National Geographic Magazine

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FROM the EDITOR

Our WORLD • BEHIND THE SCENES WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

IN FOCUS • JUST IN FROM OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS

THE DAY THE WORLD EXPLODED • It was one of history’s most dramatic moments—but the eruption of Mount Vesuvius wasn’t a single disaster. New evidence reveals how three settlements in the shadow of the volcano faced three distinct fates, reshaping our understanding of how ancient Romans lived and died.

LIFE BEFORE THE ERUPTION

FROM DAILY LIFE TO DISASTER

I OPLONTIS • THE SEASIDE SUBURB WHERE THE WEALTHY AND THE ENSLAVED WERE TRAPPED TOGETHER

II HERCULANEUM • THE COASTAL RETREAT WITH AN ANCIENT LIBRARY FINALLY YIELDING ITS SECRETS

SECRETS IN THE SCROLLS • Herculaneum’s millennia-old papyrus scrolls were too charred to open—until scientist Brent Seales and his team invented a way to read them. Here’s how they virtually unwrapped one.

III POMPEII • THE COMMERCIAL HUB WHOSE TINY BITS OF LIFE COULD UNLOCK BIG MYSTERIES

PORTAL TO THE PAST

THE QUEST TO SAVE the World’s Rarest ORCHIDS • In the face of an extinction crisis, one maverick botanist is turning his vast flower collection into a resource for science.

REVEALING EVERY ANIMAL ON EARTH • Twenty years ago, wildlife photographer Joel Sartore set out to capture portraits of every species in human care. Today, after 18,000 creatures, the conservation mission at the heart of his Photo Ark project has never been more urgent.

BEFORE THEY VANISH • Among the more than 18,000 animals that Joel Sartore has photographed are some of the most threatened species on Earth. During the 20-year project, some have disappeared, others are rapidly slipping toward extinction. Here are a small number of the ever growing category of vulnerable animals—photographed with Sartore’s urgent hope that portraits might galvanize protection.

WELCOMING CREATURES ABOARD THE ARK

The HIDDEN HIGHWAYS of the NIGHT SKY • Charting the invisible traffic patterns within one of the most congested corridors of airspace on Earth

THE RISE OF MOROCCO’S HORSEWOMEN • For centuries, the equestrian sport of tbourida was reserved for men. Now female riders are bringing the hard-charging tradition to a new generation.

A RARE Look at an ELUSIVE GIANT PANDA • To capture an image of China’s famous black-and-white bear, an inventive photographer first had to find one.

MYSTERY FORESTS OF THE MARSHLANDS • Deep in Florida’s remote wetlands, towering stands of cypress trees form an ecological marvel that’s seldom seen by outsiders.

A GRISLY TOKEN of an EPIC SURVIVAL TALE POLAR BEAR CLAW, 1884