Human Interest

It took them two years, but Colin Angus and Julie Wafaei are the first people to circumnavigate the globe completely by self-propulsion. That means they rowed across the Atlantic -- no sails. And biked and hiked across Siberia.

In literature, albatrosses represent weighty, inescapable burdens. But in real life, the huge seabirds use wind energy to cruise around the planet's oceans. Photographer Frans Lanting and writer Carl Safina report from one of the world's largest albatross colonies.

In literature, albatrosses represent weighty, inescapable burdens. But in real life, the huge seabirds use wind energy to cruise around the planet's oceans. Photographer Frans Lanting and writer Carl Safina report from one of the world's largest albatross colonies.

Running underneath the rolling hills of Tennessee lies a still-mysterious and remote network of caverns. Many of those caves shelter fragile ecosystems, and biologist Jerry Lewis is helping to discover and protect some of those ecosystems from man's destruction.

Running underneath the rolling hills of Tennessee lies a still-mysterious and remote network of caverns. Many of those caves shelter fragile ecosystems, and biologist Jerry Lewis is helping to discover and protect some of those ecosystems from man's destruction.

Mingma Norbu Sherpa was one of 24 conservationists killed in Nepal this week in a recent helicopter crash near Kathmandu. A child of the Himalayas, Sherpa, 50, was an official with the World Wildlife Fund who helped change conservation practices around the world.

Mingma Norbu Sherpa was one of 24 conservationists killed in Nepal this week in a recent helicopter crash near Kathmandu. A child of the Himalayas, Sherpa, 50, was an official with the World Wildlife Fund who helped change conservation practices around the world.

Conservationist Bruce Beehler is pushing through a wild and previously unexplored jungle in search of a mysterious and poisonous bird native to Papua New Guinea, the pitohui. His only lead and guide is a local shaman, who uses poison from the bird in his rituals.

Conservationist Bruce Beehler is pushing through a wild and previously unexplored jungle in search of a mysterious and poisonous bird native to Papua New Guinea, the pitohui. His only lead and guide is a local shaman, who uses poison from the bird in his rituals.

National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Fay has uncovered a staggering loss: During a survey of Chad -- a country of vast spaces at the heart of Africa -- he stumbled on at least 100 dead elephants near an elephant preserve, killed for their ivory tusks.