National Geographic Magazine

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FROM the EDITOR

IN FOCUS • JUST IN FROM OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS

DISCOVER THE WILD BEAUTY OF MAINE • For National Geographic photographer Pete Muller, Maine offers more than scenic beauty—it represents clarity, connection, and resilience. On a journey through two of the state’s most rugged regions—DownEast and the Blue Hill Peninsula—Muller explored the intimate relationships between people and places along the coast.

CONTRIBUTORS

THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE TIGERS WHO CHANGED THEIR STRIPES • A century ago, India’s tigers were on the brink of extinction. Slowly, their numbers have rebounded. But that ecological success has prompted a dire new problem—and a race to save many of them from genetic collapse.

Bringing Tigers Together

Can we SAVE the ORBITING TREASURES of the SPACE RACE? • As human-made objects proliferate in space, a coalition of scientists and historians have floated retrieving some of the most important.

OLDER BETTER FASTER STRONGER

HOW TO AGE LIKE AN ATHLETE • An increasing body of research is telling us that staying active as we age provides extraordinary health benefits. These over-50 champs offer proof of what we gain by being athletes later in our lives.

A GAME PLAN FOR FIGHTING FATHER TIME • Five research-backed, peer-reviewed ways to start extending your health span now—no matter how old you are.

‘I WANT TO LIVE TO BE 100’ • These iconic athletes were the greatest of all time at what they did, so who better to ask about getting the most out of our bodies as we age? We came in search of wisdom, but they gave us something even better: motivation.

How an AMERICAN ICON Helped Save EGYPT’S ANCIENT TEMPLES • Sixty-five years ago, the temples of Abu Simbel were destined to disappear beneath the murky waters of a new dam. Then Jackie Kennedy got involved.

THE WORLD’S TALLEST MOUNTAIN? • A new approach to how we measure mountains is reigniting some longsimmering debates—and perhaps creating a new pecking order for the planet’s most impressive peaks.

HAVE WE BEEN MEASURING MOUNTAINS ALL WRONG? • The process isn’t as simple as it might seem. Sure, the summit of Everest is indisputably Earth’s highest point above sea level. But what’s so special about sea level? Measure a mountain in other ways—there are plenty to choose from, including the newly devised metric of jut—and you’ll find a whole range of candidates for the title of loftiest peak. Turns out there’s room at the top.

HOW THE GIANTS STACK UP • Each of these mountains—shown to scale with one another, with respect to elevation above sea level—might make a plausible claim to being the world’s tallest. It all depends on what you’re measuring and where you begin.

WHY ANNAPURNA RISES ABOVE • The high point of the multipeaked Annapurna massif, in the Himalaya of Nepal, is the summit known as An the world’s 10th tallest above sea level. But the subpeak known as Annapurna I, Fang has the planet’s highest jut, a number that factors in both height and steepness to gauge how impressively a mountain rises above its surroundings. A few key points help explain the newly invented metric.

ICE HOCKEY is FLOURISHING in… NAIROBI • There’s only one rink in the country—and it’s tiny—but the Kenya Ice Lions have their sights set on the Olympics.

WHAT WE GET WRONG About the World’s MOST MALIGNED MAP • The Mercator projection wildly distorts the globe. But that’s what makes it useful. Maps based on it are used daily by millions of people.

OUR PLANET FROM ABOVE...