The little-known reptile from the Galapagos fills a crucial gap in the evolution of land iguanas, scientists say. But its future may not be as rosy.

The discovery of microscopic diamonds in 12,900-year-old soil supports the controversial idea that comet swarms caused a die-off of ice age mammals, a new study says.

Geologists in Hungary have been exploring a newfound underground lake beneath the capital, Budapest. The lake system is believed to extend 25 miles (40 kilometers).

A strike off Long Island may have sparked a tsunami that today would flood lower Manhattan, says a new study based on the discovery of telltale rocks.

Air New Zealand says a test flight Tuesday was the first commercial-jet journey to use a fuel that is equal parts biofuel and standard jet fuel.

See the National Geographic Digital Media photo editors' favorite photos from National Geographic News's 2008 "Week in Photos" galleries.

A one-of-a-kind train that runs through the African desert in Mauritania is uniquely adapted to extreme heat and blowing sand.

Spectacular displays of Christmas lights draw thousands of spectators in Sydney, Australia.

The aftermath of an earthquake, a friendly cow, and an ethereal Paris sunset are three of the six winners of the National Geographic International Photo Contest 2008.

The East Siberian Sea is bubbling with methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, being released from underwater reserves, according to a recent expedition.

The two curled, tusklike teeth of the male beaked whale evolved to attract females as well as to battle other males, according to new research.

Biologists literally give fish a bath to try and eliminate parasites in the sea near a coral reef in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

See National Geographic News's most popular individual photos of 2008, including pictures of a giant stingray, a "smiling" sky, a lizard-snake standoff, and more.

For the first time on record, humans have made contact with molten rock in its natural environment deep inside Earth, a breakthrough that came as a surprise to drillers.

Climate change is threatening the way of life of Africa's Maasai herders—even forcing some to take their cattle to feed at garbage dumps.