National Geographic magazine, August 2024 Issue

The rebirth of the Seine and the wonder of bats. National Geographic stories take you on a journey that's always enlightening, often surprising and unfailingly fascinating. This month–the wonder of bats and the rebirth of the Seine.

In this issue: Paris made an Olympic-sized effort to clean up the Seine—did they succeed? — For centuries, the Seine River has been Paris’s dumping ground. A billion-dollar cleanup is trying to make it swimmable again.; The Seine is at the center of the 2024 Olympics. Here's how the iconic river shaped Paris. — The history of Paris is inextricably linked to the river that flows through its center—from Neolithic settlement to this year’s Olympic games.; Meet the ancient goddess of the Seine River: Sequana — The opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics will take place on the fabled French waterway. But did you know it was named for a Gallo-Roman deity?; Discover the secret underground world of Paris — From forbidden tunnels to the legendary catacombs, the City of Light harbors a deeper and darker side.; 6 ways to experience the Paris of the Roaring ’20s — From peeking into artist ateliers to sipping coffee at La Coupole, here’s how to still find the magic of Paris from when it last hosted the Olympics 100 years ago.; Bats have disease-defying superpowers. What if we could copy them? — They fly like no other creature on Earth, survive for decades, and rarely get cancers. Learning their secrets could lead to new advances for human use.; How do shells get their shapes? These are the forces behind their twists and coils — Math and physics, along with a little evolutionary luck, combine to help form some of the world’s most fascinating creatures.; Design your own seashell — Our interactive tool lets you harness the power of physics and math to coil, twist, and dilate a shell into whatever shape you can imagine—and then share your creation.; Inflammation isn't always bad. Here's how we can use it to heal. — Cold dunks, heat treatment, and plasma injections are popular for battling inflammation—but we also need the body's defense mechanism to help us mend. What’s a person with aching knees to do?; What is ‘inflammaging’? Here's how inflammation affects you differently as you age. — As we grow older, aches and pains can become a chronic part of life. But experts say it doesn't have to—and solutions are on the way.; Can ending inflammation help win our battle against depression? — Multiple lines of research suggest that inflammation in the body can affect the brain and alter mood—a finding that could lead to new solutions for hard-to-treat issues.; See stunning images of female equestrians inspired by the Mexican Revolution — A Swiss photographer and horse lover became fascinated with escaramuzas, who practice a colorful and historic sport to connect to their heritage.; Pompeii still has many secrets to uncover—but should we keep digging? — Up to a quarter of the ancient city Pompeii still remains unexcavated, but preservation may be the focus of future archaeological efforts.; The adorable clouded tiger cat is brand-new to science—and already under threat — Scientists have suspected a unique small cat roamed Central and South America for more than a decade, but it took intense genetic work and 40 experts to put all the pieces together.; There's mercury in the Amazon. This scientist is tracking it down. — In Peru, National Geographic Explorer Jennifer Angel-Amaya monitors the toxin, used in some mining operations, and aims to establish mercury-free gold as a hot commodity.