Fingerprint Breakthrough Made Video -- National Geographic

Fingerprint Breakthrough Made Video November 21, 2008—A breakthrough in fingerprint technology may help solve old crimes. A British forensic scientist has found a way to detect fingerprints on shell casings, even when a print has been wiped off.Welcome to the National Geographic video player.Video Sections

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- "Last" Tortoise Fails to Reproduce - December 8, 2008—Lonesome George, the last giant tortoise of his kind, has failed to reproduce. Eggs laid by companion females were not fertilized.
- "Reindeer" at Risk? - December 9, 2008—Caribou, considered the reindeer of Canada, face an uncertain future. Conservationists say climate warming and industrial expansion are putting the species at risk.
- "Body Swapping" Becomes "Reality" - December 3, 2008—Using virtual reality goggles, a kitchen knife, and mannequins, scientists can now reportedly make subjects "feel" another "body" being cut, among other sensations.
- "Cult of Dead" Cave Restored - December 15, 2008—For decades Italians adopted random skulls in a centuries-old underground mass grave as conduits to the afterlife. Now the complex is being readied for a reopening to the public.
- "Obama" Bullfighting Banned - December 15, 2008—A Kenyan judge has banned a bullfighting competition that was to be among festivities honoring Barack Obama's U.S. presidential win.
- 'Obama' Bullfighting Decried - December 12, 2008—Kenya's 'Obama Circuit'--a bull-versus-bull competition coinciding with celebrations Saturday over Obama's U.S. presidential election--has come under fire from animal rights activists.
- '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.
- 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.
- Animal-to-Human Disease Watch - December 12, 2008—In remote corners, a research team is monitoring contact between humans and wild animals—particularly wild animal meat—in hopes of stopping pandemics before they start.
- Antarctic Survey's Stunning Species - December 2, 2008—Scientists have discovered that islands near Antarctica's main peninsula harbor more species than even the Galápagos Islands, the experts claim.
- Beached Whales See Happy Ending - November 24, 2008—Volunteers in Australia painstakingly returned 11 beached pilot whales to sea Sunday. By Monday the whales had joined a pod, tracking devices suggest.
- Belief in Elves Strong in Iceland - December 11, 2008—Most Icelanders believe in elves, according to a self-proclaimed elf historian. Whether elves exist or not, their lore remains strong in the country.
- Burning Boats for St. Nick - December 10, 2008—For centuries, each year before Christmas, a Croatian fishing village has "sacrificed" a boat in honor of St. Nicholas, patron saint of children and fishers—and inspiration for Santa Claus.
- Cemetery Is Solar Source - December 8, 2008—Near Barcelona, Spain, a large solar power plant is in an unlikely location: a cemetery.
- 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.
- Cuba Gets Green Cred - November 14, 2008—Cuba is the only country that meets the criteria for sustainable development from the conservation group WWF. But concern persists for once thriving Caribbean marine turtles.
- Darwin Voyage to Rio Retraced - December 2, 2008—Stunned by slavery and "the glories of the vegetation of the tropics," Charles Darwin explored Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state in 1832—a voyage now being retraced with the help of one of his great-great-grandsons.
- Deep Sea Robo-Help - November 26, 2008— Scientists searching the depths of the ocean for undiscovered marine life off the coast of Maine get help from a well-equipped robot.
- Deep Sea Robo-Help - November 26, 2008—Scientists searching the depths of the ocean for undiscovered marine life off the coast of Maine get help from a well-equipped robot.
- Divers Rescue Whale - December 9, 2008—Military divers in Mexico spent four hours freeing a grey whale from fishing nets in the bay of Acapulco.
- Eggs Taken From Turtle Moms - November 18, 2008—It may seem disconcerting to see volunteers "steal" eggs as they're laid by green sea turtles in Pakistan. But it's all for conservation.
- Fingerprint Breakthrough Made - November 21, 2008—A breakthrough in fingerprint technology may help solve old crimes. A British forensic scientist has found a way to detect fingerprints on shell casings, even when a print has been wiped off.
