National Geographic

National Geographic Traveler contributing editor Andrew Evans embarks on a 10,000 mile journey from Washington, DC, to Anarctica.

See photos of Patagonian wildlife in this photo gallery from National Geographic.

The stars of the most watched videos on National Geographic News were a decidedly deep lot—hopping fish, countertop "sea monsters," underwater eruptions, and more.

A silvery meteor, a cosmic ''butterfly,'' and a rare green comet feature among the most beautiful, dramatic, or surprising space news pictures of the year, as chosen by National Geographic News editors.

View the most popular wallpapers from 2009, by National Geographic.

Etymology: from bi (as in “life”) + onics (as in “electronics”); the study of mechanical systems that function like living organisms or parts of living organisms

National Geographic provides free maps, photos, videos and daily news stories, as well as articles and features about animals, the environment, cultures, history, world music and travel.

Scientists are "blown away" by octopuses discovered tip-toeing with coconut-shell halves suctioned to their undersides, then reassembling the halves and disappearing inside.

A naked snail, a brightly colored jellyfish, and a ten-foot-long string of bell-like animals are among the odd discoveries—some only recently described by science—made during a 2005 expedition of the frigid and little-known polar waters.

See National Geographic News's most popular photo galleries of 2009, starring a fish with a see-through head, seven major missing links since Darwin, glowing animals, ten failed apocalypses, and more.