Dead Relatives' Skulls Blessed Video -- National Geographic

Dead Relatives' Skulls Blessed Video November 11, 2008—At an annual festival this past weekend Bolivians brought skulls of dead relatives to be blessed and celebrated.Welcome to the National Geographic video player.Video Sections

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- "Gladiator" Tomb Found - October 17, 2008—Archaeologists in Rome have discovered what's believed to be the tomb of a wealthy man on whom the main character of the movie "Gladiator" was based.
- "Water Monster" Nearly Extinct? - November 3, 2008—The Mexican "water monster" salamander has a slimy tail, plumage-like gills, and an odd "smile." The salamander may also have a date with oblivion, conservationists warn.
- "Witchcraft" Rebounds in Russia - October 28, 2008— Shamanism is making a comeback in the Russian region of Tyva (Tuva). Harshly suppressed during the Soviet era, Tyvan shamans combine magic and medicine.
- 'Shark Island' Swarms With Jaws - October 24, 2008— Costa Rica's Cocos Island National Park, nicknamed 'Shark Island,' has what might be the highest concentration of sharks anywhere. But even here, sharks are vulnerable.
- 51 Tons of Tusks Sold - November 6, 2008—South Africa on Thursday auctioned more than 50 metric tons of ivory as part of a one-time series of sales approved by a UN body. Critics say the sales could encourage poaching.
- Alaska Brown Bear Trapped - October 9, 2008—National Geographic researchers trap an Alaskan brown bear for research, and the bear is not at all happy.
- Amazon "Superfood" Changes Lives - November 6, 2008—Açaí has become popular in the U.S. and Europe, but perhaps the fruit's most concrete effects are felt in its Brazilian home, where it is changing incomes and lifestyles.
- Ancient Temples Found in Peru - October 20, 2008—Archeologists in Peru have discovered two religious temples more than 3,000 years old, the remains of which are still in excellent condition.
- Arctic Ice in "Death Spiral" - September 17, 2008—NASA animations show dramatic Arctic ice melt again in 2008, which saw the second smallest Arctic sea ice cover on record, scientists announced this week.
- Australia's First Visitors? - November 7, 2008—Newfound rock art paintings in northern Australia may reveal that peoples from neighboring Indonesia traded with Aborigines centuries before the arrival of the British.
- Baby Sales Among Threats to Monkey - October 31, 2008— Already threatened by deforestation, rare Peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkeys face doom as their babies are sold for a few dollars and their genital hair is taken as a trophy.
- Bear Orphans Released - October 27, 2008—Poaching of female brown bears leaves thousands of cubs orphaned in Russia each year. Now two human-raised orphans have been returned to the wild.
- Buffaloes Replace Trash Trucks - October 14, 2008—A small town in Brazil's Amazon region uses Asian water buffaloes instead of trucks to collect rubbish.
- Cheetahs Return to Zebra Park - November 8, 2008— For 70 years, zebras at South Africa's Mountain Zebra National Park have had few predators. But now, conservationists are reintroducing cheetahs to the landscape.
- Cutting Cows' Gas Emissions - October 24, 2008—Cow's emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, can be reduced with a more natural diet, farmers are learning. Methane is a powerful contributor to global warming.
- Dead Relatives' Skulls Blessed - November 11, 2008—At an annual festival this past weekend Bolivians brought skulls of dead relatives to be blessed and celebrated.
- Deforestation Fear in Indonesia - October 21, 2008—The environmental group Greenpeace warns that if Indonesia doesn't eliminate rapid deforestation in the country, its forests could be gone in 10 years.
- Elephant Sends Text Messages - November 5, 2008—A high-tech collar on a farm-raiding elephant in Kenya sends text messages when he crosses a virtual fence. Rangers then rush to shoo him away—safeguarduing both the elephant and crops.
- Forbidden "Paradise" Revealed - November 12, 2008—Built as a "paradise on Earth" in Beijing for a Chinese emperor, the Forbidden City's newly restored garden quarters have been sealed off for nearly a century.
- Global Warming Good for Sharks? - October 16, 2008—Warmer waters around Antarctica could actually benefit a threatened population of gray nurse—or sand tiger—sharks, scientists say.
- Hillary In His Own Words - January 11, 2008—Sir Edmund Hillary describes his historic climb to the top of Mt. Everest...and reveals why there is no photo of him on the summit.
- Homemade Trains as Transport - October 23, 2008—Built with bamboo and tiny engines, do-it-yourself trains are ferrying Cambodians who, faced with unreliable public transportation, took matters into their own hands.
- Huge Church Rotated 90 Degrees - October 15, 2008—With hundreds of wheels attached to it, a cathedral in China is being rotated, as if on a turntable, to make way for a new road.
- Ice Age People in Florida? - October 1, 2008—People may have lived in Florida over 10,000 years ago—earlier than previously thought—according to evidence uncovered by National Geographic researchers.
- Illegal Horse Fighting Exposed - October 22, 2008—Trained stallions kick, bite, and stomp each other in banned contests in the Philippines, a Sky TV report says. The games reportedly maim and wound thousands of horses each year. Warning: video contains graphic imagery.
- India Heads to Moon - October 22, 2008—Aiming to redraw lunar maps, India has launched its first moon mission, joining other countries in a new space race.
