Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2019 i National Geographic Magazine

Celebrating more than 20 years of cruise excellence. From its humble beginnings in 1997, Viking is now the world’s most recognized cruise line, with award-winning river and ocean fleets exploring the world’s great waterways. Small ships, big advantage. Intimate vessels sail into the heart of your destination—where new discoveries are just a short walk from your ship. Sail in Scandinavian serenity. Viking has fine-tuned the art of exploring the world in comfort. Understated, elegant ships, thoughtfully engineered by nautical architects to bring the outside in. Graceful staterooms and public areas designed to inspire and refresh you. Cultural enrichment from ship to shore. Every Viking cruise opens doors of discovery and enrichment with an included excursion in every port. Viking also takes you beyond the iconic with Local Life, Working World…

What remains in a glass of Scotch whisky after the liquid is gone? A potential collection of otherworldly landscapes.…

IN THIS SECTION Storied Boots A Salty Swim Argonaut Sacrifice Firefly Forest A TOILET IS LIKE A “SUPER VACCINE,” says Doulaye Kone of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “It kills disease where it is produced.” Traditional sanitation systems are costly to build and maintain, so the foundation’s Reinvented Toilet initiative is helping to develop alternatives such as the toilets seen here. Safe and inexpensive to operate, these commodes can function without running water and, in some cases, electricity. They’re also sustainable, eliminating pathogens while recovering nutrients and energy. MECHANICAL DRY BIO-COMBUSTION The Nano Membrane Toilet is a portable, self-contained unit that doesn’t require external power. Waste is mechanically separated. A combustor dries and burns the solids, while liquids are heated and purified. The resulting sanitized ash and water can…

What is the best way to challenge the creativity of some of the world’s most talented photographers - while at the same time pushing a new smartphone to the limits of its design specs? The answer is to give three of these individuals a OnePlus 7 Pro and unleash them in numerous locales across the United States so they can immortalize the theme – Inspired by Nature. Their brief was simple: to capture as much of the rugged natural beauty of a rich and unimaginably diverse continent – and how people interact with it - as they could in seven days. With their creativity and imaginations unleashed they journeyed forth to tell the stories of their chosen regions. Their treks ranged from cloud and snowcapped mountains, to meadows bedecked with…

GETTING THERE AND BACK U.S. REACHES THE MOON The only rocket to carry humans past low Earth orbit had hydrogen-powered engines in its second and third stages. ROUND-TRIP TICKET The world’s first reusable spacecraft to carry humans into orbit could transport up to eight passengers. U.S. GOES COMMERCIAL NASA has contracted with SpaceX to bring astronauts as well as cargo to the International Space Station. SOVIETS IN SPACE The Soviets’ Vostok (“East” in Russian) launched the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into one orbit around Earth.…

COUNT DOWN TO A NEW ERA INSPACE Over four years, NASA astronauts hauled 842 pounds of moon rocks back to Earth. But the most profound souvenirs weigh nothing: images of Earth. Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders snapped an iconic one on Christmas Eve in 1968, showing our blue planet suspended in darkness near the moon’s sterile, cratered horizon. Astronauts didn’t just take photos and collect moon rocks, they also carried an array of objects from Earth into space with them. John Young (Gemini 3) notoriously smuggled aboard a corned beef sandwich and shared it with Gus Grissom, his crewmate. Grissom pocketed it when crumbs began to float around the cabin. Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) took wine, bread, and a chalice to celebrate Communion. His crewmate Neil Armstrong carried a piece…

Debra Gannon’s son, Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson, was one of four U.S. special operations soldiers killed in Niger on October 4, 2017, when Islamist fighters ambushed their team. The clash near Tongo Tongo was the deadliest for U.S. forces in Africa since the “Black Hawk Down” battle in Mogadishu, Somalia, 24 years earlier. The foggy circumstances of the gunfight—the subject of much debate—have confused the families of the fallen, and the public. Gannon believes her son, along with Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, and Sgt. LaDavid Johnson, fought heroically. But in an investigation into what went wrong, the military laid much of the blame on the team rather than its senior commanders. The Marine Corps general overseeing U.S. military operations in Africa praised special operations units…

