National Geographic magazine, January 2026 Issue

Inside the race to crack the ancient world's last undeciphered messages. National Geographic stories take you on a journey that's always enlightening, often surprising and unfailingly fascinating. This month–inside the race to crack the ancient world's last undeciphered messages.

In this issue: Decoding Linear Elamite and the lost scripts of the ancient world — Across the globe, a race is under way to crack some of the last mysterious forms of writing that have never been translated. Can new technology help scholars rewrite history?; India’s marble waste site that glitters like a glacier — In northwest India, a field full of marble debris has an otherworldly allure.; These cities are finding new ways to reinvent themselves after natural disasters — In this age of megastorms, visionary designers around the world are taking clever advantage of the chance to rethink what they rebuild. Here’s how the smartest places are finding surprising opportunities in the aftermath of devastation.; A year after historic fires scorched Los Angeles, survivors share lessons from the burn zone — Nearly 60 square miles burned and 100,000 people were displaced. Now many are holding on to what they found—in their homes and in themselves—after the flames had passed.; How a National Geographic photographer captured 129 haunting portraits of fire survivors — Photographer Gideon Mendel is no stranger to natural disasters.; Why alpha females reign supreme in meerkat world — As a corner of Africa heats up, new research shows how the future of the species rests with powerful matriarchs making tough choices for survival.; How the world’s greatest trailbuilders create the perfect hike — Around the world, trail designers are quietly employing surprising techniques to engineer awe. You’ve probably felt it without even knowing why. Inside the creative science that’s transforming your time outside.; What should I do with this ancient Maya pot? — When a relative died, I was given an extraordinary artifact—and a head-spinning journey down a 25-year ethical rabbit hole.