National Geographic magazine, March 2025 Issue

The lost women of the Viking Age. National Geographic stories take you on a journey that's always enlightening, often surprising and unfailingly fascinating. This month–the lost women of the Viking Age.

In this issue: The Viking age is welcoming a new kind of hero: women — New discoveries are breaking old assumptions about Viking women, rewriting history by restoring them to their rightful place on the battlefield.; The epic journey of Canada’s last (and only) reindeer — Their unusual story began about a hundred years ago. Now, as they head to the high north, an ambitious new chapter is being written.; What can save the desert's most tenacious birds? Tiny underground apartments. — In the vast urban sprawl of Arizona, the habitat of the tiny western burrowing owl is being destroyed—prompting conservationists to think creatively about how to help.; Are these the last days of Brazil's realm of hidden wonder? — The largest agricultural boom on the planet threatens to destroy a spectacular savanna. Here's what happens when progress outpaces preservation.; A daughter's epic quest to find one of the rarest butterflies—named after her father — Photographer and National Geographic Explorer Rena Effendi learned that a little-known species was named after her late father, a renowned butterfly expert. The discovery took her on a journey across war zones.; The glow we see from distant galaxies is as old as Earth’s ancient rocks — One photographer put the age of starlight into perspective with stunning projections on some of Earth's oldest rock formations.; Here's how you sculpt a medieval statue in the 21st century — At a cathedral in York, England, expert stonemasons are combining cutting-edge technology with ancient technique to bring beastly grotesques back to life.; This monstrous mama laid the world’s largest egg — It was 10 feet tall and weighed more than 1,000 pounds. But that didn’t stop it from going extinct.; The forgotten history of New York’s first electric taxi fleet—in the 1800s — More than a century before Teslas hit the road, battery-powered taxicabs zipped silently through the streets of Manhattan.; How to get front-row seats to an active volcano in Guatemala — This challenging hike offers a rare opportunity to witness one of the Central America’s most active geologic wonders.