WHO Jahangir, an optometrist in Faisalabad, Pakistan WHERE The 125th floor of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the tallest building on Earth WHAT Taken with a Nikon D610 camera with Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 lens For her birthday, Jahangir visited Dubai, the United Arab Emirates city famous for its large buildings and bold ambitions. Late one afternoon, tourists filled the observation decks to view the sunset from the 124th and 125th floors of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest structure. A young man and woman stood in front of the glass, overtaken by golden light. Jahangir took two shots of them in perfect silhouette. A few seconds later, the young couple broke their position and walked away. Join National Geographic’s Your Shot community and share your photos at YourShot.ngm.com.…

NAT GEO FILMS To mark the 50th anniversary of the first crewed lunar landing, National Geographic brings NASA’s Apollo space program to life with the two-hour documentary Apollo: Missions to the Moon. The film combines archival TV footage, never before heard radio broadcasts, home movies, NASA film, and Mission Control audio to create a riveting, you-are-there experience. Kicking off a multi-night television event, Apollo will air at 9/8c on July 7 on National Geographic. BOOKS Experience The Mindful Day Meditation expert Laurie Cameron offers practical advice on integrating mindfulness into busy lives. The Mindful Day, now in paperback, is available wherever books are sold and at shopng.com/books. TELEVISION A return visit to Yellowstone Live This four-night event follows cinematographers in real time as they explore an iconic American wilderness and…

MORE THAN 100 MILLION single-use straws—most of them plastic—are used in the United States each day. They end up in waterways, harm sea animals, and break down into microplastics that are becoming ubiquitous on Earth. Numerous places have passed plastic-straw bans as a way to start addressing the global plastic waste problem. Disability advocates, however, have pushed back on bans: They say straws are a necessary, everyday tool for many people, and nonplastic versions may not be suitable substitutes Straw materials: Assets and disadvantages 1. METAL Made of stainless steel, aluminum, or even titanium, metal straws have become a popular alternative. They draw some criticism—for having a metallic taste, conducting heat from a hot drink, and clanking against the teeth—but they’re durable to transport and reuse. 2. PAPER Paper drinking…

BARRY BISHOP RETURNED from a historic Mount Everest expedition with his reindeer-hide boots, Vibram-soled hiking boots (below), knee-high over-boots with crampons—and no toes. A polar researcher turned National Geographic photographer, Bishop was on the first U.S. expedition to summit Everest. At 3:30 p.m. on May 22, 1963, he and his climbing partner reached the top, dropped to the ground, and wept. On the descent they couldn’t find their camp. Bishop stamped his feet to warm them but soon felt sharp pain, then numbness. “Knowing it is hopeless, I abandon the effort,” he later wrote. After Bishop spent a night without shelter, his toes turned “dead white, hard, and icy to the touch.” Crippled by frostbite, he was carried partway down the mountain by Nepalese Sherpas and evacuated by helicopter to…

Yuri Gagarin, Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong—the first wave of space travelers—were military-trained astronauts thought to have the “right stuff” for risky missions. But early spaceflight wasn’t the exclusive province of men—or even humans. Fruit flies, monkeys, mice, dogs, rabbits, and rats flew into space before humans. More than three years before Gagarin became the first human in space with his April 1961 journey around Earth, the Soviets famously—or perhaps infamously—sent up a stray dog. Laika was the first animal to orbit Earth but died during her flight. The United States launched a chimpanzee named Ham into space. Happily, he survived, clearing the way for Shepard to became the first American in space in May 1961. Despite discrimination, women were also pioneers. Some, such as mathematician Katherine Johnson—who hand-calculated…

COUNT DOWN TO A NEW ERA IN SPACE As the space race boomed, it catapulted its aspirations into the zeitgeist—and transformed the way we live. Sputnik inspired replicas and songs. Life magazine published exclusive stories on the lives of the celebrated Mercury Seven, the United States’ first astronauts. Seattle built the Space Needle for the World’s Fair. Stanley Kubrick created 2001: A Space Odyssey. The space age flourished in movies, TV, music, architecture, and design, where the sleek, aerodynamic lines of rockets inspired the look of cars and trains. Space is still lodged in popular culture. The NASA logo appears everywhere, from tattoos to Vans high-tops. We’ve had Star Trek, The Jetsons, Mork & Mindy, Star Wars, and the current spate of Mars movies and space-themed TV shows. Also: the…

