@NatGeo

Photos by Matthieu Paley @paleyphoto | Najiba is on an early morning walk to her barley field in Afghanistan's Wakhan corridor, a panhandle that separates Pakistan from Tajikistan. Her brother Bakh Shoh soon joined her. I was traveling with writer Paul Salopek on his Out of Eden project (@outofedenwalk ), an incredible adventure observing the world at "boot level" while retracing the ancient routes of human migration. Salopek started his 21,000-mile (34,000 km) journey in Ethiopia in 2013 and has been walking ever since. I've visited the Wakhi-speaking region of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and China on and off for over 20 years. The Hindu Kush and Pamir Mountains are a rough and beautiful place. I'm particularly attached to this community, and I admire its strength and kindness in the face of adversity, both political and environmental, as well as its deep traditions and unique language. The people here have taught me so much, and I'll need several lifetimes to repay the hospitality they offered. For more insights into our world, follow me @paleyphoto . For more on the Wakhan corridor, see the story at the link in bio. #wakhan #afghanistan

Photo by @rubensalgadoescudero | Daw Mu Nan, 45, a farmer and mother of eight, rests at her grandson's home in the village of Pa Dan Kho, located in eastern Myanmar's Kayah State. The Kayan Lahwi tribe are a subgroup of the Karenni people, the Tibeto-Burman ethnic minority of Myanmar. The women are known for wearing neck rings, brass coils that are placed around the neck, appearing to lengthen it. Thanks to solar power, Daw Mu Nan can visit with her grandchildren in the evenings after a day of working on the field. This is part of my ongoing project Solar Portraits, which focuses on the lack of electricity around the world and the impact of solar power on different communities. Follow me on @rubensalgadoescudero to see the world through my lens. #solarportraits #solar #Myanmar #solarpanels #solarpower

Photos by @amivitale | I still remember the first time I met Sudan as he was being transported from Safari Park Dvůr Králové in the Czech Republic to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in northern Kenya in 2009. He and three other northern white rhinos were being relocated to Africa in a last-ditch effort to save their entire species, a move that was met with protests by local Czechia people who felt it was risky and didn't want the rhinos to go. On that winter’s day, Sudan was one of only eight northern white rhinos alive on the planet. He moved slowly, cautiously. He took time to sniff the snow. He was gentle, hulking, otherworldly. I knew I was in the presence of an ancient being, millions of years in the making (fossil records suggest that the lineage is more 50 million years old), whose kind had roamed around much of our world. A century ago there were hundreds of thousands of rhinos in Africa. Sudan died five years ago. He was 45 years old, elderly for a rhino. He is survived today only by his daughter and granddaughter, Najin and Fatu, who live at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Remarkably, there is still hope for the northern white rhino. Today, a BioRescue consortium project has turned to an innovative mix of classic reproduction techniques and cutting-edge stem cell technology in the hope of resurrecting the subspecies. Today there are 24 northern white rhino embryos ready to be transferred into a surrogate southern white rhino mother. I have just launched the new short film Remembering Sudan, documenting the heartbreaking crisis facing the northern white rhinos and those who sacrifice so much to protect them. Learn more at https://on.natgeo.com/3TK0E52 and by following @amivitale , @olpejeta , @biorescue_project ,and @vital.impacts . #Conservation #Kenya #StopPoaching #rhinos

Photo by @jenguyton | It was truly awe-inspiring to spend 10 hours with this pride of lions while on assignment in Lemek Conservancy, Kenya, as they polished off a wildebeest they'd ambushed at a watering hole. Here, the male lion prevents the lionesses from eating. Although the lionesses are often the ones that make the kill, male lions are much bigger and stronger and will use aggression to ensure that they eat first. This photo was made using infrared lights and modified cameras to minimize disturbing the lions' nocturnal behaviors.

Photos by Reuben Wu @reuben | The Belt of Venus, also called antitwilight, appears as a band of pink during sunset at Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni. At more than 4,000 square miles (10,000 sq km), it's the largest salt flat in the world—left behind after prehistoric lakes evaporated. In the dry season, the salt forms delicate polygon structures that can catch the fading light of the sun. During wet season (next slide), large expanses flood and reflect the sky. For more photos and stories, follow me @reuben .

