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National Geographic launches a multiyear initiative to reduce single-use plastics and their impact on the world’s oceans. Are you willing to choose the planet? Take your pledge now.
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Drain the Oceans

Continues Tuesday 8.30pm

Pull the plug on the ocean to reveal hidden secrets and lost worlds, using ground-breaking technology, breath-taking photography and insight from top marine archaeologists. Explore sunken cities, shipwrecks and the amazing natural wonders of the deep.

Event Take The Pledge Now!

Planet or Plastics? National Geographic launches a multiyear initiative to reduce single-use plastics and their impact on the world’s oceans.

Follow Video Jellyfish 101 How much do you really know about jellyfish? Given their diverse evolutionary history, jellies exhibit a fantastic range of shapes, sizes, and behaviours. Learn all about these squishy, brainless, beautiful creatures in this video.

Follow Video See what happens after a mass whale stranding In 2015, 337 baleen whales died and washed up on beaches in Patagonia, Chile. It’s the largest mass die-off of baleen whales ever observed. A deadly bloom of algae called a red tide is attributed as the cause. Scientists set up time-lapse cameras to study the effects of the carcasses on the surrounding area, and also to study the different stages of decomposition. They hope the footage will help identify the time and cause of death in future beachings.

Follow Video Why moths are obsessed with lamps The story of the lamp and the moth is one of fatal attraction. The theory is that these primarily nocturnal insects have evolved to travel by the light of the moon and stars. This way of travel is called transverse orientation. An easy way to think about transverse orientation is to imagine a sailor travelling in the direction of the North Star. In theory, moths similarly follow the light source at a precise position and a precise angle to their bodies. This is how moths would navigate for millions of years … by the light of the moon. What moth evolution couldn’t account for was the proliferation of constant electric light in our modern world. When Thomas Edison patented the lightbulb on January 27, 1880 it was a bad day in moth history. These lightbulbs began to act as artificial moons, confusing moths and overwhelming their senses. Since moths are accustomed to orienting to distant light sources, they can be easily disoriented when a closer light source, like a porch lamp, comes into view. When there are really bright lights or ultraviolet lights, the draw becomes almost irresistible … and insects respond to those lights far more than any other wavelength. At night, an ultraviolet source is a super stimulant to a moth. These artificial moons also make moths easy targets for predators like birds, bats, and many other animals. While much is still to be learned about moth behaviour, one thing is certain. A moth’s obsession with lamps often proves to be a fatal one.

News The ancient craft of bark cloth finds new uses

A passion for botanical-based fashion leads to the sacred and rare bark cloth of southern Uganda

Follow Life is too short for long-term grudges. Further Elon Musk

Follow Photos Hambach forest community

News These freaky fish use their fins to 'walk' across the seafloor

Flatfish, one of the most asymmetrical organisms on Earth, use their fins to move around the seafloor—similar to how millipedes walk.

Follow The typical nature photograph shows a butterfly on a pretty flower. The conservation photograph shows the same thing, but with a bulldozer coming at it in the background. Further Joel Sartore