The Overlap Between Music and Human DNA - Pardis Sabeti

There are few similarities between creating rock music and decoding the DNA of viruses. But National Geographic Emerging Explorer Pardis Sabeti, has proven adept at both, but points out that they both take dedication and an extreme attention to detail. She pores over the human genome to try to better understand how we interact with these infectious diseases that continue to plague people around the world.

Music Made for Cats and Monkeys - Charles Snowdon

Many researchers look to man's closest relatives to better understand ourselves. Charles Snowdon wanted to learn about music's effects on a human's moods and brain, so he developed music for tamarins. And while he was at it, he made some music for cats too. He explains that the differences between people music and animal music lies in pitch and the speed of the beat.

Leyla McCalla - Latibonit

To wrap up the show, Leyla McCalla plays "Latibonit," a Haitian folk song from her new album, "Vari-Colored Songs".

New Orleans, Haiti and Langston Hughes Ensemble - Leyla McCalla

Leyla McCalla tweet music If you take Langston Hughes, add a dash of Haitian and New Orleans influence, and mix in some classical cello music, you'll get Leyla McCalla. The musician took a break from her tour to play some tunes from her latest album, Vari-Colored Songs. She takes lyrics from Hughes' poems and performs them to her own music, as well as performing traditional Haitian songs in their original Creole language.

The Math Behind Music - Stephon Alexander

The worlds of art and math may not be as distinct as the uninitiated might assume. National Geographic Emerging Explorer Stephon Alexander provides a perfect example of how a free-thinking mindset can alter science. As a theoretical physicist and jazz musician, he improvises within established rules to further our understanding of math, which, he explains, is very similar to what jazz musicians do to create new music.

Tickling the Ivories With an Elephant - Paul Barton

Some people like hip hop; others like jazz. And, as it turns out, the same variety of musical taste applies to elephants. Bangkok-based musician Paul Barton says that not all elephants enjoy music, but Peter the Elephant, who lives in Ayutthaya's Royal Elephant Kraal, enjoyed it so much that he welcomed himself to Barton's piano. Barton brought his piano out to the elephant sanctuary to play for the elephants and Peter immediately took an interest in his music. Barton says that Peter enjoys playing "upbeat music" like jazz or a 12-bar blues, with a heavy rhythm. Barton and Peter's partnership grew beyond piano playing and extended into experiments playing a recorder as well.

Sur La Route: Rupa and the April Fishes Revisited

Rupa and the April Fishes return to the studio to play "sur la route," from their new album "Build."

Music To Heal the Body and Soul - Rupa and the April Fishes

Doctors treat their patients' bodies; musicians treat people's souls. Rupa Marya with her band The April Fishes treats both. A physician and professor of internal medicine by training, Rupa calls society "build the kind of community ties that I want," in her band's newest album, Build. They recently toured around the San Francisco Bay, bicycling from concert to concert, using energy generated by the bicycles to power amps for their nightly performances. Rupa tells Boyd that traveling slowly gives her an opportunity to see how people live, whose stories she often turns into song. The band played the album's title track in NG Weekend's studio during their visit.

Two Men Down: A Musical Elegy to War Reporters - Clarence Bucaro

Many musicians write songs that have a personal meaning -- love, loss and lust have all driven creativity for centuries. But Clarence Bucaro was so moved by the news that he wrote several songs for his new CD. Photographers Chris Hondros and Tim Hetherington were killed last year in Libya while covering that country's civil war, inspiring Bucaro to write "Two Men Down," for his new CD Walls of the World, which he performed in National Geographic Weekend's studio.

"Rusted Root" Reboot

In this week's Wild Chronicles segment, we bring Rusted Root back into the studio to play "Sun and Magic," from their new album,  out in September, 2012.

Send Me On My Way: Exploration With "Rusted Root"

Rusted Root has been around the block. They are set to release their seventh studio album later this month, but as always, it's the oldies that keep fans coming back. The band's ubiquitous "Send Me On My Way" appears everywhere, from jam band festivals to children's movies, which have helped recruit a new generation of fans. They visited NG Weekend's studios to play some tunes and reflect on their 22 years together. (September, 2012)

Darwin's Delight: An Evolutionary Rap - Baba Brinkman

Baba Brinkman isn’t just the University of Tennessee’s Singer in Residence. He’s their rapper in residence. Brinkman, who pursued a Master’s degree in Literature so he could better remix Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales into rap format. While in Tennessee, he’s learning math to fuel future raps, and performing The Rap Guide to Evolution about Darwin’s Origin of the Species, which can be just as controversial as rap itself. (June 2012)

Sugar: The Sour Side of Our Sweet Diet - Rich Cohen

The history of sugar can be traced all the way back to 10,000 years ago when it was first used in New Guinea. It slowly spread into Asia, but its use exploded when it was discovered by Muslim Arab traders. Cohen explains that "sugar followed the Koran" into the Middle East and North Africa, where Europeans first encountered it. Cohen describes how as more time passes, more sugar is being consumed per person, causing an increasing amount of diabetes and other health issues. Today, one third of all Americans have Type 2 diabetes.

The Spooky Discovery of Halloween Man - Paul Sereno

Most significant scientific discoveries of significance are made after years of painstaking research. But sometimes, a scientist is in the right place at the right time. One night, just days before Halloween, on a dig site in the Sahara Desert, National Geographic explorer and paleontologist Paul Sereno was showing a research assistant where they planned to work when he saw a human foot sticking out of the ground. Sereno tells Boyd that they happened into a 7,000 year old graveyard that lay on top of a dinosaur fossil bed where they located hundreds of human remains.

Pile of Skulls in Mexico - Chris Morehart

Christopher Morehart was an anthropologist studying ancient agriculture in Mexico when what started as a simple dig suddenly became much more complicated. He and his team noticed an area of dirt that appeared to have been disturbed. When they investigated further, they uncovered several human skulls that had been separated from their bodies before they decomposed.

50 Marathons in 50 States in 50 Days - Dean Karnazes

“Ultra Marathon Man” Dean Karnazes doesn’t believe you need a special body type to run long distances. Dean ran marathons in all 50 states for 50 consecutive days, for his Run Across America and he shares with Boyd the most challenging endurance race he seems to keep coming back for – despite the 130 degree temperature.

Mapping the Unexplored Ocean's Depths - Bob Ballard

From his start with National Geographic Society in 1975, Bob Ballard has made a career out of discovery: he was the first to find hydrothermal vents near the Galapagos Islands, located theTitanic‘s watery grave, as well as the Lusitania and scores of other ships in the Mediterranean Sea. Despite such a successful past, Ballard craves learning more about the oceans. The National Geographic Explorer in Residence is using the Explorer Now program to continue his exploration to new sites, including the Caribbean underwater volcano Kick-‘em-Jenny.

Meeting a Navy Seal... That Is a Seal - Malia Somerville

Boyd takes a road trip to The National Zoo to chat with seal-keeper Malia Somerville about a fishy topic: feeding her pinniped friends. Similar to training a pet, food helps to motivate the seals to do tricks and get their check-ups. Malia also brags about a colleague who once served as a Navy seal, although her contributions to national security remain mysterious.

Licking Frogs For Science - Valerie Clark

How many frogs must you kiss before you find your prince? For biologist Valerie Clark licking frogs allows her to study the amphibians’ secretions. It helps her find out how frogs defend themselves, but she warns not to try frog licking at home – you might lick up some unexpected poisons.

The Hunting Tactics of Killer Whales - Filipa Samarra

Fighting and slapping is not something exclusive to the human race, according to Filipa Samarra who studies the acoustic behavior of herring-eating killer whales off the coast of Iceland. She describes how these killer whales actually use their tales to slap and stun their prey and what they communicate through the sounds they make.

Poaching Crisis: The Elephant in Shanghai and Times Square - Asher Jay

It's difficult for people who live in the safety of large cities like New York and Shanghai to appreciate how hard it is to kill an animal as large as a rhino or an elephant. Asher Jay hopes to bring those images and sounds of death and impending extinction to the masses distant from Africa's grasslands with her powerful illustrations. Her work draws parallels betweens elephants and the pandas that China is so proud of, and also the vivid colors of blood that is spilled and the guns that are used when an elephant is killed for its ivory. Her most recent project is The Elephant in Times Square.

