Diseases, Disease Information, Facts, News, Photos -- National Geographic

From smallpox to swine flu, learn how disease pandemics have shaped human history and what we can expect, and prepare for, next.

More About Disease

War on Disease—Challenges for Humanity

Microbes threaten billions of people in a world weakened by poverty, war, and lack of clean water—and now, new infections may be emerging.
Tracking the Next Killer Flu

In Southeast Asia a virus that kills chickens is now also killing people. And in those deaths, public health experts hear the distant rumbling of a global catastrophe.
Infectious Disease Quiz

See what can travel faster than a jumbo jet, wipe out entire civilizations, and confound the world's top researchers.
Malaria—Bedlam in the Blood

Nearly half a billion people get malaria worldwide each year. More than a million die. After decades of neglect, the world is renewing its fight against the disease.

Steady Hands and Fins

Photographer David Doubilet photographs stingrays, sharks, and more.
Survival Guide: Dodging Locusts

Swarm behaviorist Iain Couzin has a toxic reaction to a locust at the same time his team runs out of food.

Longevity Pictures

Our genes harbor many secrets to a long and healthy life. And now scientists are beginning to uncover them
Element Hunters Pictures

All the elements found in nature—the different kinds of atoms—were found long ago. To bag a new one these days, and push the frontiers of matter, you have to create it first.
Good Gas, Bad Gas

Burn natural gas and it warms your house. But let it leak, from fracked wells or the melting Arctic, and it warms the whole planet.

Steady Hands and Fins

Photographer David Doubilet photographs stingrays, sharks, and more.
Survival Guide: Dodging Locusts

Swarm behaviorist Iain Couzin has a toxic reaction to a locust at the same time his team runs out of food.

Genetics

Learn about what's passed on from generation to generation with an interactive look at DNA.
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