National Geographic has selected the winning images for their annual contest, and they are amazing. Pictured above is Kent Shiraishi’s photograph of a frozen hot spring at a resort in Biei, Japan. It won an honorable mention in the nature category. View the other winners at the link.

Link -via Marilyn Terrell

Paula Durham snapped this shot for National Geographic‘s upcoming photography contest. It’s entitled “Good Morning” and shows an elephant named Jabulani and his human, Stavros Chakoma. They live in South Africa and seem very happy together.

You can view other contest submissions at the link.

Link -via Super Punch | Photo: Paula Durham

Previously: NatGeo Traveler Photo Contest

The nursery takes in orphan elephants from all over Kenya, many victims of poaching or human-wildlife conflict, and raises them until they are no longer milk dependent. Once healed and stabilized at the nursery, they are moved more than a hundred miles southeast to two holding centers in Tsavo National Park. There, at their own pace, which can be up to eight to ten years, they gradually make the transition back into the wild. The program is a cutting-edge experiment in cross-species empathy that only the worst extremes of human insensitivity could have necessitated.

Be sure to read the whole thing to learn all kinds of fascinating information about the group, the elephants and the amazing people working to improve the lives of these majestic creatures.

Link

If you’re looking for something to do on your next vacation that’s a little different than the usual sightseeing fare, National Geographic has 10 jaw-dropping suggestions that all take place underground. That’s part of the Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky in the picture above. Other suggestions include the Underground City of Montreal, the Cu Chi Tunnels of Vietnam and the Berlin Nuclear Bunker in Germany.

Link

Cultural differences can manifest themselves in ways people never consider until they cross from one culture to another. In this clip, refugees from Sudan encounter America for the first time, and find it quite different from their homeland. This is from the 2006 National Geographic movie God Grew Tired of Us.  -via reddit

See that little bitty guy in the center, with the light shining from his helmet? Yeah, it’s hard to see one man in a cave chamber that big -but we have a bigger version of the picture to help you out. National Geographic is covering an expedition to Vietnam last year that unearthed what may be the world’s largest cave -Son Doong, hidden in the thick jungle but big enough to stuff cities inside! There’s a television special, and a full article about Son Doong in the January issue of National Geographic Magazine. AND best of all, Neatorama has a collection of gorgeous photographs of the cave and its surroundings on our Spotlight Blog, courtesy of our friends at National Geographic. Link

(Photo Credit: © Carsten Peter/National Geographic)

That must be some view, though presumably you can’t have any fear of height to appreciate it. That and other very cool photos are in the running to win $10,000 at the annual National Geographic Photography Contest.

The best part is that you are invited to enter your people, places, and nature photographs online (till Nov 30, entry fee $15): Link – Thanks Ethan!

Previously on Neatorama: National Geographic International Photo Contest 2009

Do you have some nice vacation pictures? Can you take some? National Geographic Traveler is sponsoring the World in Focus Photo Contest with both amateur and professional divisions. Get this- the grand prize in the amateur division is a 10-day expedition to the Galapagos islands! There are lesser prizes as well, like a trip to Hawaii and cameras and stuff. Even if you don’t enter, you can see the entries and vote for the “people’s choice” award (which is separate from the contest judging). The deadline for entries is August 23rd. Link -Thanks, Marilyn Terrell!

(Image source: National Geographic Expeditions)

Photo: Agnes Milowka, Wes/Karst Productions

Our pal National Geographic has launched a very neat TV series and companion book called Nat Geo AMAZING! The series and book are jam-packed (you guessed it) amazing facts and even more amazing photos and video clips.

Take, for instance, the one above, an exploration of underwater caves:

Blue holes can run extremely deep underground, with one Bahamian blue hole exceeding 600 feet (180 meters) below sea level, and contain a series of mazelike passageways going miles in many directions. These cave systems can transition from giant rooms to tiny holes that divers must remove all of their gear in order to squeeze through. To add to the challenge, currents reverse in the ocean caves, making timing of dives critical. All in all, a difficult place to explore and even more challenging to achieve the range of scientific and filming goals that the team has on their agenda.

Blue Holes Project | Nat Geo AMAZING! website | The book on Amazon

... or this one about scientist Valerie Clark whose job is to lick frogs for a living:

And best yet, the folks over at National Geographic are kind enough to spot 4 copies of Nat Geo AMAZING! only for you, Neatoramanauts!

Take a look at our Neatorama Spotlight feature for the book for details on how to win a copy: Link

Seattle-based designer Sean Miller turned a stack of old issues of National Geographic into a functional bookshelf.