Cities Are Good For You - Leo Hollis

Rural areas often get the reputation for having nicer people, but Leo Hollis, author of “Cities Are Good For You” argues to the contrary. In cities where people constantly surround you, you’re more likely to be civil to the large number of acquaintances you encounter. Leo debunks other preconceptions about cities in his book and discusses the important role cities will play as the world’s population will be up to 70% urban by 2050.

The Grand Canyon's First Blind Kayak Descent - Lonnie Bedwell

War veterans have discipline, courage and persistence, which help get them through conflicts, but also serve them in life after the fighting stops. Former Naval officer Lonnie Bedwell drew on all of these traits when he sought to become the first blind kayaker to descend the Grand Canyon's rapids with only verbal assistance from Team River Runner's more experienced guides. Bedwell tells Boyd about the many hours of practice in a pond near his home, and what happens when he's ejected from his kayak while descending the Grand Canyon's largest rapids, sightless.

Skiing Down the World's Tallest Peaks - Kit Deslauriers

Kit Deslauries is the first person to ski off of the tallest point on every continent. She says that Everest was the last summit and, predictably, it was the most difficult. Mount Aconcogua in South America was also dangerous, as thick snowfall on the Polish glacier created an avalanche hazard while Mount Kilimanjaro didn’t even have snow on her first ascent of the mountain. Deslauriers discusses the importance of a mantra to get herself through scary big mountain descents, and says style points are out the window on Everest: side-stepping down the most treacherous parts is fair game.

How to Set a Paragliding Distance Record - Gavin McClurg

Setting a record in paragliding is, perhaps, a bit more unpredictable than setting a record for other sports. Gavin McClurg set the North American record for longest distance paragliding at 240 miles in 2013, but he says it was mostly up to good luck and predictable weather. Gavin stayed up in the sky for a straight eight hours to make the record flight and describes that, as tired as he may get, falling asleep isn't possible. He describes soaring through the air as "an alien pendulum between heaven and hell," where "sleep just isn't an option."

The Ski Industry's Uncertain Future - Porter Fox

Earth's rising temperatures can mean many things: hotter summers, less precipitation in some places and way more in others. But to an industry that relies on cold winters with lots of snow, the ski and snowboard industry could be some of the biggest losers of the warming. POWDER magazine editor, Porter Fox, writes about how we're losing days of skiing on either end of the season, which hurt the ski mountains' profitability, and what they are (and are not) doing to try to make skiing a greener industry. His new book Deep: The Story of Skiing and the Future of Snow is available now.

Headhunters On My Doorstep: Searching for Virtue in the South Pacific - J. Maarten Troost

The South Pacific's remotest islands call to people who are searching for something they can't find anywhere else: author Robert Louis Stevenson searched for health, painter Paul Gauguin's hoped to leave the "artificial" world of Western society behind, and author J. Maarten Troost left searching for adventure and recovery from his vices. Troost also says that it's still possible to find remote, isolated places in the South Pacific, but the first trick is to get somewhere that doesn't have an airport. Troost's new book is titled Headhunters on my Doorstep.

Why Is a Foot Twelve Inches? - Robert Crease

Americans are proud of their history of independence and bucking their colonial dependence on the European powers that once influenced the country. But lately, the nation has taken a step back toward reliance on France. Robert Crease, author of World in the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement, tells Boyd that there is no physical foot to measure all feet by. In fact, the foot exists only in relation to the metric system's meter. And the metric system is a French invention.

The Health Benefits of Body Bacteria - Jonathan Eisen

Since humans have had the power to kill bacteria, the general assumption has been that the fewer of the bugs on our body, the better. But microbiologist and professor Jonathan Eisen says this isn't always the case: most micro-organisms are harmless, or even beneficial. He even goes as far as saying that the dirtier someone is, "the more microbes you get exposed to, and the healthier your immune system seems to be." He also explains how probiotics help maintain health, and some pets have a disgusting habit that could be done in the search of bacteria to soothe the intestines.

Wild Chronicles - The Fear of the Unknown

In this week's Wild Chronicles segment, Boyd relies on the help of a quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to summarize why many people seem concerned about an Ebola outbreak in the United States, during which he is taking a trip to Botswana and Rwanda: "That which is clearly known hath less terror than that which is but hinted at and guessed." And, as Boyd puts it, you have to take a few risks to enjoy life.

GMOs: The Next Green Revolution? - Tim Folger

Few innovations to the way we produce food elicit such a strong reaction from the general public as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). ButTim Folger, author of "The Next Green Revolution" in the October 2014 issue of National Goegraphic magazine, explains that 90% of corn, soybeans and cotton produced in the United States are already GMOs, and have been for the past two decades. The crops may need a public relations shift, as they are grown to be more resilient in the face of drought and pests that may plague farmland in the future.

New Nat Geo Atlas: 11 Pounds of Maps of Earth, the Oceans, Mars and the Moon - Juan Valdes

National Geographic has been a long respected source of geographic knowledge. And the National Geographic Atlas, 10th Edition builds on that long standing tradition of mapmaking. The voluminous atlas contains 360 maps, 56 photographs and 300 diagrams, of the earth's land, ocean floors, the moon and Mars. Juan Valdes, National Geographic Maps' Director of Editorial and Research explains that, despite the changing climate, the world's coastlines haven't changed enough for it to be reflected much in the 10th Edition, but that the most noticeable impact is on the amount of multiyear ice in the Arctic.

Early Man Found Surprisingly Far From Africa - David Lordkipanidze

The narrative of human evolution and migration out of Africa was recast yet again when Georgian paleontologist discovered the skull of a 1.8 million year old pre-human. David Lordkipanidze describes the skull as "primitive," with an apelike face and a brain capacity that's about a third the size of a modern human's. But the other bones found with the skill indicate that the hominid had fairly modern legs, fit for running. Lordkipanidze explains that the primitive human outside of Africa was such a shock to paleontologists because it was initially believed that humans would have had to be intelligent and use tools well in order to live in unfamiliar landscapes, but the bones, found outside of Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia, challenge those assumptions.

Valley Uprising: The Pioneers of Yosemite's Climbing Culture - Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen

The Yosemite Valley has long been a destination for Americans seeking rest and relaxation with nature. But following World War II, some young Americans found their way to the valley and set up camp for a long-term stay in the valley seeking an alternate postwar dream than the one that was being promoted in the nation's sleepy suburbs. What ensued was an arms race fit to rival the Cold War, but this one was made of flesh and rock: Royal Robbins and Warren Harding, both talented climbers with very different visions for the sport they were helping pioneer, each sought to become the first to ascend Yosemite's granite cliffs. Their clashes, and the evolution of American rock climbing that followed in the ensuing decades through to the present day, are told in the new film, Valley Uprising. Directors Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen created the film and discuss the culture of climbing in the Yosemite Valley.

This Weekend in History - Maggie Turqman

In our This Weekend in History segment, Nat Geo Library research manager, Maggie Turqman celebrates the opening of the Erie Canal, Wyatt Earp's shootout at the O.K. Corral, and the more recent anniversary of Hurricane Sandy's thrashing of the United States' Atlantic Coast.

Performing CPR on a Turtle and Debunking Swamp Myths - David Steen

Scientists use traps to capture turtles, so they can study their numbers in swamps around the country. The issue comes when water levels suddenly change, leaving oxygen-breathing turtles trapped underwater and they'll die. But when David Steen found one such turtle, the field biologist, committed to animals and their conservation, he decided to try giving the turtle CPR. Steen explains how to perform CPR on a turtle with a thick shell. He also busts some rattlesnake myths and explains how invasive species can ruin the biodiversity of an ecosystem.

Pack For A Purpose - Rebecca Rothney

Packing for a long international trip can be daunting, but National Geographic Traveler magazine "Traveler of the Year" honoree Rebecca Rothney has one request: that we pack with a purpose. The former school-teacher can relate to teachers finding themselves strapped for school supplies in the United States. So that's why, on her first trip to Africa, she delivered rulers to a school that didn't have any. The small, simple care package can mean a lot to a place without the resources to properly outfit their schools and hospitals with stethoscopes, pencils, band-aids and deflated soccer balls. Her company, called Pack For a Purpose, helps connect travelers to schools and hospitals around the world that need supplies.

