National Geographic Magazine

Amazing discoveries and experiences await you in every issue of National Geographic magazine. The latest news in science, exploration, and culture will open your eyes to the world’s many wonders.

Introducing ATEM Mini Pro • The compact television studio that lets you create presentation videos and live streams!

Deciding What to Preserve—and How

National Geographic Magazine

A FAMILY’S VALOR • LOOKING AT THE EARTH FROM EVERY POSSIBLE ANGLE

THE BACKSTORY • A PHOTOGRAPHER TRAINS HIS LENS ON FAMILY TO ILLUSTRATE THE COMPLEX HISTORY OF BLACK MILITARY SERVICE.

On the Trail of Julius Caesar • WE’D LOVE TO MEET THIS MOST FAMOUS ROMAN FACE-TO-FACE, BUT HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT HE ACTUALLY LOOKED LIKE?

FACE OF AN EMPEROR?

SCAT SCAN DISCOVERY • FOUND IN TRIASSIC FECES: A NEW BEETLE SPECIES

WATER GARDEN

PLANET POSSIBLE • This month, appreciate your loved ones—and the environment—with gestures designed for lasting impact.

ISAIAH NENGO

The Conflict Zone • WHEN HUMANS AND CHIMPS CLASH IN A UGANDAN VILLAGE, A PHOTOGRAPHER SEES FEAR, GRIEF—AND ULTIMATELY ACCEPTANCE.

Notre Dame After the Fire • The iconic Paris cathedral’s restoration will honor its medieval roots—and the once vilified architect who saved the church in the 1800s.

A Divine Ambition • Notre Dame Cathedral has endured for more than eight centuries. Built to reflect the church’s spiritual reach, its audacious, towering walls and buttresses remain as much a marvel today as they were in the Middle Ages.

A Faithful Restoration • Preservationists, architects, and other experts spent nearly two years after the April 2019 fire investigating the best methods to save the cathedral. Modern machinery will assist, but traditional methods, materials, and hand finishes will ensure the result closely matches its previous state. Work will begin with the spire, then move to the roof and vaults, with the goal of completing the restoration by 2024.

THE ADAPTERS • The unique diversity of cichlids in Africa’s oldest lake could help unlock the secrets of evolution.

A CLIMB FOR HISTORY • DRIVEN BY NATIONAL PRIDE, AN ALL-NEPALI TEAM DID WHAT MANY THOUGHT WAS IMPOSSIBLE: SUMMIT THE WORLD’S SECOND HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN WINTER.

A SUMMIT IN THE DEADLIEST SEASON • Pakistan’s 28,251-foot behemoth, K2, is the world’s second highest mountain, behind only Mount Everest. But K2 requires far more technical skill to climb. Of the world’s 14 peaks higher than 8,000 meters (26,247 feet), it was the only one never to have been summited in winter. In December 2020, some 60 climbers from around the world gathered at Base Camp on the Godwin Austen Glacier to try it. Two Nepali teams, led by Nirmal “Nims” Purja and Mingma Gyalje “Mingma G.” Sherpa, joined forces for the push up K2’s southeast face and Abruz zi Spur—rendered here from satellite imagery by the German Aerospace Center. On January 16, 2021, the 10 Nepali climbers claimed K2’s first winter summit, the first all-Nepali record on one of the top 14 peaks.

THE CHALLENGE OF WINTER • After climbers summited all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks, they turned to the next challenge: ascending them in winter, when winds and temperatures are at their worst and favorable weather windows are less predictable. Beginning in the 1980s, Polish climbers pioneered this pursuit, claiming 10 8,000-meter winter firsts. Before 2021, six expeditions had attempted K2 in winter. The most successful barely got within half a mile of the top.

GROWING A GREENER FEAST • Seen under a microscope, the seeds, leaves, and flowers of food plants invite reflection on ways to help agriculture respond to climate threats.

SUDAN’S RECKONING • YOUNG SUDANESE ARE DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM THE PAST WHILE DEMANDING A BETTER...