Usually, though, we don't see light, we merely see with it. You can't appreciate the beauty of a rose if you ponder that the color red is ... world's largest laser, the National Ignition Facility.

Photograph by Joel Sartore/National Geographic ... is a common color in nature, but parrots make green in an unusual way. The physical structure of their feathers reflects light to appear blue ...

This story appears in the August 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine ... pride in China—the only country in which these Asian bears still survive. Now the whole world is watching China ...

This story appears in the July 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine ... thanks to its hallucinogenic properties, sells on Asian black markets for $60 to $80 a pound—roughly six times ...

This story appears in the September 2015 issue of National Geographic magazine ... That in turn affects the color of light that the lattice of crystals reflects. As the distance between the ...

Support journalism that shines a light on the exploitation of wildlife by donating to Wildlife Watch. Wildlife Watch is an investigative reporting project between National Geographic Society and ...