Best American Travel Writing - Paul Theroux

Paul Theroux is an award-winning travel writer and novelist, who has the recipe for telling compelling stories about faraway lands pretty well figured out. He's also the editor who compiled the "2014 Best American Travel Writing" series who shared some of his best tips for travel writing, which include: the most terrible travel experiences make the best stories; the writer can make you see, feel and smell a place; and a travel writer has the sensibilities of a fiction-writer. Theroux also explains why he doesn't plan to write any more books about Africa, and why he's so curious about the American South.

Seven Attempts and One Successful Summit: The Long Odds on K2 - Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner

Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is the first woman to climb the world's fourteen tallest mountains without the help of an oxygen tank at altitude, braving exhaustion and cold through the thin mountain air. But despite her success, she was thwarted on many occasions - it took her seven attempts to summit K2 alone. She had a partner fall to his death and even on her successful summit of K2, she was trapped on the mountain in a two person tent for four days, with a climbing team of four people. Kaltenbrunner tells Boyd about her ordeals climbing K2 and her outlook on preparation for success, and why she no longer climbs the world's tallest mountains.

Cosmic Dawn: Witnessing the Birth of Galaxies - Yudhijit Bhattacharjee

In the farthest reaching corners of space, time and distance blend into the one that, up until this time, was invisible to our best technology. But now, ALMA, a collection of satellites and antennas in Chile's Atacama Desert are able to peer into the past, witnessing the birth of galaxies and planets that happened billions of years ago. Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, who wrote "Cosmic Dawn" in the April 2014 tells Boyd what scientists have been able to learn about the history of the universe from what we've seen so far.

How To Feed Nine Billion People - Dennis Dimick

In order to feed 9 billion people, the global food output will need to double. Dennis Dimick, who wrote the cover issue of May 2014's issue of National Geographic magazine, warns that as socieities become more developed, they increase their meat and dairy intake, which requires more energy and land resources. The majority of corn and soy grown is utilized for livestock feed, biofuels, and high fructose cornsyrup. He believes large scale and small scale farming will both be neccessary to provide food for the world into the future. EAT, the New Food Revolution is the cover story in the May 2014 issue of National Geographic Magazine. Executive editor Dennis Dimick, analyzes how we are to feed the increasing human population.

From Panamanian Prison to Patagonia's Boardroom - Rick Ridgeway

From a Panamanian prison to the board of directors for Patagonia, Rick Ridgeway has led an exciting life. But he didn't earn his stripes in a business class: when he was young, he went to the school of hard knocks in Central America. He earned his stint in prison by smuggling 50,000 rounds of gun ammunition into Colombia, trade the ammo for gem stones panned from a remote Amazonian river, sail to Fiji, where they would use the gems to trade barter for ownership of an island. Needless to say, Ridgeway's plan didn't work out as he hoped, but he made it work for him.

Tech-Friendly, But Human-Unfriendly Mining in the Congo - Marcus Bleasdale

Democratic Republic of the Congo is a mineral-wealthy country that has bad infrastructure and worse leadership that conspire to keep its citizens as some of the world's poorest. Photographer Marcus Bleasdale visited the country's mines to witness the situation of those who are extracting precious metals like tungsten, tin and tantalum from the earth, which will end up in smart phones and computers around the world. Child soldiers and corrupt police make visiting the region treacherous, but Bleasdale says that people need to see where the ingredients for their technology originate. His photos appear in the October, 2013 article "The Price of Precious," in National Geographic magazine.

Bird Discoverer Taken Hostage by Separatists - Trevor Price

Bird watching is a low stress environment, but National Geographic grantee Trevor Price may have a difference of opinion. While he was studying birds in Northeast India in the early 1990's, the ornithologist was captured by a group of Kashmiri separatists until he escaped. He has since returned to the area to study the Bugun liocichla, a recently discovered species, which is the first "new" bird in over a half-century.

Mysteries of the Unseen World - Louie Schwartzberg

The natural world has taken millions of years to evolve to its current state, and, in doing so, has found the most perfect designs. Gecko's feet have tiny hair-like structures that allow them to scale walls; dragonflies wings are oriented such a way that they can maneuver backwards and upside down; sharks rough skin reduces drag in the water. Louie Schwartzberg's film Mysteries of the Unseen World takes viewers to places that would have been impossible just a few years ago, from the atomic level to deep into space. The large-format film is in theaters now.

Power-Strapped Uganda Could Create Super-Dam - Mariann Sæther

As the United States starts to tear down many of the dams that have bogged its rivers for the better part of the last century, many energy-strapped countries look to dam their free-flowing rivers. Kayaker and river advocate Mariann Sæther recently paddled Uganda's White Nile River, partly for the adventure and partly to share the river's beauty with the broader world. Sæther explains that, although the river will provide needed power to Uganda, the dam could hurt the local economy.

Tree Rings: A Climate Time Capsule - Soumaya Belmecheri

Tracking the changing climate over hundreds and thousands of years would be an impossible task, left to guesswork and models created with short term datasets. But one way that scientists are able to extrapolate climate models over the years is to look at tree rings. Paleoclimatologist Soumaya Belmecheri explains how tree rings provide snapshots in time, sharing the secrets of floods, droughts, and carbon dioxide levels over the centuries.

Stalking Chernobyl's Radioactive Ruins in Ukraine - George Johnson

Ukraine isn't likely on most vacationers' short lists these days considering the geopolitical temperature of Eastern Europe. But George Johnson says, politics aside, a worthwhile, if somber, trip is to visit the abandoned Ukranian city of Pripyat, better known as the home to those who worked at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Johnson says that the city is frozen in time, left in the same condition that it was abandoned in 1986 when the power plant exploded, spewing radioactive particles across the region. The Soviet Union evacuated all people, creating a ghost town only visited by people fascinated with these types of ruins. Johnson's article about his visit to Pripyat and Chernobyl is found in the October 2014 issue of National Geographic magazine.

Powering Homes With Food Waste - T.H. Culhane

One of the toughest challenges that faces developing nations is the large expense associated with putting remote villages on a national power grid. But if National Geographic Emerging Explorer Thomas Culhane gets his way, power grids may be a thing of the past. He has developed a system by which individual homes install an "artificial stomach," in their yards, where they put table scraps and any other organic waste that they might have. A mixture of bacteria inside the barrel digests the food and creates biogas that can be burned in the kitchen to heat a stove. Culhane has also invented ways that allow the biogas digestor to create electric power enough to charge a cellphone or light a bulb.

Wild Chronicles - Visiting a Nuclear Test Site

In this week's Wild Chronicles story, Boyd tells about the time he visited the Nevada nuclear test sites where the United States developed their nuclear bombs. He reflects on the nuclear legacy of the United States government and how he was able to see some actual weapons that weren't used in the National Atomic Testing Museum.

Elephant Poachers Arrested - Alastair Nelson

Poachers are ruthlessly pursuing elephants across Africa. But conservation efforts recently had a success in arresting two poachers and seizing their high-powered rifles. Wildlife Conservation Society Mozambique director Alastair Nelson says that Mozambique recently developed new laws to prosecute poachers and that it is likely the poachers will be handed a long jail sentence. Nelson says that WCS helped Mozambique's government establish a framework to protect the 12,000 elephants that live in the Niassa National Reserve.

Royal Bones: Discovering the Diet of a King - Angela Lamb

King Richard III died over 500 years ago, killed in battle, signaling an end of his family's rule, and was given a burial incongruous with the way the king lived. His body was recovered underneath a parking lot in 2012, and subsequent analysis on his bones revealed that he certainly had tastes fit for a king. Angela Lamb explain how we know that King Richard III subsisted on plenty of boar, fish, venison and, of course, wine from analyzing his bones.

Piecing Together the Largest Carnivore Ever - Paul Sereno

Following the discovery of a complete skeleton for the 50-foot long spinosaurus, the largest meat-eater to ever walk the earth. Paul Sereno puts what they know about the dinosaur into context. Sereno helped discover and reassemble the large reptile, and explains why the dinosaur had the 7-foot tall sail on its back. He explains that the spinosaurus lived 100 million years ago, and while it's larger than the famed T. rex, they never would have encountered each other. Sereno also explains that spinosaurus dominated the landscape at a time when there were four other predators that nearly equals it in size.

