Rainbows, such as this one produced by artificial light shone on an icy Niagara Falls, are just one special effect of light, a marvel that reveals the world to us. Light sets our biological clocks. It triggers in our brains the sensation of color. Light feeds us, supplying the energy for plants to grow. It gives us life-changing tools, from incandescent bulbs to lasers and fiber optics. Scientists don't fully understand what light is or what it can do. They just know that it will illuminate our future.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Power of Light," October 2001, National Geographic magazine)
October 22, 2008
Southern Right Whale, South Africa, 2003
Photograph by David Doubilet
Off South Africa, a southern right whaleEubalaena australis takes a peek above water before heading back down to the depths. Photographer David Doubilet rates the South African coast as one of the world's top seven diving spots. "When the sardines run, they bring seals, dolphins, and other predators," he writes. "To me, this is the most exciting dive in the world."
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "My Seven: The World's Best Diving Spots," January 2004, National Geographic magazine)
October 23, 2008
Diver and Shipwreck, South China Sea, Philippines, 1994
Photograph by Emory Kristof
A diver measures the sunken remains of the San Diego in the South China Sea off the western Philippines. The 115-foot (35-meter) Spanish galleon went to the bottom with a rich cargo and most of its 450 men in December 1600 following a botched attempt to commandeer a Dutch pirate ship.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "San Diego: An Account of Adventure, Deceit, and Intrigue," July 1994, National Geographic magazine)
October 24, 2008
Macaques, Valparai, India, 2001
Photograph by Frans Lanting
The endangered lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus)) has only one home, the dense rain forests of the Western Ghats mountain range. That world is fragmenting fast, a victim of India's surging population and headlong eagerness to modernize. Concerned citizens are joining forces and working to save what's left before it's too late—for human beings and forest dwellers alike.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "India's Western Ghats," January 2002, National Geographic magazine)
October 25, 2008
Fuchsia Flowers, Hengduan Mountains, China, 2002
Photograph by Mark W. Moffett
Vivid fuchsias bloom in China's Hengduan Mountains. Early 20th-century British explorers collected these and thousands of other plants that today are lovingly cultivated in the gardens of England, the United States, and other countries around the world.
Likened by scientists to "islands in the sky," south-central China's steep, isolated peaks help preserve numerous plant and animal species unique to their locales.
(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "China's Hengduan Mountains," April 2002, National Geographic magazine)
October 26, 2008
Morning Mist, Hue, Vietnam, 1967
Photograph by Winfield Parks
A boy rides one of three water buffalo grazing in a misty field near the South Vietnam town of Hue. This tranquil scene, photographed in 1966, belies the ongoing regional chaos at the height of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Behind the Headlines in Vietnam," February 1967, National Geographic magazine)
October 27, 2008
Kayaker and Icebergs, Qaanaaq, Greenland, 2006
Photograph by David McLain
An Inuit man hunting narwhal looks ant-size in his kayak (center-bottom) amid towering icebergs in this aerial view of a fjord near Qaanaaq, Greenland. The highly specialized and dangerous technique of harpooning narwhal from a kayak is practiced by only a handful of people in Northern Greenland.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Last Days of the Ice Hunters," January, 2006, National Geographic magazine)
October 28, 2008
Dye Makers, Delhi, India, 1997
Photograph by Cary Wolinski
Two young boys mix colors at a dye-making business in Delhi, India. The blood-red brew is blended with corn flour then spread on a roof for drying. The resulting powder is then ready to be tossed by celebrants of India's colorful Holi festival.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Quest for Color," July 1999, National Geographic magazine)
October 29, 2008
Antelope Cave Art, Drakensberg Range, South Africa, 2001
Photograph by Kenneth Garrett
For the ancient San, or Bushmen, rock paintings, like this cave drawing of an eland in South Africa's Drakensberg Mountains, weren't just representations of life; they were also repositories of it. When the San painted an antelope, he didn't just pay homage to a sacred animal; they also harnessed its essence.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Paintings of the Spirit: Rock Art Opens a New Window Into a Bushman World," February 2001, National Geographic magazine)
October 30, 2008
Mummy Hand, Magdalena de Cao, El Brujo, Peru, 2004
Photograph by Ira Block
A close-up shows the desiccated hand of a remarkably preserved woman from Peru's ancient Moche culture. The discovery of her elaborately wrapped remains at a ceremonial site called El Brujo puzzled archaeologists, who were surprised by what appeared to be a female ruler among the male-dominated Moche.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Mystery of the Tattooed Mummy," July 2006, National Geographic magazine)
October 31, 2008
Bulldog Bat, Barro Colorado Island, Panama, 2007
Photograph by Christian Ziegler
Equipped with echolocation and gaffing claws, the greater bulldog bat of Panama's Barro Colorado Island can detect the hair-thin fin of a fish breaking the water's surface, a useful skill in a forest full of bat competitors.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Winged Victors: Panama's Adaptable Bats," June 2007, National Geographic magazine)
哈哈哈哈 O(∩_∩)O哈哈~ 好久不来了，不小心看了一眼自己主页，发现自动关联了自己以往发过的帖，点进这个看了一眼，笑个半死。。。敢情我当初还发过这么搞笑的东西啊，我自己完全不记得了 
雷达卡
发表于 2008-12-4 04:49:05
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千斤顶
发表于 2008-12-4 05:23:39