First Sean coated the magazines with a a water/starch mixture and then he placed them under pressure for about a week to harden. Next he took a band saw to the consolidated stack and carved out space for a shelf. Holes were also cut into the bookshelf’s sides, allowing it to slide onto three rods to be hung. About 80 mags were used.

Link via Make | Project Website | Photo: Sean Miller

Yesterday, we blogged about photographs of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill hitting the Louisiana shorelines and undoubtedly you’ve heard about Big Oil pointing fingers and casting blames at each other about whose fault it was.

But what happened when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded? National Geographic Channel has the exclusive, never-before-seen photographs and video footage of the rig ablaze and the efforts of the US Coast Guards and first responders to put out the flame and rescue the survivors.

Over at Neatorama Spotlight, we have a few photos of the sinking rig that will leave you breathless: Link – Thanks Julie Frazier and Minjae Ormes!

Its first president, lawyer Gardiner Green Hubbard, was the father-in-law and early financier of inventor Alexander Graham Bell, another founding member. Hubbard was also the first president of the Bell Telephone company, known today as AT&T.

The society’s publication, National Geographic magazine, began printing just 10 months after that founding meeting. It was initially a drab-looking scholarly journal sent to 165 charter members. Now its hallmark photography and more mainstream writing reach the hands of more than 40 million people per month.

Wired takes a look at the history of the Society and how it grew from its humble beginnings into a multi-faceted organization that includes the magazine and its various spinoffs, a TV channel, research grants, educational programs, and a vast website. Link

(image credit: Steve McCurry/National Geographic)

(YouTube Link)

A few years ago, Alex ran a post on the Japanese hornet, a particularly large and “mean flying machine.”   As pointed out, the hornets prey on smaller honeybees, but can often be baked alive by a swarm.  Interesting, but that’s not what happens here as 30 hornets lay waste to a colony of 30,000 bees.

via Digg

The National Geographic has just announced the winners of its fourth annual global photography contest. After receiving more than 200,000 submissions, here are the winners of the International Photography Contest 2009:

Photo by Debra Jansen, USA

People Winner
A 97-year-old woman waits for the bus in her Sunday best in Chamblee, Georgia.

Judges' Comments
“We pass quiet moments like these each day and they go unnoticed,” says National Geographic design editor Darren Smith, “but the photographer found a great subject and composition in the seemingly mundane.” Freelance photojournalist Maria Stenzel loved that “the photo shows our own culture,” and was attracted by the “jarring juxtaposition of this dignified woman waiting at a bus stop.”

Photo by Hugo Machado, Portugal

Places Winner
Licancabur volcano is located on the border between Chile and Bolivia.

Judges' Comments
For Darren Smith, National Geographic design editor, “The cloud performs a delicate balancing act atop the mountain, making the two massive forces of geology and meteorology appear light. Clouds are often just garland in mountain photos, but here the cloud is an equal subject, casting shadows which help define the peak.”

Photo: William Goodwin, USA

Nature Winner
This peppermint shrimp is spending the day in a branching vase sponge about 75 feet deep in Bonaire's Margate Bay. Lighting was achieved with an HID torch shining on the outside of the sponge. The photographer, working upside down, had to carefully control buoyancy while approaching as close as possible, taking care not to touch the sponge with camera or light and to avoid disturbing the shrimp or the sponge.

Judges' Comments
National Geographic staff photographer Mark Thiessen “was drawn into its world by the circular shape of the sponge.” For freelance photojournalist Maria Stenzel, “the technically difficult shot was beautifully seen and executed in its own natural landscape.” National Geographic design editor Darren Smith agrees: “This image transports the viewer to another world. The technical execution is flawless, the spiraling composition frames the shrimp and draws us in, and the lighting and varied colors add dimension.”

___________

Though they didn't win the grand prize, the photos below are my favorites:

A manatee photographed in Florida
Photo: Yusuke Okada, Japan. Nature Honorable Mention.

Shot in Namibia in August 2009
Photo: Laurent Mercey, France. Nature Honorable Mention.

A newly born gibbon gets some early discipline and love from his doting parents.
This baby gibbon was just about 12 hours old, born at the Columbus, Ohio Zoo in August of 2009.
Photo: Xen Riggs, USA. Nature Honorable Mention.

Links: International Photography Contest 2009 official website | Winners | Galleries

Jared Rydelek has a rather unusual talent: he can hammer a 4-inch nail into his nose without hurting himself or even sneezing.

