The Future

Photos: Robots Get Real

Robots are being created that can think, act, and relate to humans. Are we ready? Find Out More »

Read about this discovery and other strange, funny, and bizarre stories.

In the future people who need a body part may get their own back—regrown in the lab from their own cells.

Innovation and Technology Topics

Space Tourism by 2023?

Innovative spacecraft may be ferrying tourists to and from space within the next decade.
Heading Off to the Stars

Take a look at some of the innovations that may hold the key to the future of deep space exploration.
Pictures: Floating Cities of the Future

From an underwater "oceanscraper" to floating apartments, these fantastical green building designs could be immune to sea level rise.
The Secrets of Long Life

Residents of Okinawa, Sardinia, and Loma Linda, California, live longer, healthier lives than just about anyone else on Earth.
The God Particle

The Large Hadron Collider's purpose is simple but ambitious: to crack the code of the physical world; to figure out what the universe is made of; in other words, to get to the very bottom of things.
Future Power: Where Will the World Get Its Next Energy Fix?

Using electrochemical reactions to release energy, fuel cells may be a major source of power in the years ahead.

Go Inside the God Particle

See how physicists will use a giant atom smasher in hopes of finding the so-called God particle.
Virtual Monkey

A study has monkeys directing a "virtual hand" through electrical brain impulses.
Match Game

Test your memory with our My Shot match game.

Solar Storms Pictures

The space-weather forecast for the next few years: solar storms, with a chance of catastrophic blackouts on Earth. Are we prepared?
Terra-Cotta Army Pictures

Archaeologists and artists, armed with the latest tools and techniques, are bringing the life-size army of painted clay soldiers back to life.
Visions Pictures

Each month, National Geographic magazine features breathtaking photographs in Visions of Earth. Browse through visions of the world as seen through a photographer's eye.