https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from National Geographic Society One of the most comprehensive surveys to date of shark and other large predator fish in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) ocean finds that remote marine protected areas (MPAs)—including the Galapagos, Malpelo, Clipperton, and Revillagigedo islands—support some of the largest numbers of sharks reported globally, including the critically endangered scalloped hammerhead, while coastal MPAs are showing signs of severe depletion. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-shark-strongholds-remote-pacific-islands.html Plants & Animals Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:00:06 EST news683373828 Scientists have long opposed the idea that dinosaurs lived in aquatic habitats. Now, an international team of researchers, supported by the National Geographic Society, has discovered unambiguous evidence that Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, the longest predatory dinosaur known to science, was aquatic and used tail-propelled swimming locomotion to hunt for prey in a massive river system. It is the first time that such an adaptation has been reported in a dinosaur. https://phys.org/news/2020-04-fossils-rewrite-story-dinosaurs-spinosaurus.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 29 Apr 2020 12:19:15 EDT news507381550 According to a recent study undertaken by a team of fisheries and social scientists from Dalhousie University, New York University, and National Geographic, fishing fleets operating outside of national waters contribute less than 3% to the world's seafood supply. This finding goes against the common assertion that high seas fisheries are important for food security. https://phys.org/news/2018-08-high-seas-fisheries-limited-role.html Ecology Wed, 08 Aug 2018 14:00:06 EDT news452953410 As much as 54 percent of the high seas fishing industry would be unprofitable at its current scale without large government subsidies, according to a new study by researchers from the National Geographic Society; the University of California, Santa Barbara; Global Fishing Watch; the Sea Around Us project at the University of British Columbia; and the University of Western Australia. The research, published today in the open-access journal Science Advances, found that the global cost of fishing in the high seas ranged between $6.2 billion and $8 billion USD in 2014. Profits from this activity range between a loss of $364 million and a profit of $1.4 billion USD. https://phys.org/news/2018-06-economics-fishing-high-seas.html Ecology Wed, 06 Jun 2018 14:00:03 EDT news447481969 Change the Course, a freshwater restoration movement, will restore 1 billion gallons of water to the Colorado River Delta to support the revitalization of wetland habitats in what was once one of the planet's great desert aquatic ecosystems. Change the Course is spearheaded by the National Geographic Society, Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) and Participant Media. https://phys.org/news/2014-03-billion-gallons-colorado-river-delta.html Environment Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:28:05 EDT news315070073 Archaeologists working in Nepal have uncovered evidence of a structure at the birthplace of the Buddha dating to the sixth century B.C. This is the first archaeological material linking the life of the Buddha—and thus the first flowering of Buddhism—to a specific century. https://phys.org/news/2013-11-archaeological-discoveries-early-date-buddha.html Archaeology Mon, 25 Nov 2013 12:01:18 EST news304603263 Our family tree may have sprouted some long-lost branches going back nearly 2 million years. A famous paleontology family has found fossils that they think confirm their theory that there are two additional pre-human species besides the one that eventually led to modern humans. https://phys.org/news/2012-08-kenyan-fossils-early-human-evolution.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:00:14 EDT news263647334 A study by the Genographic Project has shown that not all individuals carrying the Romanian "Basarab" surname, the first dynasty of Wallachian kings that included the real-life Dracula, can be direct biological descendants of the Basarab dynasty. https://phys.org/news/2012-07-basarab-surname-vlad-impaler.html Biotechnology Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:02:47 EDT news262519362 A vast city built by the ancient Maya and discovered nearly a century ago is finally starting to yield its secrets. https://phys.org/news/2012-05-ancient-maya-calendar.html Archaeology Thu, 10 May 2012 14:00:22 EDT news255875870 A study by The Genographic Project has found that the majority of all known ethnic Afghans share a unique genetic heritage derived from a common ancestral population that most likely emerged during the Neolithic revolution and the formation of early farming communities. Through detailed DNA analysis of samples from 27 provinces, the Genographic team found the inter-Afghan genetic variability to be mostly attributed to the formation of the first civilizations in the region during the Bronze Age. https://phys.org/news/2012-03-afghans-unique-genetic-heritage-dna.html Biotechnology Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:00:11 EDT news252082416 The Genographic Project announced today the most comprehensive analysis to date of Basque genetic patterns, showing that Basque genetic uniqueness predates the arrival of agriculture in the Iberian Peninsula some 7,000 years ago. Through detailed DNA analysis of samples from the French and Spanish Basque regions, the Genographic team found that Basques share unique genetic patterns that distinguish them from the surrounding non-Basque populations. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-basque-roots-revealed-dna-analysis.html Genetics Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:22:42 EST news250273264 Centuries of overexploitation of fish and other marine resources — as well as invasion of fish from the Red Sea — have turned some formerly healthy ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea into barren places, an unprecedented study of the Mediterranean concludes. https://phys.org/news/2012-03-overfishing-swaths-mediterranean-barren.html Ecology Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:58:10 EST news249843486 Digital technology is coming to the rescue of some of the world's most endangered languages. Linguists from National Geographic's Enduring Voices project who are racing to document and revitalize struggling languages are unveiling an effective new tool: talking dictionaries. https://phys.org/news/2012-02-dictionaries-document-languages.html Other Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:24:35 EST news248700264 A suite of five ancient crocs, including one with teeth like boar tusks and another with a snout like a duck's bill, have been discovered in the Sahara by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Paul Sereno. The five fossil crocs, three of them newly named species, are remains of a bizarre world of crocs that inhabited the southern land mass known as Gondwana some 100 million years ago. https://phys.org/news/2009-11-boarcroc-ratcroc-dogcroc-duckcroc-pancakecroc.html Archaeology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:17:59 EST news177851529 A York University researcher has tracked the migration of songbirds by outfitting them with tiny geolocator backpacks - a world first - revealing that scientists have underestimated their flight performance dramatically. https://phys.org/news/2009-02-songbirds-faster-video.html Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:20:10 EST news153670771 The Phoenicians gave the world the alphabet and a love of the color purple, and a research study published today by Genographic scientists in the American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG-D-08-00725R2) shows that they left some people their genes as well. The study finds that as many as one in 17 men in the Mediterranean basin may have a Phoenician as a direct male-line ancestor. https://phys.org/news/2008-10-genographic-scientists-uncover-piece-phoenician.html Archaeology Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:03:07 EDT news144586987