Photos by Elliot Ross @elliotstudio | The relationship between bees and flowers is one of the cornerstones that have defined research into phenology—the timing of life cycle events—at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado. For over a decade, ecologist Rebecca Irwin has made it her mission to meet every bee in the valley. She and her research assistants spend hundreds of hours a summer netting and cataloging bees. They apply a small dot of paint to each bee netted—so that it isn’t counted twice—and then let it go. In the April issue of National Geographic magazine, Irwin tells writer Craig Welch, “In these early snowmelt years, the queens are just more stressed. They need more food. They have to forage more often.” But after 13 years working with bees in Gothic, Irwin sees no clear long-term survival trend among the region’s 200 bee species. Read the full story at the link in bio.

Photo by @sarahyltonphoto | A view of Neskantaga First Nation, a remote region of northern Ontario, Canada. The community has been under a "boil water" advisory for over 28 years. Neskantaga is just one among dozens of First Nations that lack access to safe drinking water in a country with an abundance of fresh water. For more on this and other stories, follow me @sarahyltonphoto . #Canada #watercrisis #wapusknationalpark

Video by @joelsartore | In the wild, ornate cowfish are found off the coast of southern Australia, usually in seagrass beds in depths up to 50 feet (15 m). When stressed, this species releases ostracitoxin from its skin, which can kill other nearby fish. That’s why it’s rarely kept by aquarium hobbyists. Video taken @theomahazoo . To see more species featured in the Photo Ark, follow me @joelsartore . #fish #cowfish #animal #wildlife #video #PhotoArk

Video by @chrisburkard | Sitting at the intersection of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, Iceland is a hot spot for volcanic activity. With roughly one eruption every five years, the country was indeed "on schedule" in August 2022 with the Meradalir volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The spewing lava made for an incredible display of nature's power. Read more from the story at the link in bio.

Photo by @beverlyjoubert | A lush, flamboyant mane may be the ultimate physical status symbol in lion society—and this male in the remote northern reaches of Botswana’s famed Okavango Delta is certainly well endowed in that department. But it’s a status symbol that comes with a definite downside. Bushier manes—especially those of the dark, heat-absorbing variety—can be hard on the wearer in sweltering southern Africa, especially as average temperatures rise due to climate change. Research suggests lions sporting thicker, darker manes may need to compensate with cooling tactics like drinking more water or taking longer breaks in the shade compared to their less hairy counterparts. To see more of my work, follow me @beverlyjoubert . #lions #bigcatconservation #bigcats #wildlife

National Geographic Photographer Lucas Foglia (@lucasfogliaphoto ) is in the middle of a long-term art project tracking the multigenerational migration of the painted lady butterfly. He met with scientist Aurora Garcia-Berro in Switzerland to study how their migration patterns have changed due to human activity such as widespread development and increased carbon emissions. | @dhl_global is tackling this urgent issue by pledging to use the world's first battery-powered aircraft in #logistics for short-haul transportation in the near future. Read more at the link in bio.

Photos by Michaela Skovranova @mishkusk | These self-portraits document my journey with endometriosis, a complex inflammatory disease within the reproductive system that can also impact muscles, nerves, joints, lungs, and even the brain. It affects roughly one in nine born with a uterus—an estimated 200 million people worldwide. In advanced stages, endometriosis invades the surrounding organs. Thick bands of scar tissue can bind organs, resulting in dysfunction and damaged nerves. It's a debilitating condition I've suffered from for 20 years. Symptoms include chronic pelvic pain, pain with menstruation and ovulation, excessive bleeding, infertility, nausea, food intolerances, fatigue, pneumothorax, and more. For patients who exhibit symptoms, there is an average 7- to 10- year delay in getting the diagnosis, which can have devastating consequences. Currently the only way to confirm a diagnosis is through laparoscopy, in which a camera is inserted into incisions in the pelvis or abdomen, and biopsy of the lesions. The idea of living with an incurable illness weighs heavy on me, but the condition can be managed with a timely diagnosis and an effective treatment plan. I've learned that happiness, joy, and pain can coexist in our strange reality we call life. I used to think my body was letting me down. In fact, it never did. It was just pleading for help. If you're experiencing symptoms of endometriosis, speak with a healthcare provider for proper diagnosis and treatment. In these images: A self-portrait in one of Australia's tea tree lakes, known for healing properties. The water's red color comes from the tree tannins. Second, laparoscopic incisions. Third, an IUD (intrauterine device) can deliver hormonal therapy. Last, a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) machine can help with pain management by blocking signals and stimulating nerves. For more about the condition, go to the link in bio. #Endometriosis #EndometriosisAwarenessMonth #ChronicPain