The Rise of Mammals

Once upon a time, a warm-blooded, milk-producing, fur-covered beast was born. Since then, mammals have conquered every habitat on Earth. This is their story—our story.

Highlight: POSTCARDS E-greet a friend with a 1941 image of an x-ray of a man shaving. 

Caves of Oman

Deep in Arabia, scientists descend into some of the world's largest caverns. Their mission: To see if tourists could one day explore Oman's caves without putting their lives on the line.

Highlight: MAP Downloadable, printable, high-resolution map of Oman.

Highlight: MULTIMEDIA VIDEO Hear how gunfire and lost goats added to photographer Stephen Alvarez's Oman adventure.

Highlight: ROPE-CAM  Watch the team rappel into the depths of an Oman cave.

Highlight: 360° IMAGE Tour the inside of one of the world's largest caves.

Highlight: WALLPAPER This month bring the thrill of caving, island adventuring, and chimpanzee watching to your desktop.

Paradox Island

On the map, the Mediterranean island of Corsica belongs to France. In their hearts, many Corsicans aren't so sure.

Highlight: MAP Downloadable, printable, high-resolution map of the beautiful island of Corsica.

Highlight: FORUM What are the pros and cons of Corsica becoming a nation independent of France? Enter>>

What's New at Gombe

Forty-three years after Jane Goodall first set foot in the forests of Africa, Fifi is a mom again, Frodo is the alpha male, and Gremlin is teaching her twins to fish for termites.

Highlight: MAP Downloadable, printable, high-resolution map of Gombe National Park and environs.

Highlight: VIDEO Watch wild chimps competing for meat in Gombe, Tanzania.

Highlight: ONLINE EXTRA Learn what happens when an alpha male chimpanzee's status is diminished.

Highlight: ONLINE EXTRA Read what a new generation of chimps is teaching scientists about behavior and personality.

Jane in the Forest Again

The famed primatologist meets the chimpanzees of the Congo's Goualougo Triangle, animals so isolated they have no fear of humans—at least for now.

Highlight: MAP Downloadable, printable, high-resolution map of pristine Goualougo Triangle.

Highlight: SIGHTS & SOUNDS Researchers Dave Morgan and Crickette Sanz introduce you to the personable chimps featured in their Congo Basin study.

Highlight: MULTIMEDIA VIDEO For researchers Dave Morgan and Crickette Sanz, there's nothing like being there—among the chimps in the Goualougo Triangle, that is.

Highlight: VIDEO It's all in the hands—and the tools they hold! See how a chimpanzee wields a stick to get to honey and how the right twist of a stem can mean a tasty meal of termites.

Highlight: FORUM The protection of chimpanzees in Congo's Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park now restricts Congolese to hunting for bush meat outside its boundaries. How can countries like Congo reconcile the conflicting needs of animals and an impoverished population? Enter>>

Highlight: POSTCARDS Send this laid-back image of a friendly female chimp as an e-greeting to a friend.

Highlight: FINAL EDIT Jane Goodall and Pygmy trackers Mbio and Koba wait out the rain beneath a tree in Congo's Goualougo Triangle.

Walking the Chang Tang

In photographer Galen Rowell's final assignment, four mountaineers set out for the remote calving grounds of the endangered Tibetan antelope.

Highlight: MAP Downloadable, printable, high-resolution map of Tibet's chiru range.

Highlight: MULTIMEDIA VIDEO Get a glimpse of what four intrepid adventurers go through to track Tibet's rare and coveted chiru in this clip from an upcoming National Geographic EXPLORER special. 

Highlight: OBITUARY Read adventure photographer Gordon Wiltsie's tribute to friend and colleague Galen Rowell.

ZipUSA: 30904

Augusta, Georgia, home of the well-heeled Masters, is simply down-home to area residents.

Highlight: FORUM Augusta National Golf Club is within its legal rights to exclude women. When does a private organization have a social obligation to go beyond the letter of the law? Enter>>

Highlight: NOMINATE your own wonderful, weird, or wacky choices for this magazine series. Enter>>

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