National Geographic Society

Photographer and #NatGeoExplorer Robbie Shone (@shonephoto ) reports from Gabon, where he is with fellow Explorer Lisa Baldini, whose @west_africa_caves project aims to generate the first-ever record of seasonal rainfall variability for West and Central Africa from stalagmites in caves. “Why stalagmites? Stalagmites preserve a record of past climate in their mineral structure within rings of growth similar to that of trees. The layers are deposited by cave ‘drips’ that fall from the ceiling of the cave onto the stalagmite. Every single drip carries with it a chemical record of its history...from its time in the atmosphere falling as rain, to its time passing through the soil and rock above the cave,” he says. “The unique chemistry of each drip that is preserved in the stalagmite layers gives us a snapshot into the past climate (temperature & rainfall) and vegetation (reflected in the soil chemistry) above the cave when that layer was deposited.” Pictured above, Shone explains, “This is a photograph of a large stalagmite inside Grotte de Bongolo, beneath the American Missionary Hospital here in Lébamba. Either side of the stalagmite are Dr. Makaya Mvoubou, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku, Gabon (L) and Dr. Ndukauba Egesi, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria (R).” Photo by Robbie Shone

Just over a decade ago, the arapaima — a fish capable of growing up to 10 feet long and weighing up to 500 pounds — faced extinction, its numbers ravaged by overfishing. But conservation efforts spearheaded by local communities have turned things around, with arapaima numbers dramatically increasing across the Amazon 🐟. The arapaima’s resurgence is a conservation triumph that can serve as a blueprint for safeguarding other large aquatic species in the Amazon and globally, according to Brazilian ecologist and #NatGeoExplorer @joao_campos_silva . And it highlights the crucial role of local communities in leading successful conservation endeavors. Campos-Silva works with communities along the Juruá River, a major Amazon tributary in western Brazil, as part of the National Geographic and @Rolex #PerpetualPlanet Amazon Expedition — a multi-year science and storytelling exploration of the Amazon River basin to further our understanding of this intricate freshwater system and advance solutions to ensure its protection. Explore more at the link in bio. Photos by André Dib

No matter where on Earth people are, they look up at the same sky. “The night sky is an eternal roof above us. It has been there the whole time and it connects us through the past and future, a variety of ideas, cultures and beliefs we have. It’s like, ’one human, one sky,’” #NatGeoExplorer @BabakTafreshi marvels. The science journalist, editor and photographer is known mostly for the way he photographs the dark sky. Tafreshi has immortalized stunning scenes of the planet’s star-studded roof as it appears on nearly every continent through photographs, videos and immersive media. His growing catalog of visual storytelling is a portal to connect humans to the sky, and each other. Get a glimpse into Tafreshi’s dazzling work. 🌌 Link in bio. Photos by Babak Tafreshi

Which traits are innate and which depend on circumstance? #NatGeoExplorer Christopher Schmitt (@fuzzyatelin ) has been contemplating this question since he was young. Schmitt shares, “I grew up as a visibly gay kid in the Midwest [United States], where I was exposed to a lot of bullying in which others speculated, often cruelly, about how I got to be that way…so [I had] a kind of existential panic around whether this hugely important trait was innate and immutable, or environmental and maybe then changeable.” Now, working with vervet monkeys as a primate geneticist, Schmitt studies how genetic factors underlying traits like body fatness can experience changes as a result of the environment, such as diet or drought exposure. For Schmitt, “it’s immensely satisfying to take these existential anxieties from our queer childhoods and reframe them into a strong theoretical grounding for understanding the biological origins of complex traits. Of course, the monkeys are pretty great, too.” 🐒 Read more at the link in bio. Seen here are Schmitt in the field at Cocha Cashu Biological Station in Peru (Photo by Andrew McFarland), and another of his study species, a wild yellow-tailed woolly monkey mother and infant, photographed at his field site in Beirut, Corosha, Peru (Photo by Sofia Weaver). #PrideMonth

On this day in Base Camp history, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson arrived at the National Geographic Society’s then-new 17th Street building in 1964 to inaugurate the Bell Systems new “picture phone” service. 📺 The historic June 24 call between the First Lady and Bell Telephone Laboratories scientist Dr. Elizabeth Wood in New York was the first of many video calls to come. We continue to transform our Washington, D.C. Base Camp headquarters to lay the foundation for many more “firsts” in our future — explore how at natgeo.org/basecamp. Link in bio. Video provided by the National Geographic Society's Special Collections

To understand how the flooded forest tolerates and adapts to the shifts in annual flooding and to water scarcity during the dry season, ecologist and #NatGeoExplorer Julia Tavares is studying the ways in which trees respond to these extremes. Tavares is examining the traits of individual trees to understand their physiology and ascertain how they can survive in their changing environment. “The research that we are doing here is really, really important because as the climate is changing, especially for the flooded forest, we don’t know how they will cope with future changes,” Tavares says. “So it’s very important that we understand now so we can predict what could happen and give guidance on which areas we should protect.” Tavares is working alongside fellow Explorer Thiago Silva to generate unprecedented data on how the Amazon wetlands function. Their results will allow for predictions of how this understudied ecosystem will respond to the changing wet and dry seasons before they are pushed beyond their ability to survive. This work is part of the National Geographic and @Rolex #PerpetualPlanet Amazon Expedition — a multi-year science and storytelling exploration of the Amazon River Basin, from the Andes to the Atlantic, to further our understanding of this intricate rainforest system and advance solutions to ensure its protection.

