Mongolia

Fossilized tree rings

The history of the world is written in tree rings

Trees store information about climatic conditions in the rings they lay down each year. Dendrochronology — the science of studying these rings — allows scientists to learn about the ancient climate on Earth.

The history of the world is written in tree rings
Boldbaatar

Can helping men in Mongolia improve life for women?

Can helping men in Mongolia improve life for women?
The new water-based process being used by some independent Mongolian miners can extract up to 80% of the gold from the ore and is much cleaner than processes using mercury or cyanide.

These Mongolian miners are making gold greener. Now they want their government to help.

These Mongolian miners are making gold greener. Now they want their government to help.
A man walks on the roof of a traditional ger home while fixing the chimney of a coal burning stove on a cold hazy day on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Mongolian nomads say goodbye to herding, hello to smog

Mongolian nomads say goodbye to herding, hello to smog
A herd of endangered Przewalski's horses trot across the Takhin Tal National Park, part of the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area, in southwest Mongolia, on June 22.

Photos: Rare wild horses are making a stunning return to Mongolia

Photos: Rare wild horses are making a stunning return to Mongolia
The World

Meet the new horse-headed, 35-foot-long, beaked Deinocheirus mirificus

Some scientists are describing the newly discovered dinosaur known as Deinocheirus mirificus as freaking weird. How did a 35-foot long, omnivorous, horse headed, hump-backed, huge armed animal live?

Meet the new horse-headed, 35-foot-long, beaked Deinocheirus mirificus
HongKong_1

Hong Kong immigrants use Broadway show tunes to bring the democracy protests to Time Square

Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement is spilling out into city streets around the world. Take in the scene from New York.

Hong Kong immigrants use Broadway show tunes to bring the democracy protests to Time Square
The BP Amoco yard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is one of the stops during The Poison Cauldron tour. Refining ceased along Newtown Creek in the 1960s, and today the name of the game is petroleum distribution from fuel barge fed tank farms like this.

Want to tour a toxic beach? 'Anti-tourism' explores the darker, dirtier corners of the world

The latest trend in tourism doesn't look like tourism at all. With the help of some adventurous tour guides, young urbanites are seeking out the world's most unusual, gross and often dangerous locales.

Want to tour a toxic beach? 'Anti-tourism' explores the darker, dirtier corners of the world
A magnifying glass is held in front of a computer screen in this picture illustration. A Russian gang has stolen private information from 1.2 billion internet users around the globe in a new story published by The New York Times on August, 5, 2014.

A record Internet data heist can't be fixed with a password change

A group of Russian friends have stolen private information from 1.2 billion Internet users around the world, but the public doesn't know who was hit. We do know that it's hard to say your password is safe — and changing it probably won't help.

A record Internet data heist can't be fixed with a password change
China smog

What deteriorating air quality looks like around the world

The Chinese government announced Monday that it plans to take more than five million vehicles off the road to improve air quality, including 330,000 cars in Beijing. This announcement comes only weeks after the World Health Organization announced that only 12 percent of cities reporting on air quality meet their standards for safe levels. With the help of our newsroom designers, we put together a list of places recently affected by deteriorating air quality and incidents of smog.

What deteriorating air quality looks like around the world
Mongolian huntress

In Mongolia, this girl hunts using an eagle

Photographer Asher Svidensky set out on a photography project in Mongolia. What he didn't expect to see was the country's only female eagle huntress in action.

In Mongolia, this girl hunts using an eagle
Orifong (left) plays bass and Askhan sings and plays guitar for the Mongolian folk metal band, Nine Treasures.

What would Genghis Khan rock to if he could? Mongolian folk metal

If Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol empire and fearsome military leader, were alive today, what kind of tunes would he be listening to? A couple of Beijing-based Mongolian musicians say it would be their band playing Mongolian folk metal.

What would Genghis Khan rock to if he could? Mongolian folk metal
Washington DC rappers Pacman and Peso.

DC rappers take their show on the road, hoping to be discovered in North Korea

Not many people go to North Korea on a whim. But on Saturday, two young rappers from the DC area are boarding a plane that's bound for Pyongyang. They're going to make a music video.

DC rappers take their show on the road, hoping to be discovered in North Korea

Teenage Rider Wins Mongol Derby

Nineteen-year-old Lara Prior-Palmer decided that she wanted to spend her summer break a little differently. So, she embarked on a 1,000 km horse race across Mongolia. She won.

Teenage Rider Wins Mongol Derby

China's economic rise fuels growth among outdoor pursuits

China has beautiful countryside that has long attracted foreigners. But the country's meteoric economic rise has given its own people more time for their own outdoor and leisurely pursuits. The problem, though, is that all of the additional tourists and hikers are putting a strain on the environment.

China's economic rise fuels growth among outdoor pursuits