Watch Live Deep Sea Exploration from Home - Katy Croff Bell

For sports fans, part of the thrill of watching a live game is not knowing what will happen next. Emerging Explorer Katy Croff Bell and the Nautilus Exploration team, put themselves on the hot-seat as scientists and explorers when they launched the Nautilus Live project, where internet browsers can watch real-time exploration, and occasionally, discovery. With much less discovery than watching the bottom of the ocean in hopes of turning something up, Katy points out to Boyd that "Negative data is still data."

Great American Motorcycle Tours - Gary McKechnie

Despite, or perhaps because of, motorcycle gangs' ubiquity across the United States in the 1960's and 70's, two-wheeled motorized vehicles developed a cachet in this country. To celebrate the law-abiding motorcycle culture, Gary McKechnie wrote Great American Motorcycle Tours, to help bikers get outside, enjoy nature, and see specific slices of the country, although he encourages deviation from pre-set agendas.

"Reluctant Reproduction": Giving Borneo's Rhinos Help Finding Love - Nan Schaffer

Breeding large captive animals is often fraught with difficulty. Pandas are the best-known reluctant reproducers, but Borneo's rhinos are receiving help from science where nature isn't kicking in. With an aging captive male, and fewer than 100 individuals in the wild, SOS Rhino's president Dr. Nan Schaffer says the clock is ticking to potentially ship the selected male rhino to Cincinnati's zoo and hopefully find a willing female rhino to maintain some genetic diversity in the population.

Refugee Camp for Syria's Kids - Aziz Abu Sarah

As the American government mulls military action in Syria's civil war, more Syrian citizens continue to become displaced both inside the country and in refugee camps abroad. National Geographic Emerging Explorer Aziz Abu Sarah felt compelled to help, so he started a camp for children impacted by the conflict. He tells Boyd that the future peace of in the Middle East is dependent on the current generation receiving the intellectual and physical nourishment that they require to grow into well-adjusted and happy adults. This interview first aired in September 2013.

Kayaking Through Russia's Far East - Amber Valenti

This summer, an all-woman team adventured 4,400 kilometers primarily by river, but had jaunts on trains, planes and over bumpy roads, from the Amur River's Mongolian headwaters to where it meets the Pacific in Russia's Far East. Amber Valenti shares the story of the "Nobody's River" expedition, describing the industrial towns polluting the river, to the pristine untouched wilderness, days from any human impact.

Eating Invasives: Lionfish Ceviche Recipe - Barton Seaver

Lionfish are a voracious invasive species that is decimating the biodiversity of coral reefs in North America's tropical regions, particularly around Florida. But National Geographic Fellow Barton Seaver has a solution. It's a delicious lionfish ceviche. But be careful when handling the predator: they sting, even when dead.

Close Encounter With a Leopard Seal - Paul Nicklen

National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen followed up his famous video of being fed by a leopard seal with another, less nurturing experience. This year, he was photographing Emperor penguins in the Ross Sea when he noticed a seal watching him from the water. In the next instant, the seal launched itself from the sea, and knocked him flat on his back. He tells Boyd about his surprising encounter.

Take to the Skies to Protect the Seas - Shah Selbe

Around the world, fishing trawlers roam the oceans, illegally pulling fish from the oceans that are either targeted for conservation efforts, or the fishermen violate international boundaries. National Geographic Emerging Explorer Shah Selbe says illegal fishing can be hard to stop because they often have to be caught in the act, which is nearly impossible to do. Until now. The engineer created a platform that allows conservation, coast guards and governments to work together to track those fishing illegally.

The Hotel Industry's Best Kept Secrets - Jacob Tomsky

For those who value daily variety and a love of interpersonal relationships, there are as few jobs like working in a hotel. But, Jacob Tomsky, a lifelong hotel worker and author of Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles and So-Called Hospitality cautions all travelers: the hotel staff knows everything that happens behind closed doors. His book is a celebration of the industry; he spills some celebrity secrets, but also offers tipping tips and a secret to avoid minibar charges.

Cross Country Cycle at 65 - John O'Loughlin

Historically, sixty-fifth birthdays have been for retirement parties and relaxation. But as older generations live active lifestyles for a longer portion of their lives, what was once an occasion to sit back is now a celebration of vitality. John O’Loughlin celebrated his youth by hopping on his bike and riding 3,356.7 miles across the United States in just 42 days. Because of his professorial duties, he was on a tight schedule and had to ride as many as 120 miles in a day, while heading from Oregon to New Jersey. His chat with Boyd happened just hours after he finished the demanding ride.

Living With Bears - Kevin Van Tighem

Humans carry with them a lifetime of experience, earned from interactions with people and the world around them. Kevin Van Tighem says that bears learn in the exact same way. Any bear that has had positive, peaceful interactions with humans are likely to avoid people and saunter into the woods without conflict. But bears who have had encounters with people where we forced the bear to act out of fear are likely to have negative encounters with humans in the future. He writes in his book, Bears: Without Fear, that the key to peaceful man-bear relations is careful use of bear spray.

Becoming a Master Canoe Builder - Will Meadows

In cultures that pass traditions and rituals down from one generation to the next, it is possible that if a keeper of a specific tradition were to meet with an unexpected illness, that tradition could be lost. National Geographic Young Explorer Will Meadows has spent the last year living with remote indigenous groups in Africa and South America, compiling knowledge and learning to make canoes from local trees or reeds, in an effort to recover some of the knowledge lost when a culture loses its boat-building history.

Conjuring Alexander Graham Bell - Jim Lehrer

Alexander Graham Bell is best known for pioneering the telephone. But the inventor was much more prolific and provided many advancements to metal detection, aviation and magazine publishing. News anchor and playwright Jim Lehrer tells Boyd that he didn’t know much about Bell until National Geographic approached him to write the play that would become BELL, a celebration of National Geographic’s history and homage to one of its most famous founders, which runs from September 12 to 21 at National Geographic’s Headquarters.

Mexico to Canada by Foot - Heather Anderson

Through-hiking the 2,663 mile Pacific Crest Trail is regarded as a major achievement in American hiking, along with its eastern cousin, the 2,200 mile-long Appalachian Trail. Speed records stand for years, as few people attempt to hike the routes with much more than completion in mind. But this summer, Heather Anderson set to hike the Mexico-to-Canada trail in 60 days – an arbitrary number that she picked when she was first through-hiking the trail. She has been working her way up to setting this record through her 20’s, having dropped 70 pounds from her time as a “non-outdoorsy” teen.

"Leaving Time" For Elephants - Jodi Picoult

At the heart of Jodi Picoult's new novel, Leaving Time, there is a disappearance of an elephant researcher. The novel's focus on elephants brought Picoult to research the beleaguered animals for months, when she learned about their amazing emotional intelligence and empathy for those they live with. Picoult speaks about the elephant's "rituals" surrounding death, and how they're so poached inside of Africa that they face a very certain fate, if we don't intervene. Picoult will be speakign about her book and elephants at National Geographic Headquarters for a Live talk on Wednesday, October 15, 2014. Tickets are available here.

Our Solar System: A Creation of Chaos - Rob Irion

Near the birth of our solar system, the planets still had a few things to work out. And approximately 3.8 billion years ago, Neptune and Uranus were forced into the path of a comet belt, which sent space shrapnel everywhere, including at Earth. Rob Irion, author of "It All Began in Chaos," in the July, 2013 issue of National Geographic magazine, describes how the Earth absorbed many large chunks of asteroids and other planets that had been knocked loose and over time, included these rocks into its crust.

Aboriginal Elvis: Australian Protest Music - Roger Knox

Mistreatment of indigenous peoples were a hallmark of the European colonial populations around the world. Like in the United States, European Australians forced the Aboriginal populations into schools designed to strip them of their cultural heritage, language and traditions and assimilate into the greater Australian population. Country singer Roger Knox, a native Australian whose mother was taken from her home as an eight month old, has become a well-known voice of the disenfranchised Aboriginals. His newest album, "Stranger in My Land," is a classic protest album that laments the loss of a culture and identity for an entire population. (And the music is catchy.)

