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The Baliem Valley was a “magnificent vastness” in Rockefeller’s eyes, and its people were “emotionallly expressive.” But Asmat proved to be “more remote country than what I have ever seen.”

What Really Happened to Michael Rockefeller

A journey to the heart of New Guinea’s Asmat tribal homeland sheds new light on the mystery of the heir’s disappearance there in 1961

As the Planet Warms, What Happens to the Reindeer?

Ecologists are racing across the ice to find out how climate change will affect the Arctic natives

An artist's rendition of the Big Bang.

What Astronomers Are Still Discovering About the Big Bang Theory

A half-century after it was confirmed, the theory still yields new secrets

What is Garry Kasparov’s Next Move?

The great chess champion brings his knowledge to the games of Sochi, global politics and computer intelligence

From the Editor

Introducing our February 2014 issue

Can Space End, Where Did Time Zones Come From and More Questions from our Readers

You asked, we answered

"You're in three dimensional space": "Aerial America" got the swoop on Padre Island during the series' visit to Texas.

How the Crew of “Aerial America” Gets its Stunning Shots

A new fusion of camera and captor gives us a bird’s-eye view of America

The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

The History of How We Came to Revere Abraham Lincoln

The slain president’s two personal secretaries battled mudslingers for a quarter-century to shape his image

The deadly conflict between the advocates and ranchers was over virgin forestland near Nova Ipixuna, Brazil.

Why Do Environmentalists Keep Getting Killed Around the World?

The brutal 2011 slayings of two local rainforest defenders in the Amazon underscore the risks of activism in Brazil and the rest of the world

Matera’s paleolithic past has made it a thriving tourist destination: It is competing with cities like Siena and Ravenna to be the European Capital of Culture 2019.

How Matera Went From Ancient Civilization to Slum to a Hidden Gem

Once the “shame of Italy,” the ancient warren of natural caves in Matera may be Europe’s most dramatic story of rebirth

When Cassius Clay Signed His Gloves With a Prediction of His Future Greatness

In 1964, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay was largely untested as a pro. Then he stepped into the ring

What Can Rodents Tell Us About Why Humans Love?

A relative of the mouse may hold the key to understanding why human beings are one of the few mammals that seek lifelong mates

The Last Days of Blackbeard

An exclusive account of the final raid and political maneuvers of history’s most notorious pirate

The Heartbreaking History of Divorce

Historian Amanda Foreman explores the other side of love and marriage

Winter Olympics

Whatever Happened to Eddie the Eagle, Britain’s Most Lovable Ski Jumper?

Twenty-six years after he (sort of) took to the air at the Olympics, Michael Edwards soars

The Deadly and Devious Golden Eagle

Rare photos of a golden eagle attack illustrate the predator’s legendary hunting techniques

How Doctors Are Harnessing the Power of Gold to Fight Cancer

Can the precious metal hold the key to killing cancerous cells?

No, Goldfinger, You Can’t Kill Someone by Painting a Body With Gold

But surely you don’t expect us to talk about it

Art Meets Science

The Beautiful Flight Paths of Fireflies

Flirting lightning bugs illuminate a dark forest with golden flight during mating season

Alchemy May Not Have Been the Pseudoscience We All Thought It Was

Although scientists never could quite turn lead into gold, they did attempt some noteworthy experiments

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