DETROIT:FUELINGTHEIMAGINATIONHOWTOBUILDABETTERBEEMAY2015NATIONAIOLCGF拉THINKINGLIKEADOLPHINUNDERSTANDINGONEOFTHESMARTESTCREATURESONEARTH
MAY 2015 THINKING LIKE A DOLPHIN UNDERSTANDING ONE OF THE SMARTEST CREATURES ON EARTH DETROIT: FUELING THE IMAGINATION HOW TO BUILD A BETTER BEE
OkinawaWoodpecker(Dendrocopasnoguchi)Size:Bodylength,approx.23cm(9.06inches);wingspan,approx.15cm(5.92inches)Weight:Approx.110g(3.88oz)Habitat:EndemictoOkinawaIsland,whereitisfoundsolelyintheYanbaruforestsSurvivingnumber:Estimatedatfewerthan10obreedingpairsOcearDinawIslandooraohedbyShawnMilileWILDLIFEASCANONSEES ITThefewgetfewer.Oneoftheworld'srarestButventuringdownbringsthewoodpeckerwoodpeckers,theOkinawawoodpeckercanbeinto thepath of feral cats and mongooses,found only in dense,undisturbed forest in theFacingsuchdeadlypredatorsanddeforestationnorth of its namesake island.Searching out veryaswell,thisrarebirdisbecomingrarerstill.rotten wood,it excavates deepto uncoverAsCanonsees it,imageshavethepowertowood-boringinsects.Femalesstickprimarilytoraiseawarenessofthethreatsfacingendangeredthetreestoforage,whilemales also go to thespecies andthenaturalenvironment,helping usgroundtofeastonotherinsects,berriesandseedsmaketheworldabetterplace.UOIEuosioeCanonEOSSyster
MAY2015VOL.227NO.ScriticsofaplannedhydoSLActricdamsayitwill blockgrationetheMekroshermanplieshiHarnessingtheMekong102Running for more than 2,6o0 miles, the Mekong River produces fish when it flowsfree and clean electricity when it's dammed. Therein lies Southeast Asia's dilemma.ByMichefleMijhuisPhotographsbyDavidGuttenfeldel568430It'sTimeforaConversationTaking BackDetroitQuestforaSuperbeeWhenoneof Earth'ssmartestWithits bankruptcy intheHoneybeestopthelistofinsectcreatures vocalizes,itfuelsarearviewmirrortheMotorCityispollinators on whichone-thirdheated debateamong scientists:offoodcropsdepend.Canweattractinginvestors,innovatorsAre dolphins actually speaking aand adventurous would-be fixers.breed a hardier bee?complex language?BySusanAgerBy.Charles C.MannBy Joshua FoerPhiotographs by Wayne LawrencePhotographs by Anand VarmaPhotographs by Brian SkerryOn the CoverScientists working with bottlenose dolphins (this one130Proof|WalkingtheWaylives at :a Valljo, California, animal park) are looking for a link betweenApilgrimage throughFrance and Spain is"anthe animals’ many vocalizations and their behaviors. Photo by Brian Skemyancient tradition thriving in a modern world."StoryandPhotographsbyMichaelGeorgeCorrectionsandClarificationsGotongm.com/moreOFFICIALJOURNALOFTHENATIONALGEOGRAPHICSOCIETY
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY In Laos, critics of a planned hydroelectric dam say it will block fish migration on the Mekong River, where this fisherman plies his trade. 30 It’s Time for a Conversation When one of Earth’s smartest creatures vocalizes, it fuels a heated debate among scientists: Are dolphins actually speaking a complex language? By Joshua Foer Photographs by Brian Skerry 56 Taking Back Detroit With its bankruptcy in the rearview mirror, the Motor City is attracting investors, innovators, and adventurous would-be fixers. By Susan Ager Photographs by Wayne Lawrence 84 Quest for a Superbee Honeybees top the list of insect pollinators on which one-third of food crops depend. Can we breed a hardier bee? By Charles C. Mann Photographs by Anand Varma Harnessing the Mekong Running for more than 2,600 miles, the Mekong River produces fish when it flows free and clean electricity when it’s dammed. Therein lies Southeast Asia’s dilemma. By Michelle Nijhuis Photographs by David Guttenfelder 102 130 Proof | Walking the Way A pilgrimage through France and Spain is “an ancient tradition thriving in a modern world.” Story and Photographs by Michael George On the Cover Scientists working with bottlenose dolphins (this one lives at a Vallejo, California, animal park) are looking for a link between the animals’ many vocalizations and their behaviors. Photo by Brian Skerry Corrections and Clarifications Go to ngm.com/more. MAY 2015 VOL. 227 • NO. 5
