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.

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

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.

See National Geographic News's most popular astronomy photos of 2008, including stunning supernova remains, exoplanet firsts, and a rare celestial smiley face.

Speedboating Santas in Australia, a rare swimming hippo baby, and tiger-striped Chinese dancers star in this week's best news photos.

On Sicily, ten thousand ancient Greek graves have come to light. Among their contents: war dead and infants encased, womblike, in jars.

Remains of two potentially new prehistoric species have been unearthed in the Sahara: a pterosaur, or flying reptile, and a sauropod, a barrel-bodied, long-necked herbivore.

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.

Recently found fossils reveal that an ancient amphibian swung its head and upper jaw upwards to eat in an action much like raising a toilet seat.

A seemingly yuletide celestial display, a planetary first, and a Saturn moon's "tiger stripes," are among the week's best space images.

An amateur paleontologist picked up a piece of amber on the south coast of England that scientists say holds a 140-million-year-old spider web.

A pink, cyanide-squirting millipede and probably the world's biggest spider are among 1,068 new species discovered in a single Asian region in the last ten years.

High-resolution sonar images have identified three huge coral reefs 1,300 feet below the surface that could host thousands of species and a goldmine of new pharmaceutical and chemical compounds.

See National Geographic News's most popular photo galleries of 2008, starring an "alien" squid with "elbows," an electric eruption, a welcoming whale, and other natural wonders.

Human trafficking protestors ride airport luggage belts, devilish creatures roam the streets of Germany, a white lion is born, and more in this week's best news photos.