In National Geographic’s two-part special Humanly Impossible, Jared explains:

When I was a kid, I became infatuated with magic. I wanted to be a magician and bought all the magic sets at the toy store in an attempt to be the next Houdini. I loved coming up with new routines and performing for my friends and family. However, I always hated the fact that I had to keep secrets from them. People would ask me how I did a trick and I would have to say "it’s magic" or "it’s a secret;" they’d get mad, I’d feel like a jerk and everyone would be unhappy.

The blockhead act was ultimately what solved this problem for me. While watching a variety show on TV (in search of magicians of course) I saw a man named Todd Robbins perform the blockhead act. I was caught up into his presentation while doing this act; it was almost like watching a magician perform a trick, only better. I was immediately taken in by the idea of being able to perform something that is seemingly impossible, but is in fact a skill, rather than a trick; the great thing is that if someone asks how it’s done, you can explain it and it only gets more interesting.

So I started watching sword swallowers, fire eaters, escape artists, etc… and found my new love called "sideshow.” But I was still much too young to try any of these very dangerous stunts on my own, so I researched the sideshow and impatiently performed magic until I was old enough to learn. At the age of 20, I moved to New York City and was trained at Coney Island by Todd Robbins himself. I was taught all kinds of amazing stunts, but I have always had a soft spot for the Human Blockhead act.

The blockhead act itself involves overcoming the sneeze reflex. It’s a pretty ugly thing to learn. When you stick something up your nose your body will try to reject it; this amounts to extreme discomfort, watery eyes, sneezing and pain. Your nose is simply not meant to have things stuck in it. But if you trigger this response over and over again, eventually your body will accept the object and you’ll overcome the reflex. Before anyone starts thinking that doing this act is a good idea (which it’s not, for the love of God get a teacher if you are serious about learning it), it should be said though that this act, simple as it is, is very dangerous. In the past I have scratched the back of my nasal passage and had the horrible experience of coughing incessantly for days until it healed. But worse than that, there is also the very real possibility of getting sinus infections. And if someone trips while doing this act… it would be very, very bad, to say the least.

Danger aside, I am proud to be a blockhead, as this simple stunt is what first inspired me to trade in my cards and pick up this crazy profession. I am a full-time circus sideshow performer and contortionist right now, which in my opinion is a good thing, and I wouldn’t have been able to get here without this stunt.

Links: NatGeo Humanly Impossible | Jared’s MySpace page | Human Blockhead carnival sideshow act at Wikipedia

Previously on Neatorama: 10 Things That Are (Almost) Impossible To Do With Your Body

Photo: Michael Johnson

The Big Picture blog is showcasing 25 entries in this year’s photography contest that National Geographic hosts, asking the world to send in their best.  You can vote on each entry here.  Michael Johnson took this shot and wrote the caption:

This bee was unfortunate enough to land in my pool, but he made some amazing patterns buzzing around in the water. He later escaped.

Link

Ever wonder how IKEA makes their furniture sturdy yet light? The secret is the honeycomb skeleton inside their tabletops. National Geographic went inside an IKEA factory in Poland: Link

“It’s all very amusing, of course. Unless it’s your campsite.”

It is not my campsite, and you will most likely find it as amusing as I did. Link -via Digg

See more adventures from National Geographic’s Wild Chronicles.

Photo: Vince Lauro

Pigs may never fly, but they certainly can swim! Vince Lauro won National Geographic Traveler’s Great Outdoors Photo Contest with this awesome photo of the Caribbean swimming pig. From the Intelligent Travel blog:

As the first mate on a 118-foot motor yacht, Vince Lauro has the opportunity to continuously travel across the Caribbean. This photograph was taken near a small key famous for the "swimming pigs." A colony of pigs lives on the key, and they often swim near visiting boats. To capture this clear image Lauro said, "I had to lure this pig into an undisturbed area with its favorite food: fresh watermelon."

Link – Thanks Marilyn!

Now, on to the Neatorama and Hobotopia‘s Caption Monkey part of the post: funniest caption will win a custom black and white Monkey drawing by our favorite artist, Adam "Ape Lad" Koford.

Contest rules are simple: place your caption in the comment section. One caption per comment, please. You can enter as many as you can think of – just make ‘em funny! Be sure to visit Adam’s blog for inspiration. Good luck!

Update 8/26/09 – Adam has picked the winner! Congrats to Lisa G. who came up with this (very punny) gem: Oinkers aweigh!

Martin K, Estate Manager- “She takes out the goats for grazing and brings them back. A shepherd is usually required to accompany the goats all day long and bring them back in these hills. But because of her, manpower can be spared. She is as good as a shepherd. The only thing is that she does not speak, but otherwise carries out all responsibilities.”

They say they feel confident that the goats will be safe when Mani accompanies them.

