National Geographic magazine, August 2025 Issue

On the hunt for smugglers. National Geographic stories take you on a journey that's always enlightening, often surprising and unfailingly fascinating. This month–can new forensic science stop the illegal wildlife trade?

In this issue: Can CSI tactics stop a $23 billion poaching industry? — From DNA sequencing to fingerprint analysis, forensic scientists are using groundbreaking new tools to stop animal smugglers—one gorilla handprint at a time.; A century ago, there was a race to make the first color photos. Now there’s a race to save them. — The revolutionary invention of autochromes changed photography. As those pictures decay, they're revealing a new kind of beauty.; What we can learn from the world’s vanishing cave dwellers — For centuries, humans have lived underground. Today, that ancient practice is under dire threat—even as cave life makes more sense than ever.; The ancient Romans' most expensive mistake in their hunt for silver — Two thousand years ago, the Roman Army embarked on a far-flung hunt for silver. A new discovery reveals how close they came to finding an empire-altering fortune.; Inside Paul Sereno's dinosaur hunt through the world’s fiercest desert — Inside the boldest fossil hunt ever attempted.; The hunt for the world’s rarest duck — The dogged search for a bird that many people figured had gone extinct included torrential rains, washed-out bridges, swine flu, and unrelenting obsession.; My night with the guerrilla balloonists of South Korea — Inside a covert operation to bombard North Korea with pantyhose and nature films.