National Geographic Society

Paws and stretch! 🐾 Shortly after making his 2016 public debut at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., Bei Bei explores his enclosure. His sister Bao Bao’s cub, Bao Li, and another panda, Qing Bao, recently made a trip to the nation's capital, and are set to make their debut in January 2025. Photo by Rebecca Hale

Today, we’re celebrating the birthday of the National Geographic Society’s first female writer, photographer and board member, Eliza Scidmore! In addition to being a key leader in the Society’s history, Scidmore’s hand-tinted photos from visits to Japan were some of the first color photographs published by National Geographic magazine. More on her life and legacy, from National Geographic: https://lnkd.in/evEaJdac Photo by Eliza R. Scidmore from the National Geographic Society’s Special Collections

Did you know: products like ink, paper, soaps and fertilizer can all be made from algae? 🌿 Often posing an environmental challenge in the Caribbean, the brown macroalgae Sargassum was turned into an economic opportunity thanks to the guidance of Nat Geo Explorers Jennifer Gil Acevedo, M.Sc., Dr. C. Isabel Nuñez Lendo, Pamela Silva Díaz, Laura Rodríguez and Santiago Ramirez Said. The team recently worked with communities in Puerto Rico and Colombia to transform the abundance of this seaweed into viable solutions. Seen here, in Punta Santiago, Humacao, Puerto Rico: Gil, Nuñez Lendo, Silva Díaz and Rodríguez (1), Gil, Nuñez Lendo, Silva Díaz (2) and Sargassum on the shores (3). Photos by Laura Rodríguez #WorldAlgaeDay

Justice is at the heart of #NatGeoExplorer Ana Belén Yánez-Suárez's research in the deep sea. 🌊🪸 Yánez-Suárez studies deep ocean regions that harbor pristine coral communities. To protect these oases of life, she’s working to understand how corals in Costa Rica’s Isla del Coco and Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands have adapted to and suffered from the increase of deoxygenated waters due to climate change. “I see my work as a way to help make justice for the ocean on which health we all depend…[and] as a way to light the way for others, especially women like me, who dream of working in marine science.” Explore more of Yánez-Suárez’s story: https://lnkd.in/gdfR-rDQ Seen here, Yánez-Suárez collecting coral species (Photo by Vallejo Prut) (1) and a crinoid on top of a large colony of coral in the Galápagos Islands (Photo by Schmidt Ocean Institute/Galápagos National Park/The Charles Darwin Foundation) (2).

Round one: Fight! 🐙💥🐟 #NatGeoExplorer Eduardo Sampaio has been monitoring this octopus vs. fish interaction, first observed by scientists in 2018. His newest research suggests these day octopuses in the Red Sea lash out to keep their fishy teammates in line while hunting together. Explore more about this novel behavior from National Geographic: https://lnkd.in/efggW2Qx. #WorldOctopusDay

As the sixth stop on The Global Expedition, the National Geographic Pristine Seas team spent time in Palau – conducting the first-ever research on the three remote seamounts that sit beneath the surface. Their time spent underwater totaled 400 hours (over two weeks!) While there, they worked in close partnership with local scientists, experts from the Ebiil Society, Palau International Coral Reef Center, One Reef and the government of Palau. This data gathered will help Palau access management measures for its marine reserve to protect vital areas and species. National Geographic Pristine Seas is funded by the National Geographic Society, a global non-profit organization committed to exploring, illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world.

Exciting news! Last week, President Bill Clinton presented #NatGeoExplorer in Residence and National Geographic Pristine Seas founder Enric Sala with a $1.6 million Postcode Lottery Group award at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Annual Meeting. This gathering unites leaders to drive progress on critical global issues. “We are grateful for this generous gift made possible by the millions of players from the Postcode Lottery. It will enable us to continue our urgent work to conserve the ocean through the creation of protected areas where marine life can thrive — delivering benefits to people, economies and the climate,” Sala shared. https://lnkd.in/eaNPaXMX Pictured: Postcode Lottery Group CEO Sigrid van Aken, Enric Sala and President Bill Clinton onstage at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Annual Meeting. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative)

What can a photo reveal about the impacts of climate change? This thermal image taken by photographer and #NatGeoExplorer Matt Black at Yosemite Falls illuminates the cascades in ways unseen by the naked eye. A callback to classic California landscape photography, Black's project "The Darkening Range" explores the impact of climate change in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range, focusing on dry conditions, forest die-off and wildfires. We're grateful for our partner Iridium and their support for Explorers in the field, like Black. Critical and cutting-edge technology made possible by Iridium is invaluable for Explorers around the planet. Learn more about our partnership: https://lnkd.in/eP5Q4E9N

"We have to understand how nature works if we want to understand how to be stewards of the natural wonders that we have on our planet," geologist and #NatGeoExplorer Josh West shares. In the Madre de Dios region of southeastern Peru, West is collaborating with fellow Explorers Jennifer Angel-Amaya and Hinsby Cadillo-Quiroz to understand in detail the impact of deforestation and mining on water quality. The trio are using techniques never before applied in this region to illuminate how the flow of water is transformed as a result of mining, and what those changes mean for mercury pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Their work is supported by the National Geographic and ROLEX #PerpetualPlanet Amazon Expedition — a multi-year science and storytelling journey that spans the entire Amazon River basin, from the Andes to the Atlantic. Explore more: https://lnkd.in/gxQD7BrD.

Of the 2.3 million square miles that make up the Amazon rainforest, more than 320,000 are low-lying wetlands that can survive both above and below the waterline. In recent years, these floodplain forests have seen extreme droughts and extreme floods more frequently. “Everything is set by the flood pulse, and we know the flood pulse is changing with climate change,” ecologist and #NatGeoExplorer Thiago Silva shares. Silva is working alongside fellow Explorer Julia Tavares to discover how this little-understood ecosystem responds to variability in its flood cycle. Explore more in the October 2024 edition of National Geographic magazine: https://lnkd.in/eKgsbtQq. This work is supported by the National Geographic and ROLEX #PerpetualPlanet Amazon Expedition, a two-year series of scientific studies spanning the entire Amazon River Basin to advance solutions to ensure its protection. Photos by Thomas Peschak