Profits of Illegal Wildlife - Beth Allgood

The illegal wildlife trade has become so profitable, that the illegal sale and distribution of animals and their parts rake up an estimated $19 billion per year. International Fund for Animal Welfare's Beth Allgood says that the trade brings in more money than art, gold and organ trafficking. Also, the trade has a toll that can be measured in human lives lost, with at least 1,000 forest rangers killed in the last decade trying to fight the poachers.

Elephant Funeral: They Were Touching Where Her Tusks Had Been - Joyce Poole

Elephants are loved for their expressive eyes and their social family structures. The African pachyderms that have been under assault for their prized ivory tusks also are intelligent and sensitive enough to understand the loss of one of their herd, says National Geographic Explorer Joyce Poole. She tells Boyd that years ago, she watched an elephant die of natural causes. Several members of the elephant's herd tried to revive her for an hour, but kept returning to the body. Once park rangers removed the deceased elephant's tusks, Poole says that the herd members were focused on the tusk wound, and kept smelling and touching it. Poole suspects elephants understand the threat that humans pose to them.

The Everest of Caves: One Mile Below the Earth's Surface - Ieva Keirate

Although many humans have spent their time and effort reaching peaks and summits over a mile above the Earth, Ieva Keirate went the opposite way, heading over a mile underground in one of the planet's deepest caves. In total, Keirate and her team spent seven days underground, camping, eating, and living within the cave. Moving through it required climbing, hiking, and rappelling and along the way Keirate collected microbiological samples to evaluate humans' impact on the cave's ecosystem. Described as "the Everest" of caves, there are often people traveling within Krubera and setting up camps, which negatively affects the underground ecosystem of the cave.

Time Travel Through Iran With Swedish Explorers - Lars Larsson

The way to make a Swedish explorer feel at home is find snow wherever he goes. Over 120 years ago, a Swedish explorer named Sven Hedin went to Iran to document the geography and people of the Middle Eastern nation and ended up on the Middle East's tallest (and surprisingly snow capped) mountain. Today, explorer Lars Larsson retraced Hedin's route through Iran. He shares what has changed, and why he couldn't find a camel suitable for riding.

The Sounds of a Melting Glacier - Erin Pettit

Much can be learned from sitting back and just listening to the world. National Geographic Emerging Explorer Erin Pettit takes this attitude directly into her science, as she records glaciers and documents their retreat and sometimes dramatic collapses in Alaska. The glaciologist also explains what the sounds of ice melting can tell us about the past.

Swimming From Cuba Through Florida's Straits - Chloe McCardel

The Holy Grail in open-ocean long-distance swimming is that strip of water between Florida's Keys and Cuba. Some have tried; none have yet succeeded. The Straits of Florida have unpredictable weather and strong currents. It's also known to be home to sharks and, seasonally, jellyfish. But despite the many reasons why it seemingly can't be swum, Chloe McCardel attempted the swim in June. She describes her ocean-swimming background and why she won't do the swim again.

Urban Insider: Rail Travel Through Europe - Annie Fitzsimmons

On the East Coast of the United States, train travel is a often way for suburban commuters to get into the city to avoid gridlock traffic on the highways. But in Europe, train travel is a way of life. Annie Fitzsimmons, National Geographic’s Urban Insider, tells Boyd about her favorite way to travel Europe and how the culture of train travel varies, depending on the European country.

Wintering Alone in Alaska's Wilderness - Charles Baird

Charles Baird decided to take a break from life and spend some time alone. Rather than taking a beach vacation, he decided to spend the winter roughing it on Alaska’s Latouche Island in a hut he made. Chuck said he was inspired by Alaskan pioneers who would have endured similarly long, ardurous winters. He passed the time shoveling, growing his 5-inch beard and trying to enjoy what little sunlight he had throughout the long dark days.

Egypt's "Black Pharaohs" - Michele Buzon

Following Ancient Egypt’s peak of strength, they were overrun by the Nubian civilization to their South. This ushered in a time when “Black Pharaohs” ruled Egypt. But National Geographic grantee Michele Buzon tells Boyd that rather than dismantling Egyptian society and recreating it to fit their culture, the Nubians learned from the them and incorporated many Egyptian traditions into their culture.

Desert Boots: Walking Through Baja California - Justin DeShields

Mexico’s Baja California is a dry desert surrounded by water. It may seem ironic that, in the presence of so much water, National Geographic explorer Justin DeShields had to carry up to fifteen pounds of water in order to survive his 1,000 mile expedition. DeShields walked, paddleboarded and, occasionally, surfed his way down the remote Mexican coast in search of a connection to California’s American urban sprawl that he grew up with.

Wild Chronicles - Enjoying the Elephants

In this week's Wild Chronicles segment, Boyd shares some of his favorite elephant watching moments, including a watering hole play-fight between some adolescent males.

How the Vietnam War Helped Protect its Wildlife - Dan Drollette

As Vietnam was long known as the epicenter for an ill-advised Cold War proxy fight between democracy and communism, and largely because of that legacy, the country's remotest corners have been avoided by science and tourists alike. Dan Drollette documents in his new book Gold Rush in the Jungle: The Race to Discover and Defend the Rarest Animals of Vietnam's "Lost World", as biologists are entering places long undisturbed, they are discovering strange new fauna that would be difficult to miss, including a barking deer, and a relative of the Javan rhino.

Secrets of the National Park - Robert Earle Howells

The National Parks of the United States are so big, that many first-time visitors just scratch their surfaces upon initial visits. It takes hours lost in wilderness to learn their true wonders. Robert Earle Howells shares some of the secrets he learned from chatting with park rangers and getting lost himself for National Geographic's new book, The Secrets of the National Parks.

Birds of Paradise in Papua New Guinea - Tim Laman & Ed Scholes

Papua New Guinea's birds of paradise come in all shapes, sizes and colors. The 39 species of the same family have wild plumage, distinct dances and come in crazy colors designed to attract mates, one of which include clearing a dance-floor of all debris to shake their feathers to impress their potential partners. National Geographic photographer Tim Laman and ornithologist Ed Scholes share their tales of spending hours in bird blinds to bring paradise to National Geographic.

Sliding in Britsh Bobsled Championships - Jamie Lafferty

Many people can't resist answering the call for a life of speed and adventure. Jamie Lafferty is not one of those people. He recently joined a team for the British Bobsleigh Championships and competed against the teams that will ultimately represent Great Britain at the upcoming Sochi Olympics. He survived the high speeds clocked on the ice and proudly wears the bronze medal his team earned.

Give an Elephant a Bath - Marie Galloway

Caring for a 2.5 ton creature isn't easy for a human 4,900 pounds lighter, but the Marie Galloway, Elephant Manager at Washington's National Zoo relies on the pachyderms, as well as a trained team of humans, to provide some assistance. They start each day with a bath, that requires the elephants to lie on their sides so their backs can be properly scrubbed, before they're released into their brand new Elephant Community Center, where they have a chance to coat their still-wet bodies with dirt.

Exploring the Waters in the West's Poorest Country - Nathalie Brunet

Haiti is well known for its hard luck when it comes to natural disasters and a place where development is hard earned. In her new book, Haiti from Below, Nathalie Brunet endeavored to show what was hiding off the Haitian coast in its reefs. She tells Boyd that fishing is not well regulated and the wildlife suffers from illegal poaching, but the most beautiful part of Haiti may be hidden beneath the waves.

Exploring the South Pole in Winter - Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Called the world's greatest living explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has crossed both poles, climbed Everest and raced deserts. As he has aged, his expeditions grew no less challenging. Currently, his team is attempting to make the first winter crossing of Antarctica in The Coldest Journey. Finnes explains why we need to go to the world's most extreme polar climates to see what's there before it changes forever from the pressures of climate change.

Amputating Frozen Fingers... With a Saw - Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Called the world's greatest living explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has crossed both poles, climbed Everest and raced deserts. As he has aged, his expeditions grew no less challenging. Currently, his team is attempting to make the first winter crossing of Antarctica in The Coldest Journey. Unfortunately Ranulph was forced to leave the team when frostbite shortened his expedition. He joins Boyd to discuss polar exploration and the unique way in which he treated his own frostbite.

