Official magazine of the National Geographic Society, publishing since 1888
AP and FRONTLINE investigations have shown that U.S. AI models, cloud and internet providers and satellite services have been used to run industrial-scale romance and investment scams based in Southeast Asian compounds. The tools have enabled multilingual fake personas, automated replies and performance tracking; device and routing data tie much traffic to U.S.-registered firms and to Starlink connections in Myanmar.
A new study on Homo naledi fossils from Rising Star Cave suggests a female-only burial pattern and complex social behavior. Researchers indicate all analyzed teeth show AMELX without AMELY, pointing to female-dominated remains. The finding prompts questions about gender roles and burial customs among early hominins.
Netflix’s Enola Holmes 3 sees Millie Bobby Brown return as Enola Woods in a Malta-set mystery that trails the earlier films in energy and scale. The film keeps a smart streak but feels leaner and less essential than its predecessors, with a plot that is steady but not groundbreaking.
A week of streaming releases and new music debuts is highlighted by cross-platform titles, including a Netflix relaunch of a classic, a Peacock original, and new albums from Adam Lambert and Finn Wolfhard. AP reviews frame several releases, while HBO Max debuts The Long Walk ahead of a Stephen King adaptation.
Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie has been updated for 2026, expanding the frontier story with new Indigenous and Black characters while aiming for historical nuance. Rebecca Sonnenshine’s adaptation keeps the core journey of the Ingalls family but confronts questions of land, treaties and representation in a more explicit way.
National Geographic’s Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston is a docuseries blending scripted drama with archival reporting. Critics praise its human focus and production values but critique Hiddleston’s hosting style and the format’s balance of entertainment with history.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee has voted 8–5 to hold Dr Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment repeatedly during a hearing on pandemic decisions and the origins of COVID‑19. Chairman Rand Paul has authorised sending the committees report to the DC US attorney for possible prosecution and has threatened to certify the citation to the Senate president if the chamber is not in session.
The Fauci diaries have intensified scrutiny of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Senate panel has voted to hold him in contempt for refusing to answer questions, while states push for records. Republicans argue for accountability; Democrats defend the former NIH director amid a renewed focus on origins, lockdowns, and media coverage.
A total solar eclipse has crossed parts of Spain, Iceland and Greenland while the UK and Ireland have seen a deep partial eclipse — the most extensive visible from the UK since 1999. Scientists have used airborne and balloon experiments to study the Sun's corona and the event has drawn large crowds despite patchy clouds and local viewing limits.