in a small Indian city, this is a place of worship. (A related story airs Wednesday, June 30, on our U.S. cable television series Taboo.)
As golf courses and golf resorts proliferate around the world, their growth provokes environmental questions about land use, habitat destruction, stunning water consumption, and runoff pollution from pesticides and fertilizers. Is it possible to have greener golf? Conservationist and golfer Mark Wexler reports.