Negotiating With Rebels for Elephants - Mike Fay

Many anti-government rebel armies struggle for international recognition and money, in comparison to the government forces they oppose. In Africa, some groups see the wildlife as walking dollar signs, and poach elephants and rhinos to fence their ivory and horns abroad. But National Geographic Explorer in Residence Mike Fay, has made a career of protecting those animals, particularly in Gabon and Central African Republic, even when it calls him to fly into rebel held forests to negotiate with the army leaders.

Eatin' Bugs: A Cicada Cookbook - Jenna Jadin

On the United States' East Coast, adult Brood II cicadas are emerging from the ground to briefly inhabit local trees, reproduce and die. The well-timed emergence from their earthen tunnels can overwhelm towns with their drone-like vibrations. But Jenna Jadin recommends a way to deal with that: by eating them. She made a cookbook, Cicadalicious, for a 2004 cicada emergence. She has updated the book to incorporate current food trends, like cicada banh mi and candied cicada cocktails.

First American on Everest - Jim Whittaker

Fifty years and one month since Americans first summited Mt. Everest, the mountain remains a symbolic achievement for climbers, but serious climbers often downplay the skill required to tackle it. The first American to stand on the world's tallest point, Jim Whittaker, tells Boyd that wasn't the case when he reached the top in 1963; their understanding of nutrition and the day's equipment wasn't nearly as advanced as now, and a great degree of luck was involved in reaching the summit.

Moon Man: Aldrin's Vision for Mars

Many residents of the "New World" revere early European explorers for their bravery in crossing dangerous oceans and searching an unknown continent for riches and finding many dangers. Buzz Aldrin sees a parallel opportunity, as he hopes man will one day colonize Mars much in the same way (excepting the exploitation of Native tribes). He reflects on the opportunity in his new book, Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration.

Tornado Tragedy - Tim Samaras

On the evening of Friday, May 31st, 2013 a large tornado tore through El Reno, Oklahoma. National Geographic Explorer Tim Samaras was caught in the storm, along with his son, Paul, and longtime tornado-chasing partner Carl Young. All three men died. Just hours before the storm, Tim spoke with Boyd about tornado safety, and how tornado season has changed over the three decades Tim has been in the business.

The Creation of the Modern Dog - Carl Zimmer

Dogs and humans have a long history of life together. Although they started as wolves, Carl Zimmer tells Boyd that the less aggressive members of the canine family crept closer to man and learned to wait his turn for table scraps. Eventually co-feeding grew into cohabiting.

Prophets of Smoked Meat: Texas BBQ - Daniel Vaughn

Rule number one of eating abroad is, "Eat like a local." So for a visitor to Texas, that means eating local BBQ. And for such a big state, the barbecue Sherpa would undoubtedly be Daniel Vaughn. Author of The Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue, he estimates that he has eaten at 500 barbecue joints across the state's breadth. He gives Boyd some tips to find good eatin' in the Lonestar State.

The Call of Everest - Conrad Anker

Climbing the world's tallest mountain is certainly a dangerous feat. Even this year, eight climbers have already died in pursuit of the opportunity to stand on Everest's summit. So who better than Everest legend Conrad Anker to discuss the mountain's constant appeal. In the new book from National Geographic, The Call of Everest, Anker writes a chapter in the volume that tells the mountain's history, geology, as well as what it does to the human body. He tells Boyd that Nepal, one of the governments that controls access to the mountain, needs to raise standards of those who wish to climb for the safety of everybody on the mountain.

NASA's Search for Alien Life - Jon Jenkins

Barring the sudden appearance of E.T. in a sleepy suburb, the confirmation of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe will be left to the astronomers whose satellites constantly monitor the heavens. The Kepler observatory studies the skies in search of planets who could theoretically support life as we understand it. Analysis Lead for NASA's Kepler mission Jon Jenkins tells Boyd that this process is merely the first step of finding intelligent life in the universe, but thinks that we could possibly find intelligent life in a generation or two.

Body Cheese - Christina Agapakis

Local cheese brands vary from the relatively tame blue cheese, to the more exotic cheeses that include live insect larvae; one thing that all of these cheeses have in common is bacteria. Cheese starts as milk and it is digested by various forms of bacteria that change its consistency, flavor and smell. UCLA postdoctoral researcher Christina Agapakis is harvesting bacterias from various places on the human body to challenge public perception of bacteria, and our food culture.

Eradicating Rats on Remote Islands - James Russell

Invasive rodents are so difficult for delicate ecosystems to survive because they introduce a quickly-reproducing drain on biodiversity that often doesn’t have any predators to discourage their growth. National Geographic grantee James Russell has studied ways that humans can help return the balance to fragile islands in the the Pacific Ocean that have had rodents rampantly eating seabirds’ eggs. Poisons thrown from helicopters that target mice by looking like foods they would eat, like grains, have a very high success rate in ridding islands of pests. But Russell warns that since rats reproduce so quickly, they must remove 100% of the rodents, otherwise they will quickly overrun the islands again.

Perfect Packing: How to Survive A Week in the Woods - Andrew Skurka

For the stylish adventurer, each expedition has the potential to yield a rash of anxiety over the proper clothing to bring, and how many of each type is the right number. National Geographic Adventurer of theYear Andrew Skurka joins Boyd to describe his packing methods that keeps him not too hot on the trail, not too cold at night and smelling as good as can be reasonably expected of an Appalachian Trail through-hiker.

Wild Chronicles - Ice Cream Around The World

In this week's Wild Chronicles segment, Boyd shares some of his best and worst, experiences around the world sampling ice cream. He loves the fanfare around ice cream service in Turkey, while he regrets his dalliances with homemade popsicles in China.

Swimming With Great Whites Down Under - Carrie Miller

Great white sharks, one of the planet's most feared predators, have always been a source of curiosity for Carrie Miller. So to get closer to the object of her fascination, she got in the water to watch them in their natural habitat, off the coast of Australia's Neptune Islands. Miller tells Boyd that they aren't as mindlessly predatory as they're billed. She found them to be curious rather than malicious, sampling boat motors and pieces of wood they encountered on the surface for edibility. Despite the fact that Miller reports the Great whites to be "calm" at depth, she would never swim with them cage-free. Her article "Down Under: The Great White Way," is in the September/October 2014 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.

Ice Cream Expedition: Snacking for Conservation

Teaching kids the importance of conservation can be difficult: classroom lessons are often boring, while there is too much to explore while they're playing outside. But National Geographic Young Explorers Caleb Kruse, Cameron Kruse and Jordan Fatke may have found the perfect vehicle to deliver the message of saving the outdoors: ice cream, from a truck that runs on recycled cooking oil. The trio served up some of their avocado, guava, mango and coconut/purple yam to talk about their cross country road trip bribing children for promises of environmental care.

How to Survive an Avalanche - Ken Wylie

Every skier who ventures into the backcountry has to confront the possibility that an accident could kill them. Avalanches are commonplace where dozens of feet of snow fall onto icy and steep mountains - the kinds that make perfect ski destinations. Backcountry ski guide based in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Ken Wylie survived an avalanche in 2003, in which seven other people died. It was a bad season for snow slides in Revelstoke that year and Wylie was called upon to rescue another group just ten days later. He talks snow safety, backcountry protocol and remembers that tragic season in his new book, Buried.

Swimming the Seven Seas - Lewis Pugh

Medieval European sailors and cartographers spoke of the world's "Seven Seas" that they navigated in the name of exploration and commerce. The Euro-centric term has faded in favor of a more global perspective, but in order to better understand the eternal seas that surround the "Old World," South African swimmer and conservationist Lewis Pugh has taken to the water to slowly explore their health. His swim's results are disheartening: the Aegean Sea was full of garbage; the Black Sea blossomed with invasive jellyfish; and he didn't see a single fish in the Adriatic. But Pugh says he found hope in the Red Sea; the waters were full of litter and pale, dead coral, until he swam into a marine protected area. There, he found beautiful, colorful and the vibrant fish life that sustainably fed the Western world for thousands of years.