- Giant Fish Fights On, With Help - December 4, 2008—Growing up to 20 feet (6 meters) long, western North America's rare white sturgeon, is getting a boost from an alliance of officials, anglers, conservationists, and American Indians.
- Herod Mausoleum, Art Found? - November 20, 2008—Archaeologists in Israel announced new discoveries at what the team believes is the tomb of the biblical King Herod on Wednesday.
- 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.
- Huge Whaling Ship Leaves Port - November 17, 2008—A whaling ship is seen departing Japan Monday in video provided by Greenpeace, which claims the ship is on its way to the Antarctic waters to hunt whales. Warning: video contains graphic imagery
- Iceland Puffin Threatened - December 5, 2008—In Iceland's remote Westman Islands, warming weather is threatening a beloved mascot: the Atlantic puffin.
- Invading Starfish Plague Reefs - December 4, 2008—A type of starfish, harmless to humans and most marine life, is destroying coral reefs off southern Japan.
- Iran Women-Only Taxi a Hit - November 25, 2008—A women-only taxi service in Iran's capital, Tehran, has become popular. The service does not allow male passengers and hires only female drivers.
- Landslide Devours Home - November 24, 2008—In dramatic video shown on Colombian television, a landslide swallows a home near the town of Mesitas. Weeks of heavy rain have caused a reported 22 deaths in the country.
- Locust Swarms Plague Australia - November 18, 2008—Watch as a destructive locust swarm moves across farmland in drought-ridden New South Wales state, prompting officials to prepare an airborne assault.
- Machu Picchu Find Revealed - December 1, 2008— Archaeologists in Peru have discovered an Incan mummy and artifacts at a site within the Machu Picchu national park.
- 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.
- Odd Zebra Recreated - December 4, 2008—The quagga, a zebra sub-species that is only partly striped, has been crossbred back into existence after a hundred years of extinction, scientists say.
- Old Fishing Technique on Wane - November 21, 2008—The Japanese fishing method of Agiya, in which teams of fishermen dive into the ocean and drive schools of fish into a net, is dying out.
- 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.
- Peru Sues Yale Over Artifacts - December 12, 2008—The Peruvian government is suing Yale University over artifacts removed from Peru nearly a century ago.
- 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.
- Rangers Return to Congo Park - November 26, 2008— A deal between the government and rebel leaders has enabled rangers to return to Congo's Virunga National Park to look after endangered mountain gorillas.
- Rare Lions Bred Successfully - December 5, 2008—White lions had nearly disappeared from the African plains. But a breeding program has proven successful, and these snowy cats are once again roaming free.
- Rare Tiger Cubs Debut - November 17, 2008—Three Sumatran tiger cubs made their public debut Monday at an Australian zoo. With fewer than about 500 wild Sumatran tigers left, the cubs are more than just cute.
- Rare White Lion Cubs Born - December 11, 2008— Born this week in a Serbian zoo, the cubs are from an uncommon subspecies that is nearly extinct in the wild.
- Robots Controlled by Cell Phones - December 5, 2008—An inventor in Hong Kong uses his mobile phone to control his life-like robots.
- Roman "Jewel" Promoted - November 25, 2008—Archaeologists are touting a "jewel" of the Roman Empire: the city of Viminacium in modern-day Serbia.
- Salt Lake Disappearing - November 20, 2008—Iran's largest saltwater inland lake is diminishing because of drought, alarming environmentalists.
- 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.
- Spacewalker Loses Tool Bag - November 19, 2008—A NASA astronaut accidentally lost a tool bag during a spacewalk Tuesday when a grease gun exploded. The kit was one of the largest items ever lost by a spacewalker.
- Stem Cell Transplant a Success - November 19, 2008—Doctors in Spain successfully transplanted a windpipe into a woman using tissue grown from her own stem cells.
- U.S. Coral Reef Doomed? - December 10, 2008—Scientists are working to halt or even reverse the decline of one of the only coral reefs on the continental United States, near the Florida Keys.
- 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.
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