‘FIVE PERCENT OF THE OCEAN IS PROTECTED. SCIENCE SAYS HALF THE OCEAN MUST BE PROTECTED TO MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE.’ ENRIC SALA has made it his mission to save wildlife and habitat. In the past 10 years alone, thanks to his efforts and partnerships with governments around the world, an area half the size of Canada has been protected from all manner of human exploitation. The reserves that marine ecologist Sala has helped establish aren’t on land but in the oceans. His Pristine Seas project, sponsored by the National Geographic Society, has been instrumental in getting more than two million square miles set aside—keeping untouched wild areas healthy and giving depleted ones a chance to recover. Sala’s article this month recounts how Pristine Seas lent support to the creation of…

IF YOU’RE PACKING for an interplanetary space mission—one that’s very long and might involve populating a faraway world—sending an all-female astronaut crew could be an intelligent choice. IN THIS SECTION Straw Substitutes High-Tech Health Help Why Words Are Funny Flight of the Dandelion Before you raise an eyebrow at the prospect, remember that NASA recruited and flew only all-male crews for decades. In fact, in the 58 years that Earthlings have launched humans into orbit, about 11 percent of them—63 individuals—have been women. “An all-female mission tends to be something that NASA has avoided in assignments because it seems like a stunt,” says Margaret Weitekamp, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum. But in some ways, women are potentially better suited for space travel than men. Let’s focus…

‘I’M DESIGNING FOR BOTH SIDES OF THE EQUATION. AND THE PEOPLE SIDE IS ALWAYS THE HARDEST. She wants people to live longer, healthier lives—through computing. Like other computer scientists, Elizabeth Mynatt uses cutting-edge tech. What sets her apart is her holistic, humanistic approach. “I always say I’m designing for both sides of the equation,” she says. “And the people side is always the hardest.” Mynatt’s work on health informatics and assistive technology has allowed blind programmers to take advantage of graphical computer applications, helped pediatric epilepsy patients and their caregivers use mobile sensing apps, and supported older adults who want to age in place. “The burdens of chronic disease and aging populations are increasingly falling to patients and families,” she says. “And because they’ve grown up with technology, they’re looking…

COUNTDOWN TO A NEW ERA INSPACE Abespectacled, bearded Russian recluse fond of science fiction, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky believed humanity’s destiny lay among the stars. By the early 1900s, he had worked out the equation for humans to slip beyond Earth’s gravitational pull. He also imagined how moon-bound rockets would work: using a mix of liquid propellants and igniting multiple stages. Independently, Hermann Oberth and Robert Goddard reached similar conclusions. By 1926, Goddard, an American, had built and launched the first liquid-fueled rocket. About that time, Oberth, who lived in Germany, determined multiple stages are crucial for long journeys. Four decades later, the trio’s ideas roared to life in the enormous Saturn V rockets that thrust Apollo crews into space. Measuring 363 feet tall and fueled by liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, and…

In the 1960s our moon was still very much a mystery. To learn the most from the Apollo visits, NASA selected landing sites in a variety of lunar terrains, including the dark, flat plains sculpted by vanished lava oceans and highlands formed by meteor impacts. From 1969 to 1972, U.S. astronauts landed at six sites, each chosen for different scientific objectives. All of them were on the moon’s mottled near side, where the terrain had been studied extensively by lunar orbiters and Mission Control could remain in direct contact with the astronauts. Space agencies have sent probes, with no people on them and thus no need to worry about human safety, to visit far-flung places in the solar system. Spacecraft have explored 60 other moons and even set down on…

When human beings stepped on the moon 50 years ago this month, it was one of history’s most astounding moments, and not just because our first visit to another world was among humanity’s greatest scientific achievements or because it was the culmination of an epic race between two global superpowers, though both were true. The New York Times put a poem by Archibald MacLeish on the front page, and newscaster Walter Cronkite, “the most trusted man in America,” would come to say that people living 500 years in the future would regard the lunar landing as “the most important feat of all time.” ¶ The ultimate significance, however, was not that the race had ended or even that a once unimaginable milestone had been attained. ¶ This achievement was really…