This Weekend in History - Sputnik & Mount Rushmore's Facelift

In our recurring This Weekend in History segment, Nat Geo Library research manager Maggie Turqman shares tales of the 1863 establishment of Thanksgiving, the 1927 dynamite surgery on Mount Rushmore, and the the 1957 launch of Sputnik, which kicked off the ensuing American-Soviet "Space Race."

Robotic Bees: Engineering the Future - Robert Wood

The natural world has evolved such a wide array of living creatures, that it seems unfathomable that we could replicate many of them with machines. Yet National Geographic Emerging Explorer Robert Wood has started trying to create robots that mimic the natural world, to the point that they could be programmed to socialize like ants or bees. Wood founded the Microrobotics Lab at Harvard University, where they experiment with unconventional materials and models to help create the robots of the future that do the jobs that are too dangerous or dirty for people or animals to do.

The Importance of Marine Protected Areas - Matt Rand

The world's oceans have showed a resilience in their ability to rebound from overfishing, if they're given the proper protections. And that's the objective of the creation of a major expansion of marine protected areas in the Pacific Ocean by Barack Obama's presidential action. The action pushes Wake Atoll, Johnson Atoll and Jarvis Island to be the world's third, fourth and sixth largest marine protected areas, respectively. Pew Charitable Trusts Ocean Legacy director Matt Rand explains the significance of these protected ocean havens for the fish life, and the push to get as much as 20% of the world's oceans under a protected banner.

Creating Eco-Friendly, Socially Responsible Profit - Sanga Moses

Sanga Moses had a comfortable job at a bank, until one day, he quit. As the National Geographic Emerging Explorer tells it, he wasn't sure what his plan was, but he knew he had to do something to help his little sister get back to school, rather than in the forest, walking 20 miles each week to collect wood to burn in their kitchen stove. After extensive research and contacting the local university, he and a team of engineering students created kilns that would turn agricultural waste, like sugar cane and coffee husks, into a fine powder, which was then pressed into pucks to be sold as fuel. The establishment of his company, Eco Fuel Africa, created a market that allows farmers to sell their agricultural waste, women in the market to act as retailers for his more environmentally friendly fire fuel, and Moses' sister gets to return to school.

Climbing to the Bottom of a Volcano - George Kourounis

"Extremophile" bacteria that live in and around some of the world's hottest places like volcanos and man-made fire pits in Turkmenistan are able to survive in environments with temperatures that top out above 1,000° Fahrenheit. We know this because George Kourounis is something of an extremophile himself. He and his thermal protection suit ventured to the bottom of Turkmenistan's "Door to Hell" crater, which was featured on the National Geographic Channel, as well as a more recent exploration of a volcano in Vanuatu. Kourounis explains his fascination with the world's most extreme places as volunteering to travel there so we can learn about it from the climate controlled comforts of home.

A Short Guide to a Happy Dog - Cesar Millan

Most people who see a dog misbehave see a poorly trained animal. But Cesar Millan sees a dog that hasn't been given proper direction and protection from its owner. Humans may see the word "love" as coddling and giving treats to their pet, but, Millan tells Boyd, a dog feels loved when it receives exercise, discipline and affection. He also reflects on his own personal journey from an illegal immigrant to having a successful dog empire. His new book, Cesar Millan's Short Guide to a Happy Dog, is out in January, 2013.

Gaza's Tunnels - James Verini

Gaza is a nation bordered by Israel, a country with which it is in near-constant conflict, and Egypt, a country that, for good relations with Israel, doesn't get too cozy with Gaza. James Verini tells Boyd that, in order to get goods in and out, Gaza has built a tunnel system that allows them to cart in all types of goods from Egypt, everything from basic food needs, to cars and, at least once, a lion for the zoo. His article about Gaza's tunnels appears in the December 2012 issue of National Geographic magazine.

Climbing in Rio's Favelas - Asa Firestone

Rio de Janeiro's favelas are slums that are surrounded by some of the most breathtaking natural landscape found in a city. Penned in by beaches on one side and steep granite cliffs on the other, drug cartels ran the neighborhoods until just this year, when the government cracked down in anticipation of the World Cup soccer tournament. When Asa Firestone realized those granite cliffs might be open for climbing, he didn't hesitate to attempt to revive Rio's climbing culture that has been dormant since the 1970's. His company, Beyond Gear, makes climbing gear and helps teach favela youths to climb, in hopes that it could lead to a career as a guide on the city's cliffs.

Being There: The Life of a National Geographic Photographer - James P. Blair

Photography has come a long way over the last few decades. Better cameras allow photographers to review their images immediately after they take them, but longtime National Geographic photographer James Blair says that back in the days of film cameras, they were never able to see their images until they get developed back in the office. This would leave lesser photographers nervous that their images might not pan out the way they had hoped, but Blair says that little was left to guesswork; National Geographic's photographers are so talented, that they knew many of their images would work out. Blair also shares stories of covering the South African revolution, and Martin Luther King Junior's "I Have a Dream" speech. His new book is titled Being There.

Protecting Your Digital Footprint - Jennifer Golbeck

Every internet search and purchase from online retailers teaches large companies like Google, Amazon and Target a little bit more about consumer behavior. Jennifer Golbeck, Director of University of Maryland's Computer Interaction Lab, explains that based on the collective behaviors of millions of logged searches and purchases, the companies are increasingly adept at deciphering data to the point that they can identify pregnant women from the vitamins they buy, to estimating a person's intelligence based on the Facebook pages they've "liked". Golbeck says that they can do this, as well as piece together any other number of personal details, with alarming accuracy. She outlines the issues with data hoarding companies, and proposes a few consumer behaviors that can help the public control their data more tightly.

Risk Assessment: When Is It OK to Kayak a Waterfall? - Trip Jennings

Trip Jennings sees adventure as a give-and-take negotiation with nature, rather than an attempt to claim victory over the earth’s raw natural power. When the National Geographic kayaker and filmmaker went to kayak Brazil’s Rio Roosevelt Class V rapids, the locals were praying that he would decide not to paddle the river. But Jennings trusted his eye for risk-assessment and his talent gleaned from years of trial-and-error on smaller rapids and he successfully “survived” the river. He also shares a few tips on how to tell whether or not it’s prudent to paddle over a particular waterfall.

Speed Hiking the Appalachian Trail - Jennifer Pharr Davis

Jennifer Pharr Davis hiked the entire length of the 2,181 mile Appalachian Trail in 46 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes. The 2012 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year didn't run, she simply hiked very long days and slept short nights. But she tells Boyd that her next challenge won't be to break her own Appalachian Trail record, but to hike with her husband and daughter in every state while promoting her book that reflects on her love of hiking and her husband, called Called Again.

Diving Deep With Elephant Seals - Randall Davis

For as clumsy and cumbersome that they appear to be on land, 4,000-pound elephant seals are powerful and graceful swimmers that can dive over 2,600 feet below the ocean’s surface while hunting prey such as the bioluminescent lantern fish. National Geographic grantee Randall Davis has been using a video camera to study the pinniped’s deep-sea feeding habits.

Chicken Beauty Pageant - Tamara Staples

Part of the job of a photographer is to capture beauty and magic in the mundane. But there is nothing mundane about the chickens featured in photographer Tamara Staples‘ book The Magnificent Chicken, a collection of photos of championship chickens from around the world.

Wildlife Photography: Technology Roundup With Nat Geo's Finest - Nick Nichols

The challenge for a National Geographic photographer isn’t simply to take a picture of a particular animal. It’s to take a different picture of a particular animal. Mike “Nick” Nichols has done this for decades, and on his latest assignment developed a drone helicopter, a remote control car, and a specialized open-air van to help him get closer than ever to lions. He tells Boyd that he was once so close that a bored adolescent lion stole a strobe light from his foot and promptly destroyed it. He also discusses launching his life’s body of work in an app designed for iPads.

That Dog Needs a Job - Cat Warren

When her dog Solo showed signs of being "difficult," as dogs who are the sole product of a litter are wont to be, Cat Warren tried to harness his energy and engage his mind by teaching him a trick. She enlisted a trainer who helped Solo become a human cadaver finding dog. She has written about her and Solo's adventures in her book, "What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs."