- Maya "Road to Hell" Found? - November 10, 2008—The Maya believed the road to the afterlife ran through the underworld. Now an archaeologist says he's found the real-life version of that road in a Mexican cave.
- Mexico Lakes Linked to Mars? - October 17, 2008—A northern Mexico valley may hold the first human footprint in the Americas, and could even provide the basis for discovering organisms on Mars, according to a NASA scientist.
- New Egypt Pyramid Discovered - November 12, 2008—A previously buried 4,300-year-old pyramid in Egypt has been found by archaeologists—the tomb of Queen Sesheshet.
- New Marine Species Discovered - October 21, 2008—Researchers have discovered more than 300 new species, including a new stingray, living in the waters off the Australian coast.
- New NASA Moon Rover Revealed - October 23, 2008—NASA's new prototype lunar rover improves on the original moon buggies by incorporating 35 years of technology, including an anti-rollover mechanism used in SUVs.
- Obama Baby-Name Boom - November 7, 2008—In Kenya, several babies born following the U.S. elections were named Barack, Michelle, Obama, or both, after the United States' first African-American president.
- Obama Celebrations Around World - November 5, 2008—Barack Obama's U.S. presidential election success was celebrated by relatives in Kenya, children at an Indonesian elementary school he attended, and residents of Obama, Japan.
- Obama Wins Shaman Vote - October 30, 2008—Barack Obama has already won a landslide among one demographic. Shamans in Peru chanted and threw flowers on posters of Obama and John McCain to send good vibes to the candidates.
- Ozone Hole Peaks Over Antarctica - November 3, 2008—The Antarctic ozone hole reached its 2008 peak at 10.5 million sq. miles (27.2 million sq. kilometers), short of the 2006 record size of 10.6 million sq. miles (27.5 million sq. kilometers), according to NASA scientists.
- Pesticides Killing Flamingos? - September 25, 2008—Tests of the pink birds, which live in Kenya's Lake Nakuru, show heavy metals and pesticides—leading experts to suspect growing industry as the cause.
- Poaching in Kenya Worsens - October 17, 2008—The slumping tourism industry in Kenya is having a negative impact on efforts to fight poaching in the country's scenic Maasai Mara.
- Proof of Bible's King David? - October 31, 2008—The oldest known Hebrew inscription has reportedly been found where David and Goliath are said to have fought in Israel. If the controversial claim is true, it bolsters biblical accounts.
- Quake Rocks Pakistan - October 29, 2008—A major earthquake rocked southwestern Pakistan Wednesday. Hundreds of mud and timber houses were destroyed.
- Rams Butt Heads in Prize Fights - October 29, 2008—In a burgeoning "sport" in Nigeria, rams fight each other for their owners' fun and profit. Prizes include microwave ovens and other household goods.
- Rebels Seize Gorilla-Park HQ - October 28, 2008—Made infamous by recent gorilla murders, a Congo park's endangered apes—and thousands of humans—are under increased threat as rebels storm Virunga National Park.
- Red Squirrels Develop Immunity - October 20, 2008—Threatened by the squirrel pox spread by gray squirrels, red squirrels are developing immunity to the disease, researchers say.
- Sandstorm Blasts Baghdad - October 16, 2008—A sandstorm in Baghdad, Iraq, strafes residents, who use scarves or masks to ease breathing.
- Seal Sends Text Messages - October 31, 2008—A monk seal, raised in captivity in Greece, has been released into the wild with a cell phone that sends text messages about her location.
- Snow Falls on Mars - September 30, 2008— NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has detected snow falling from Martian clouds, and its soil testing shows further evidence of the planet's watery past, scientists say.
- Space Tourist Reaches ISS - October 14, 2008—An American multi-millionaire, who paid for his adventure through Russia's space program, arrives on the International Space Station.
- Strange New Sea Species Found - September 18, 2008—Light-emitting comb jellies, squat lobsters, and shrimp that can kill with sound are among hundreds of new species discovered along reefs off Australia.
- The Hurricane Ike of 1900 - September 13, 2008— Hurricane Ike isn't the first epic storm to slam Galveston, Texas. See scenes of the devastation from what is still called the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.
- Three Volcanoes Spew - November 11, 2008—In recent days three volcanoes in Colombia and Ecuador have spewed smoke, ash, and lava.
- Toddler Becomes "Living Goddess" - November 4, 2008—A three-year-old has become the latest Kumari, or "living goddess" in Nepal. She will live away from her family until puberty.
- Trump Course OK'd in Scotland - November 4, 2008—Overturning a local ruling and angering environmentalists, the Scottish government approved Donald Trump to build "the greatest golf course in the world" along the Scottish coast.
- Unknown Deforestation Exposed - October 30, 2008—In the Brazilian Amazon rain forest, a nongovernmental organization is using satellites to uncover deforestation the Brazilian government doesn't find.
- Vampire Moths Discovered - October 27, 2008—Just in time for Halloween, bloodsucking moths have been found in Siberia—evidence of evolution at work, scientists say.
- Why Do Dolphins Rub Flippers? - November 10, 2008—Researchers have filmed dophins' behaviors, which include flipper rubbing, to better understand the behaviors' meanings.
- Women Pray for Dog-Style Births - October 15, 2008—Believing dogs have easy pregnancies and births, pregnant Japanese women pray at shrines on the Day of the Dog in hopes of having "canine" birth experiences.
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