News from Nature - Following the surprising discovery of a fossil in a limestone countertop in Italy, National Geographic researchers search for the remains of the first mammals to migrate from Eurasia to Africa. Evidence suggests floods of Asian animals entered Africa through Egypt when the two continents were joined 20 million years ago and evolved over millions of years to become some of today's iconic African animals, including zebras, rhinoceroses, wildebeests and giraffes. Stories from the Wild - Using satellite transmitters, researchers track the daily travels of long-tailed ducks wintering along Nantucket's shores to determine if building a wind farm in Nantucket Sound is a threat to the ducks' habitat. While satellite imagery shows the ducks roost away from the proposed wind farm location, conservationists continue to monitor the birds to learn more about their daily journeys and migratory patterns. Adventure and Exploration - National Geographic grantee Jon Waterman attempts to travel the Colorado River's almost 1,500 miles from start to finish. But the river, siphoned off for industrial use throughout the United States, vanishes underground in Mexico, turning a once lush wetland into a dry wasteland. Forced to walk the rest of the way, Waterman hopes his journey will inspire people to conserve water and truly appreciate the amazing resource. Conservation News - Wild Chronicles travels to Cairo, Egypt where National Geographic Emerging Explorer Thomas Taha Culhane is helping lower-income Egyptians build solar-powered rooftop water heaters out of recycled trash. Utilizing Egypt's abundant sunshine, the solar heaters improve the quality of life and sanitation, while cutting down on potential energy costs. Culhane hopes the water heater project will lead to other low-tech innovations using recycled materials.