Mani is said to make a strange sound when she discovers a goat is missing or when danger lurks.

There’s a (non-embeddable) video of the monkey at the link.

Link

image by flickr user eirikref used under creative commons license

A lot of places in the United States have their names derived from Native American words (I’m looking at you, Punxsutawney!). But do you know what they actually mean?

Our friends over at National Geographic have put together this really spiffy interactive map of the United States, with the translated meaning of the towns, lakes, and other localities.

Here are my personal favorites:

- Malibu, CA: It makes a loud noise all the time over there
- Topeka, KS: Good place to dig potatoes
- Chicago, IL: At the skunk place
- Yosemite, CA: They are killers

But the strangest one has got to be Loleta, a small town in Northern California. It means "let’s have intercourse."

Of course, the town founders claimed that the name means "pleasant place at the end of the tide water" but not according to William Bright, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and Anthropology at UCLA, who wrote in his book Native American Placenames of the United States:

LOLETA (Calif., Humboldt Co.). In 1893, a resident, Mrs. Rufus F. Herrick, chose the present name, supposed to be from the local Wiyot Indian language. The Indian name was in fact katawóio’t, but an elderly Indian played a joke on Mrs. Herrick by telling her that the name was hós wiwítak ‘let’s have intercourse!’ – the latter part of which she interpreted in baby-talk fashion as Loleta (Teeter 1958).

Ouch! Link: Blog post | Interactive Map – Thanks Marilyn!

What are your favorites?

The Daily Dozen feature on National Geographic, edited by photo editor Susan Welchman, is a treasure trove of neat "Your Shots" photos submitted by the magazine’s readers (a selection of which will actually appear on the magazine itself – talk about awesome!).

I particularly like this one, submitted by James Snyder who wrote:

This is a Cuban tree frog on a tree in my backyard in southern Florida. How and why he ate this light is a mystery. It should be noted that at the time I was taking this photo, I thought this frog was dead having cooked himself from the inside. I’m happy to say I was wrong. After a few shots he adjusted his position. So after I was finished shooting him, I pulled the light out of his mouth and he was fine. Actually, I might be crazy but I don’t think he was very happy when I took his light away.

Link to the Daily Dozen (this particular shot by James appeared on the April – Week 1 section)

While celebrating Mardi Gras last week, a few National Geographic staffers stumbled upon a woman costumed as… a National Geographic Photographer. She was shooting an art project called "Irrational Geographic," taking portraits of the "wild life" with the iconic yellow border as a prop. We loved it so much we featured it on our blog.

"Shouldn’t everyone be on the cover of National Geographic Magazine?" she wondered.

It was a perfect Mardi Gras day outfit… and everyone wants to be on the cover of the magazine so interactivity is high! Indeed, when I asked a man if he wanted to pose like he was on the cover of National Geographic, his response was, “Since I was, like, two.”

Link

(image credit: Flickr user castorpollux)

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by janelle.

University of Nevada biologist Zeb Hogan, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, was pleased to discover healthy populations of giant stingray in Thailand, where once the fish were considered critically endangered.

Freshwater giant stingrays are among the largest of the approximately 200 species of rays.  They are found in just a few rivers in Southeast Asia and northern Australia.

More about the Megafishes Project here.

Link

(image credit: Zeb Hogan)

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Marilyn Terrell.

Link

From the Upcoming Queue, submitted by Marilyn Terrell.

Link, photo by Chris Newbert

Photo: Geoff Pingree / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

W00t! It’s time for Neatorama and Hobotopia’s Caption Monkey game – but first, here’s the story behind the photo, titled "Behold". It’s the Grand Prize winner of National Geographic’s Traveler’s "World in Focus" photo contest, and taken by Geoff Pingree of Oberlin, Ohio (he won a 15-day trip for two to Antarctica aboard the National Geographic Endeavor, which makes our prizes here on Neatorama look downright puny in comparison!):

Pingree, a professor of Cinema Studies and English at Oberlin College, took this photograph at Madrid’s Prado Museum, which was staging theatrical performances inspired by masterworks by Spanish artists. "The photo shows performers playing Spanish King Philip IV and his second wife, Mariana of Austria," he said.

Link – Thanks Marilyn!

Now, on to the contest. The funniest caption will win an original Laugh-Out-Loud cat comic by Adam Koford. Place your caption in the comment section. One caption per comment, please, but you can enter as many as you’d like.

Don’t forget to check out Adam’s blog for inspiration! Good luck!

Update 12/17/08 – Adam has picked the winner! Congratulations to Adam D. Jones who won with this caption: “You said everyone would be wearing a costume!”