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Adventurers of the Year

National Geographic Adventure editors have chosen their ten Adventurers of the Year. Readers are now encouraged to vote for their favorites for the People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. One of the adventurers is 19-year-old Carissa Moore (pictured above). She...

Cut Back on Food Waste This Thanksgiving

This Thursday is Thanksgiving! Chances are you will have a lot of leftovers after your family feast. There's a lot of extra food in American houses between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day--an extra 5 million tons! What can you do...

National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony Today

The 2011 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony begins today 5 p.m. EST. Carson Daly will host the ceremony, and President Obama will officially light the tree. There will be performances during the event, featuring Kermit the Frog, Will.i.am, Big Time...

Wasps Can Recognize Faces

A new study says Polistes fuscatus paper wasps are able to remember other wasps! "Studies show that when you look at a face, your brain treats it in a totally different way than it does other images," says Michael Sheehan,...

Whale Graveyard Found

Brilliant Meteor Shower Tomorrow

The yearly Geminid meteor shower will be dazzling tomorrow night, so ask your parents if you can stay up to check it out! The shower's peak on the night of December 13 to the early hours of December 14 is...

Contagious Yawning More Common Among Family

You may have noticed that if you see someone yawn, you feel an urge to yawn yourself. This is called contagious yawning. But a new study shows that rates of contagious yawning are higher near relatives, followed by close friends....

Some Spiders Have Brains in Their Legs

Small spiders are just as good at spinning webs as large ones. But why is that? Scientists point to the fact that tiny spiders have relatively giant brains! They're so big, in fact, that their brains spill into their bodies--even...

Superheroes for President

Which superhero would you be and why? That's the question that nine-year-old Ari Garnick asked the Republican candidates this summer. Ari took some time away from books and LEGOs to talk to the candidates as they criss-crossed his home state...

Google Science Fair 2012

Today is the start of the 2012 Google Science Fair! This competition is for curious kids ages 13 to 18. If you have a great idea for a project, you can register for the fair. The grand prize winner will...

Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th. Some people believe that the number 13 is unlucky. In fact, there's even a word for fear of the number 13: Triskaidekaphobia. Some people believe that Friday the 13th is an especially unlucky day. If...

Seal Pup Rescue

A seal rehabilitation center in the Netherlands has taken in more than a hundred seal pups that washed up along the coastline after recent storms. These weak and sick seals were likely stranded because of a lack of food,...

Dung Beetle Dance Decoded?

Scientists have been taking a closer look at the "dance" that dung beetles perform on top of their dung balls. So why do the beetles dance? They're using the sun to figure out which direction to travel. As the beetle...

Solar Storm Creates Light Show

A strong solar flare from an active region of the sun caused a dramatic display of the aurora borealis (northern lights) and aurora australis (southern lights). The solar flare sent a cloud of gas and charged particles called a...

Groundhog Day 2012

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow when he came out of his tree stump this morning in Pennsylvania. According to the legend, if Phil sees his shadow, we should expect six more weeks of winter weather. If Phil does not see...

First 'Vampire' Bat Fly Fossil Discovered

A rare fossil shows that bat flies have been parasitizing the winged mammals for at least 20 million years.

Harrowing Dog Tales Shed Light on Mexico's Strays

Mexico's economy has made life even harder for the country's stray dogs. But there's a way you can help.

Albino-Like Penguin Spotted: Big Pic

Tourists on an expedition spotted the rare bird that has a mutation that dilutes its feather pigments.

Monkey Feared Extinct Rediscovered

The elusive Miller's grizzled langur popped up unexpectedly in Borneo.

Why Some Animals Are Fatter Than Others

Humans may struggle with weight, but nature seems to know exactly how fat each animal on the planet should be.