Swipe to see this dynamic duo photographed by #NatGeoExplorer and founder of the National Geographic Photo Ark @JoelSartore .🦒🦒 On the left, an endangered reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) with finer white lines in pattern, and on the right a Rothschild giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi). 📍@rolling_hills_zoo Link in bio to learn more about #PhotoArk . #WorldGiraffeDay

“What most people don’t know is that the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t bring freedom to everyone and especially not people enslaved to Indigenous Sovereign Nations in what was known as Oklahoma and Indian Territory,” African diaspora archaeologist and #NatGeoExplorer Alicia Odewale (@ode2dream ) explains. Odewale researches sites of African heritage in the U.S. and Caribbean region, including her home state of Oklahoma. “My work in Tulsa illuminates the fact that the path to Black Freedom in Oklahoma is a completely different story from the rest of the country as people were still enslaved to tribes struggling for freedom more than a year after ‘Juneteenth’, June 19, 1865. [It also] illustrates that freedom is a struggle and a never ending process.” “While the people I am researching in Tulsa and my own ancestors had been free for decades by the time [Tulsa’s Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street] was built, their generation had their own battle for freedom before, during, and long after the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre to overcome the impacts of racism and anti-Black violence. A reminder that we are a strong and resilient people that continues to make history, resist, empower, rebuild and stand together in spite of all the challenges we continue to face.” Want to learn more about Odewale’s project “Mapping Historical Trauma in Tulsa,” led alongside fellow Explorer Parker VanValkenburgh? Stay tuned for next season’s schedule to attend one of Odewale’s National Geographic Live shows, “Black Wall Street: Stories of Resilience.” Link in bio. Seen here: Odewale in her lab at the Historical Archaeology and Heritage Studies Laboratory (Photo by Bethany Mollenkof); the process of taking diagnostic photos of artifacts recovered from shovel testing at B.S. Roberts Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Photo by James W. Parker/JW Photography); Odewale at Standpipe Hill in Greenwood (Photo by Bethany Mollenkof).

Why are moths attracted to artificial lights? 🦋💡 Scientists are researching this the age-old mystery. Moths navigate using the brightest “sky” they see, leading to their disoriented flights around our lights. They have a “system that allows them to really quickly tell what's bright versus what's dim, and give them feedback about the sky so that they can fly stably,” #NatGeoExplorer and entomologist Yash Sondhi (@nocturne_mariposa ) says. “If they mess that up, they start crashing or they go too high and then they stall.” In their recent scientific paper, Sondhi and his team concluded that any light pointing upwards is bad for insects. “By shielding and directing our lights, we can help reduce this disruption.” More from the @NatGeo story at the link in bio. Photos by Sam Fabian (@stfabian94 )

In 2023, the @natgeopristineseas team traveled to the Federated States of Micronesia and, working in close partnership with Blue Prosperity Micronesia and the Federated States of Micronesia government, assessed the remarkable marine ecosystems in Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Yap. The data they collected will contribute to the nation’s goals of traditional and sustainable resource management. Here, videographer Manu San Félix captured stunning footage of a green sea turtle swimming in Poluwat Atoll. #SeaTurtleDay Video by @manusanfelix

The stars align when Explorers come together! This week, #NatGeoExplorers from around the globe return to Base Camp in Washington, D.C., to convene for our annual Explorers Festival. It’s an inspiring week of innovation and collaboration – and, to hear about the latest discoveries, insights and solutions for creating a more sustainable future. Tune in to our Story as we share live from Explorers Festival 2024. #NatGeoFest Photos by Abram Eric Landes and Mark Thiessen (@thiessenphoto )

Across expertises in oceanography, marine/coastal ecology, climate science, ocean exploration technology, community-based conservation and other related fields — our goal at the National Geographic Society is to inspire people around the globe to better understand and protect the world’s ocean. The stories surfaced by our #NatGeoExplorers aim to understand and conserve marine and coastal systems, and inspire us to find solutions to protect them. As of today, we have helped protect millions of square oceanic miles through our Explorer-led programs. Swipe ➡️ to meet some of our Explorers leading this work: 🦈 Gibbs Kuguru (@gibbskuguru ) studies the DNA of sharks. This Kenyan shark scientist uses groundbreaking genetic research to reveal new insights into the shark kingdom, and investigate how humans might protect it. (Photo by Siraj Ahmed) 🌊 Sruthi Gurudev, an eco-journalist, writes about ocean conservation, creating a network of empowered youth around the world through @anhourinthedeep.mag . At 22 years old, she proves that age doesn't matter when it comes to protecting the ocean. (Photo by Jennifer Adler) 🌊 Aristide Takoukam Kamla (@kamlaarist ) has worked on the conservation of the African manatee and other large aquatic wildlife in Cameroon, his native country, since 2008. He is a marine researcher, conservationist and NEWF Fellow (@newfcommunity ) as part of our Explorer-led program, Africa Refocused. (Photo by @jahawibertolli ) 🌊 Whitney Goodell (@adventurewhit ), a marine ecologist and geospatial analyst, leads the deep sea component of the @NatGeoPristineSeas team’s research, using deep sea camera systems to explore life at the bottom of the ocean. (Photo by Caitlin Bailey) 🐋 David Gruber (@davidfgruber ) is the founder and president of @ProjectCETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative), a nonprofit, interdisciplinary scientific and conservation initiative. They are on a mission to listen to and translate the communication of sperm whales. (Photo by Michael Lees) #WorldOceanDay