National Geographic - USA (2021-12)

ON THE COVER

FREE POSTER: TRACKING THE GREAT SERENGETI MIGRATION

4 PATTERN

IN NATURE, EVEN THE

PATTERNS CAN HAVE

PATTERNS, AND THEY’RE

EVERYWHERE: AS MATE

BAIT, CAMOUFLAGE, OR

LIVING WORKS OF ART.

STORY, PHOTOGRAPHS

BY JOEL SARTORE

20 COLOR

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

CREATE A CANVAS

WHERE ORGANISMS

CAN GROW IN A

RAINBOW OF HUES.

BY MAYA WEI-HAAS

PHOTOGRAPH BY

STEPHEN WILKES

30 SPEED

FORCES THAT SHAPE THE

PLANET MOVE AT MANY

DIFFERENT SPEEDS. ONE

THAT’S ACCELERATING

AT AN ALARMING RATE:

GLACIAL MELT FROM

CLIMATE CHANGE.

BY MICHAEL GRESHKO

IT’S ALL AUDIBLE! READ

ABOUT (AND LISTEN TO)

SHIFTY SNAKE RATTLES,

WILDLIFE SHEET MUSIC,

WEB VIBES, AND MORE.

BY HICKS WOGAN,

JASON BITTEL, AND

JORDAN SALAMA

CAN SCIENCE RECLAIM

THE SMELL OF A FLOWER

EXTINCT FOR MORE

THAN A CENTURY? SURE,

RESEARCHERS SAID.

LEARN HOW THEY DID IT—

AND SMELL THE PROOF.

BY SARAH GIBBENS

34 SWARM

THE SWARM OF
WILDEBEESTS IN THE
SERENGETI’S MASS
MIGRATION IS ONE OF
EARTH’S GREATEST
SPECTACLES.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES

Egrets, other hangers-on trail

migrating wildebeests in Tanzania.