FROMTHEEDITORDetroitGoing HomeI'mcrisscrossinga careworn streeton Detroit'swestside,looking atthehouse where my mother lived in the 1930s.I walk up driveways, down sidewalks, peer around bushes. A neighbor, understandably curious, bounds over."T'm theking ofGlendale,"Keith Harris says.Harris loves GlendaleStreet-somuchsothathe'spurchasedninepropertiesfors42,000.Thatsumgothimsixhouses invaryingstatesofrepairandthreeemptylots."I'mnotdoneyet,he says."I'mgoingtobuymoreandrent them."I'mgladtohearthis.Glendalecouldusemoreinvestment.Socould Tuxedo Street,afewblocks away,wheremyfather grewup.So could Detroit.I'veseenall theruin-pornphotos.NowI've cometoseeformyselfwhat'shappened towhat was America'sfifth largest city circa 1950.Then there were morethan18 million residents; nowthere arefewerthan700,000This is where myfamily settled afterimmigratingtothe United States inthe1920s,movingintoneigh-borhoods filled with people just like them.Thehandwritten1940censuspageforTuxedoStreet literallyillustrates the story:ItshowsalonglistofJewishnames(Goldberg,Cohen,BarskyLeventen)andtheplacesfromwhichJewsfled(Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Russia, Russia).The neighborhood was so insular that when myAmerican-bornmother wenttokindergarten,shecouldn'tspeakEnglish,onlyYiddish.Those families don't live here anymore.Theyaregone, along with theelm trees that once shaded thesestreets.The improbably named Bowl-O-Drome is nowaCVS.Somehouses havebecomeemptylots.Others,burned-out hulks.But some are tidy symbols of survival andpride.Keith Harris ownsone ofthosehomes."We haveclean-up-the-block day"hetells me."We aretryingtomakeit better."Visitors like me walk these streets all the time,he says."Some peoplecameand cried likebabies."Maybetheyshouldn'thave.ThoughmuchisIn1932atagefive.goneandmorehaschanged, thereare seedsofhope acrossthe city,as writerJeannetteGoldberg-the editor's motherSusanAgerandphotographerWayneLawrencediscoveredwhiledocu-posedwithherownmenting the diversity of the new Detroitfor this issue.mother,grandmother,Harris has planted some of those seeds."We invest in this block,"he says,and great-grand-"becausewewanttostay."motherin Detroit.SussanGoldberg,EditorinChiefPHOTO:GOLDSCOLLECTION
Detroit FROM THE EDITOR PHOTO: GOLDBERG FAMILY COLLECTION Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief Going Home In 1932 at age five, Jeannette Goldberg— the editor’s mother— posed with her own mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother in Detroit. I’m crisscrossing a careworn street on Detroit’s west side, looking at the house where my mother lived in the 1930s. I walk up driveways, down sidewalks, peer around bushes. A neighbor, understandably curious, bounds over. “I’m the king of Glendale,” Keith Harris says. Harris loves Glendale Street—so much so that he’s purchased nine properties for $42,000. That sum got him six houses in varying states of repair and three empty lots. “I’m not done yet,” he says. “I’m going to buy more and rent them.” I’m glad to hear this. Glendale could use more investment. So could Tuxedo Street, a few blocks away, where my father grew up. So could Detroit. I’ve seen all the ruin-porn photos. Now I’ve come to see for myself what’s happened to what was America’s fifth largest city circa 1950. Then there were more than 1.8 million residents; now there are fewer than 700,000. This is where my family settled after immigrating to the United States in the 1920s, moving into neighborhoods filled with people just like them. The handwritten 1940 census page for Tuxedo Street literally illustrates the story: It shows a long list of Jewish names (Goldberg, Cohen, Barsky, Leventen) and the places from which Jews fled (Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Russia, Russia). The neighborhood was so insular that when my American-born mother went to kindergarten, she couldn’t speak English, only Yiddish. Those families don’t live here anymore. They are gone, along with the elm trees that once shaded these streets. The improbably named Bowl-O-Drome is now a CVS. Some houses have become empty lots. Others, burned-out hulks. But some are tidy symbols of survival and pride. Keith Harris owns one of those homes. “We have cleanup-the-block day,” he tells me. “We are trying to make it better.” Visitors like me walk these streets all the time, he says. “Some people came and cried like babies.” Maybe they shouldn’t have. Though much is gone and more has changed, there are seeds of hope across the city, as writer Susan Ager and photographer Wayne Lawrence discovered while documenting the diversity of the new Detroit for this issue. Harris has planted some of those seeds. “We invest in this block,” he says, “because we want to stay
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