latest news from National Geographic:

Is This Russian Landscape the Birthplace of Native Americans? »
The genetic homeland of Native Americans is a small mountainous region in southern Siberia, a new study suggests.

Elephants Took 24 Million Generations to Evolve From Mouse-Size »
For mammals, evolving into bigger sizes takes a lot longer than shrinking, new evolution study shows.

Space Pictures This Week: Hubble Galaxy, Poet Nebula, More »
Hubble captures a Milky Way "twin," winds shape Mars lava fields, stars carve a nebula's face, and more in the week's best space pictures.

Giant Crack in Antarctica About to Spawn New York-Size Iceberg »
A vast iceberg is splitting from Antarctica, thanks to a giant crack in a glacier that's "really important" to sea level rise.

New "Super Earth" Found at Right Distance for Life »
The likely rocky planet orbits squarely in its star's habitable zone, making it a prime candidate for life, astronomers report.

Two New Moons Found Orbiting Jupiter »
Two tiny satellites add to the planet's swarm of "backward" moons and bring the full Jovian family up to 66 natural satellites.

New Life-Forms Found in Blue Holes?Clues to Life in Alien Oceans? »
Bacteria in water-filled Caribbean sinkholes could offer clues to what might live on icy moons such as Europa, scientists say.

Groundhog Day 2012: Punxsutawney Phil's Forecast Is In »
Early spring or long winter? "Immortal" rodent Punxsutawney Phil has made his forecast. Get the odd facts behind Groundhog Day 2012.

Best Science Pictures of 2011 Announced »
A spiny cucumber and a nanotube ''city'' feature among the winners of the 2011 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.

Pictures: Civil War Sub Finally Revealed »
See the wreck of the Hunley?the world's first submarine to sink an enemy ship?finally unveiled after 11 years in a steel truss.

Groundhog Day 2012: Behind Phil's Immortal Allure »
With ancient origins, "immortal" rodent Punxsutawney Phil rules Groundhog Day 2012. Get the surprising facts behind winter's wackiest U.S. weather prediction.

Prehistoric "Shield"-Headed Croc Found »
A fossil croc sporting an odd head "shield" has been found in Morocco, paleontologists say.

Pictures We Love: Best of January »
See the pictures we love, as chosen by National Geographic photo editors?from a too plush penguin to a pantsless pedestrian. 

"Alien" Particles Found Invading Our Solar System?A First »
For the first time, a NASA spacecraft has directly observed particles that came from beyond our solar system, astronomers announced.

"Solar Systems" Common Across the Galaxy, NASA Probe Hints »
A new analysis of Kepler data hints that scientists can add more than 400 new worlds to the NASA mission's confirmed discoveries.

Reclaimed Wastewater for Drinking: Safe But Still A Tough Sell »
A new report highlights advancements in recycling technology and predicts growth in treatment programs, if people can get beyond ick factor.

First Picture of Alien Planet ? Isn't? »
The first picture of a planet outside our solar system may actually depict a swirl of space dust, a new study suggests.

Pythons Eating Through Everglades Mammals at "Astonishing" Rate? »
Invasive Burmese pythons are likely behind "dramatic" declines of the swamp's mammals?from rabbits to bobcats?new research suggests.

Near-Extinct Monkeys Found in Colombian Park »
A new population of one of the world's rarest primates has been found in a Colombian park, conservationists announced today.

Stonehenge Precursor Found? Island Complex Predates Famous Site »
What's more, the Scottish island complex may have been the model for England's famous stone-circle site, new data suggest.

Hottest Thing on Earth: X-rays Heat Metal to 3.6 Million Degrees »
By zapping a scrap of metal with superpowerful x-rays, scientists created plasma that rivals the sun for heat.

Hyperactive Sun Helping to Clear Out Space Junk »
The recent uptick in solar flares and other sun activity has been causing orbiting debris to fall faster, a NASA scientist reports.

Space Pictures This Week: Sun Loops, Blue Marble, More »
Plasma arcs over the sun, Earth shines in high resolution, a colorful halo surrounds the moon, and more in the week's best space pictures.

Giant Veil of "Cold Plasma" Discovered High Above Earth »
Clouds of slow-moving charged particles reach from the top of Earth's atmosphere to a quarter of the distance to the moon, new data show.

Death Valley's Big Bang: Volcano "Potentially Active" »
It may be barren, but California's Ubehebe Crater is anything but dead, according to a new study.