National Geographic @natgeo

natgeo Photo by Aaron Huey @argonautphoto / Abandoned Soviet war machines are seen east of Kabul, left as the then Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989 after a ten-year war. Afghanistan is often called "the graveyard of empires," and it seems fitting as we prepare for the withdrawal of U.S. troops this year. Follow @argonautphoto for more stories from Afghanistan.

natgeo Photo by Charlie Hamilton James @chamiltonjames / Aleja and Jack Marcelo seem to share similar frustrations during lessons at their preschool in the remote village of Yomibato in Manu National Park, deep in the Peruvian Amazon. Yomibato is a community of Machiguenga people who live a few days by boat from the nearest small town. The school has to be one of the most remote in South America. This picture always makes me smile, because it makes me realize that as human beings, wherever we are in the world, we are far more similar than we are different.

natgeo Photo by @enricsala / Cape Horn, Chile: Giant kelp are the largest algae in the ocean, growing at a rate of up to a foot (30 cm) per day. A diverse range of species, like this beautiful jellyfish, thrive under their canopy. To learn more about our oceans, follow @natgeopristineseas and @enricsala . @insidenatgeo

natgeo Photo by @beverlyjoubert / When you spend up to 20 hours of the day snoozing and generally lounging about, a good stretch is a good idea. After a long bout of inactivity, it’s a way for lions to loosen and realign the muscles and get the blood pumping for what’s ahead. Because despite lions' generally lethargic disposition, the job of survival—whether it’s protecting territory, hunting down the next meal, or rearing a band of boisterous cubs—does have its physically demanding spells. And like so many other lessons we can take from the natural world, the importance of stretching before we take on the stresses and strains of the day is one to remember. #lions #bigcats #wildlife

natgeo Photo by @lynseyaddario / Health-care assistant Macy Caverly, far left, and student nurse Naomi Goldsmith, 45, prepare COVID-19 patient Richard Sams, 71, to be hoisted to a seated position for the first time since November 1, 2020, at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England, on January 20, 2021. Medical staff at Royal Papworth are tending to COVID-19 patients in four areas which have been reallocated to deal with a surge in COVID patients: two critical-care provision areas and two noncritical-care areas. The area where Sams is being treated was formerly a respiratory support and sleep center and is now a step-down ward for the ICU. Nurses and bedside attendants have been redeployed from other wards across the hospital.

natgeo Photo by @jimmychin / Often the appeal of climbing expeditions isn’t the climbing—it is enjoying life stripped to its basic essentials. Morning teatime with our good friend Ibrahim while we wait anxiously for the sun to bring its warmth. Charakusa Valley, Baltistan, Pakistan. For more images of alpine adventures around the world, follow @jimmychin

natgeo Photos by Danielle Villasana @davillasana / While trans women throughout Latin America are jeopardized by systemic stigmatization, in Central America they’re further threatened by the region’s endemic violence from gangs, police, and even family. Andrea, in the first image, is an activist working at an LGBTQ NGO in Guatemala City and also a sex worker. "It's a social imposition; it's not an option," said Andrea, referring to how many trans women are relegated to sex work due to transphobia in the employment sector. As a result, many are victims of violence by gang members and clients, such as Kimberly (second image), who was shot in the leg. Follow me @davillasana for more stories focusing on human rights around the globe.

natgeo Photos by Michael Yamashita @yamashitaphoto / Zen and the art of garden maintenance. In the Japanese garden intricate, time consuming, and labor intensive techniques are used by gardeners, and all done by hand. #japanesegardener #japanesegarden #zengarden

natgeo Photo by @timlaman / Red-crowned cranes preen in a February snowstorm. To me, they're one of the most elegant of all birds. What do you think? Native to Japan, Korea, and China, these beautiful birds are an endangered species, with less than 2,000 left in the wild. Conservation efforts in Japan have led to population increases, but they remain limited by lack of remaining marshlands for breeding. Careful management will be needed to ensure their survival. I photographed these cranes at the Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy, in Connecticut, a nonprofit breeding facility focused on maintaining genetic diversity in rare and endangered species, and an education center for the next generation of conservationists. Check them out at @Ripley_ducks . Throughout April, for Earth Day, I’m sharing photographs of endangered species in hopes of bringing them some needed attention. Please visit @TimLaman to see more. #redcrownedcrane #EndangeredSpecies #birdphotography #birds #snow

natgeo Photo by David Guttenfelder @dguttenfelder / A man plants trees at an oil palm plantation in the west-central African country of Gabon. Three-quarters of Gabon is covered in forest, and commercial agriculture is close to nonexistent. The government wants to develop that sector, with crops such as oil palms—but without doing the kind of environmental damage that has been done in Southeast Asia.

natgeo Photo by Karine Aigner @kaigner / I spent several months photographing this family of wild bobcats denning under a house on a ranch in Texas. We met by accident when the kittens were about 10 weeks old, beginning a story that continues to the present. Momcat, as I call the female bobcat I spent time with, embodied all the traits of a good mother. She provided for her kittens everyday without fail, protected them ferociously (from other bobcats and other species, which I got to witness), trained them with tough love, and when her duties were done, she would spend quality time with them, grooming and playing with them. Each day when the kittens were young, Momcat would find private moments of her own. She’d sprawl out on the patio, relaxed but always wary and watching. She’d lick her kittens clean as they climbed all over her, occasionally reprimanding one or the other with a smack of the paw here or there. Sometimes she’d nap on the patio table as the kittens used it as a jungle gym. And when the time was right, as if on some mandate given by nature, she’d sit up and call to them with either a command to come with her or a command to stay at the house as she left. Between them they spoke a language, and the kittens obeyed what she told them: “Get into the tree,” or “Stay here,” or “Come with me.” I’ve never seen anything like it. Follow @kaigner for more Bobcat Chronicles and tales of the intersections of humans and nature! #bobcats #texas #nativespecies #bobcatchronicles #momcat

natgeo Photos by Matthieu Paley @paleyphoto / The Hadza people are hunter-gatherers living in Tanzania. After getting a chick from a nearby nest, a young hunter named Kapala rests the peeping bird on his head to attract the mother and hunt her with his bow and arrow. Swipe to see the sequence. For more cultural insights into our world, follow @paleyphoto . #evolutionofdiet #hadza Check out Nat Geo's link in bio for more on this story.