Cheetahs: Outrunning Lions, People and Extinction - Suzi Eszterhas

Cheetahs are often grouped casually grouped with Africa's other big cats, but the fleet felines aren't as similar to lions and leopards as one might assume. When confronted, the shy cats tend to fly, rather than fight, which partially contributes to their offspring having such high infant mortality rates. Photographer Suzi Eszterhas followed a mother with a litter of five cubs for her new book, A Future for Cheetahs, which was written by Dr. Laurie Marker. All five of the cubs that she spent months photographing and following died to regular predation. Despite the cat's long odds, Eszterhas is optimistic they can stay a few steps ahead of extinction.

Celebrating 80 Years With Jane Goodall

Dr. Jane Goodall pioneered studies that sought to understand chimpanzees as cousins on our evolutionary family tree. She observed the chimpanzees from afar and little by little, through wearing the same clothes and presenting the same demeanor to the apes every day, she gained their trust, and accessed the private lives of chimpanzees – their emotions, their warfare, and their ingenuity. Through her program Roots and Shoots, she seeks to broaden her impact from better understanding chimps, to making the world a better and more livable place for future generations of all animals. She joins National Geographic Weekend in celebration of her 80th birthday.

Sperm Whale Slowly Recover in Galapagos - Hal Whitehead

Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales, but until the worldwide whaling moratorium in 1982, they were hunted ruthlessly across the world’s oceans, prized for their oils that were used for many purposes, including automatic car transmissions. But when the killing stopped, the whales took a long time to rebound in the waters around the Galapagos Islands. Marine biologist Hal Whitehead explains that the whale cull that removed as many as 40,000 sperm whales each year from the oceans degraded their intricate family units, resulting in way fewer whale calves than would normally be observed. The whales’ numbers are slowly rebounding, but Whitehead explains that they’re not an animal that was built to recover from large population collapses.

Riding Horses from Canada To Brazil - Filipe Masetti

Filipe Masetti left Calgary, Alberta on horseback nearly two years ago, with his sights set on riding into São Paulo, Brazil. The end-date seemed distant then, but when he entered Bolivia this week he only had one more border to cross, which is music to Masetti's ears. After weeks navigating Panamanian border bureaucracy, he bypassed the country, flying his horses from Costa Rica to Peru. And once again, at the Bolivian border, Masetti had trouble. "It's almost like they want you to cross the border illegally." Masetti also shares the story of his passage through Honduras, which involved asking a local drug dealer for protection.

Rescuing India's Tortured Dancing Bears - Kartick Satyanarayan

The best conservation programs strike a delicate balance between condemning a practice that abuses and endangers animals, but doesn't leave people hungry or without an income. Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, shares the story of one of his group's biggest conservation successes when they were able to wean a small community off the brutal practice of creating "dancing bears" for tourism that was endangering local sloth bear populations. Satyanarayan's group offered financial and educational inducements to help the group create a conservation-based economy around saving the bears they once abused. Satyanarayan explains that he hopes to replicate the model in similar communities.

City Biking Safety Tips - Robert Kotch

Across the United States, the number of people commuting to work by bicycle is slowly, but steadily growing. But the carbon-free, traffic reducing commuting option is often coupled with dodging cars who drive without much concern for their safety. Robert Kotch, owner of Breakaway Courier Systems, a Manhattan-based company that runs bike messengers across New York City says that it is possible to ride for years in high-traffic areas for years without getting hit by a car. Kotch shares some of his time-tested tips to help commuters get to work safely, if a little sweatier than their four-wheeled peers.

Dolphin Romance in Shark Bay - Whitney Friedman

Spring is a season of romance for many animals. Famously birds and bees bring babies into the world, but Whitney Friedman studies how dolphins do so as well. The National Geographic Young Explorer studies the dynamics of male bands of dolphins in Australia's Shark Bay as they try to woo female dolphins into mating through coordinated leap displays and other methods.

The Dogs of War - Christy Ullrich Barcus

Domesticated dogs have evolved with humans as their caretakers, earning their keep by offering protection, loyalty and companionship. These characteristics also make them ideal soldiers in some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones. And sometimes dogs provide comfort to families when soldiers don't come home. Christy Ullrich Barcus tells of one family's struggle to cope with the death of their son and brother and how Eli, his retired service dog, provided comfort to all of them. The June 2014 issue of National Geographic magazine features many services that "The Dogs of War" provide on the battlefield.

Running Through the Middle East for Peace - Pat Farmer

Pat Farmer ran 13,000 miles pole-to-pole in 2011, from the north to the south, averaging two marathons per day, without a day off. He regularly had to run more than 70 miles per day through Central and South America to make up for lost time in the Arctic. The jaw-dropping feat is something that most people couldn't fathom; yet Farmer, a former member of Australia's House of Representatives, refers to his most recent Middle East Peace Run as his "greatest accomplishment." Farmer explains that the 900-mile run through Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine brought people of different religions and cultures together through their common enthusiasm for sports. While the run wasn't without tense moments, Farmer says that the goals of finding common ground across national and religious borders were fruitful and successful.

Professional Cliff Diving in Cuba - Blake Aldridge

Not all diving boards are created equal. The Olympic 33-foot high dive might be daunting to non-divers, but Blake Aldridge has learned through personal pain that water feels significantly harder when it's being approached from a 90-foot cliff. The British diver won the year's first event of Red Bull's Cliff Diving World Series in Cuba and explains that it was a large adjustment to triple his diving height. Aldridge also disagrees with Boyd that colliding with the water might be easier if divers wore baggy swim trunks, rather than their skimpy Speedo suits. The Series' second event is June 7 in Forth Worth, Texas.

Mother Nature is Trying to Kill You - Dan Riskin

Dan Riskin explores the often-untold dark side of nature in his book, Mother Nature is Trying to Kill You. He explores unusual animal behaviors that span the seven deadly sins including strange reproductive characteristics. Dan shares stories of male spiders, which have to avoid becoming a meal to their mates, a marsupial that dies after mating, and a wasp larva that slowly eats its victims while they are still alive.  His story of a baby shark that eats its siblings before they are born will make you feel better about your sibling rivalry. Dan believes “this is what gives nature its character” and that humans may not be as selfish and barbaric as some may think:

Swedish Ship Found After 500 Years at Sea - Lundgren & Ronnby

Scouring the ocean's depths for something recently lost is difficult enough, as was learned this past spring when Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing; with that in mind, locating a wrecked ship that sunk nearly 500 years ago can seem much more daunting. Richard Lundgren spent 20 years searching the Baltic Sea's frigid depths for the legendary Swedish war ship, Mars. With perspective from historian Johan Ronnby, they confirmed the ship's location. The divers explain how they dove to the bottom of the Baltic to confirm their finding and how they hope to honor the legendary ship's legacy.

Exploring the Newest UNESCO Heritage Site - Steve Boyes

Twenty First Century exploration is usually marked not by “filling in the blank areas of the map,” as it was in centuries past, but by the improved understanding of an ecosystem deep in the ocean or on the edges of our solar system – places that can scarcely be imagined by non-scientists. But National Geographic’s Steve Boyes has recruited a team of his fellow Emerging Explorers to venture deep into Botswana’s Okavango Delta, to paddle barefoot in stand-up kayaks through waters haunted by hippos, crocodiles and elephants, like in the days of the earliest European adventures into Africa's waterways. The expedition is part of a nine-year survey to better understand a wetland so remote that only local tribes who have mastered survival over hundreds of years maintain a presence there. The team's 2014 Okavango adventure will go from from August 16 to 25.

Undocumented Children at the Border - Jason De Leon

America's attention shifted earlier this summer to a border crisis years in the making. Thousands of children from Central America streamed across the border, overwhelming border patrol agents and straining the resources of a child welfare system already working overtime. But National Geographic Emerging Explorer Jason De Leon, Director of the Undocumented Migration Project, explains that this has been happening in large numbers for the past 4 years. De Leon provides cameras to migrants preparing to cross into the United States from Mexico so he can better understand the challenges that they face, but points out that the most dangerous part of the journey for the vulnerable Nicaraguan and Honduran children come well before they reach their point of entry into the United States.