UNCOVERINGALOSTCITYDARINGJOURNEYONTHECONGOTREKKINGSWEDEN’SGLACIALWILDERNESSOCTOBER2015ANEWANCESTORSHAKESUPOURFAMILYTREEALMOSTHUMANOFFICIALJOURNALOFTHENATIONALGEOGRAPHICSOCIETY138Proof|AbstractionFindsBeautyinBeastsDeconstructingtheirlikenessescanmakeeventerrifyingcreaturesmorelikable.StoryandPhotoIllustrationsbyMichaelD.KernOntheCoverPaleoartistJohnGurcheusedfossilsfromaSouthAfricancavetoreconstructthefaceofHomonaledi,thenewestadditiontothegenusHomo.PhotobyMarkThiessen,NGMStaffCorrectionsandClarificationsGotongm.com/more.ArchaeologistChrisFisherleadsateamsearchingforruinsofanancientcityhiddeninthejungleinLaMosquitia,Honduras.30MysteryManFossilsfounddeepinaSouthAfricancaveraisenewquestionsaboutwhatitmeanstobehuman.ByJamieShreevePhotographsbyRobertClark58WildHeartofSwedenGlaciers’handiworksurroundsvisitorstoLaponia,oneofEurope’slargestwildernessareas.ByDonBeltPhotographsbyOrsolyaHaarbergandErlendHaarberg74LifebloodTheCongoRiveristhemainroadthroughtheheartofAfrica—forthosewhodaretotravelit.ByRobertDraperPhotographsbyPascalMaitre122SeaWolvesBeachcombingwolvesswimamongCanadianislands,eatingwhatevertheoceanservesup.BySusanMcGrathPhotographsbyPaulNicklenLureoftheLostCityLaser-mappingtechnologyuncoversextensiveruinsinaHonduranjunglerumoredtocontainamythicWhiteCity.ByDouglasPrestonPhotographsbyDaveYoder102october2015•vol.228•no.4FROMTHEEDITORHondurasNotebookSusanGoldberg,EditorinChiefPHOTO:RAYWILSONThissandfly—adultsareabout3mm,or1/8inch,long—spreadstheleishmaniasisthatourteammembersgot.TheRisksofStorytelling“Webelieveinthepowerofscience,exploration,andstorytellingtochangetheworld.”That’sNationalGeographic’smissionstatement,andlivingitisnotwithoutrisks.Charginghippos,aggressivesharks,stampedingelephants,evenabductionbyrebels:Ourcontributorsandexplorershavebeenthroughitall.Sometimes,though,thebiggestproblemsarecausedbythesmallestthings—whichbringsustotheplightofsomecolleaguesinthismonth’sissue.“Wedidn’tknowaboutthesandflies,”saysDougPreston,whowroteourarti...
