National Geographic 2015年第06期.pdf

THE NEW SCIENCE OF MARIJUANAShould Captive Dolphins Be Freed?Living Goddessesof NepalDry Times Are Here for the Aral SeaJUNE 2015OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIET YIn Tokha,Nepal,Kumari Dangol has been worshipped as a living goddess since she was a baby.Shes now nine years old.58 Born to Be WildCan dolphins return to the sea after captivity in a marine park?Some canonce they relearn how to be wild.By Tim Zimmermann98 Little Park of WondersIts world-renowned fossil bed and stunning vistas make Canadas Yoho National Park a standout.By McKenzie Funk Photographs by Peter Essick 114 Sins of the Aral SeaDiverted to water crops,what was once a vast inland sea is 90 percent gone.Can it be revived?By Mark Synnott Photographs by Carolyn Drake132 Proof|Bug-Eyed A high-powered microscope reveals insect and spider eyes as marvels of adaptation.Story and Photographs by Martin OeggerliOn the Cover Crossbreeding has yielded countless strains of cannabis.The flowering herb,commonly known as marijuana,can grow up to 16 feet tall.Photo illustration by Bill Marr Corrections and Clarifications Go to High ScienceWith marijuanas rising acceptance comes more debate about its potential benefits and drawbacks.By Hampton Sides Photographs by Lynn Johnson78Living Goddesses of NepalIn Nepalese tradition a little girl can become a living goddessbut only for so long.By Isabella Tree Photographs by Stephanie SinclairJUNE 2015 VOL.227 NO.6FROM THE EDITORSusan Goldberg,Editor in Chief Science of MarijuanaPHOTO:LYNN JOHNSONAt the CannLabs facility in Denver,Colorado,cannabis products undergo rigorous testing for quality control.You might remember this TV antidrug ad.“This is your brain,”says a grim-faced guy.He holds up an egg.“This is drugs,”he says,gesturing to a skillet on the stove and then cracking the egg into the hot pan.“This is your brain on drugs.”The egg sizzles and congeals.“Any questions?”Well,yeslots of them.And decades after this crusade aired,relatively few have been answered,especially about marijuana.Now that nearly half the states in this country allow medical marijuana,voters in four states have legalized pot for recreation,and a majority of Ameri-cans favor legalization,research about how marijuana affects our brains and bodies is an urgent issue.There is less hard science about marijuana than you might think.“For nearly 70 years the plant went into hiding,and medical research largely stopped,”Hampton Sides reports in this issue.“In America most people expanding knowledge about cannabis were by definition criminals.”Now,Sides and photographer Lynn Johnson find,“the science of cannabis is experiencing a rebirth.Were finding surprises,and possibly miracles,con-cealed inside this once forbidden plant.”But the federal government still classifies marijua-na as a dangerous Schedule I drug,declaring that,like heroin,it has no accepted medical use.Unless mar-ijuana is reclassified to Schedule II statusallowing it to be studied with fewer restrictionsanswers will be slow.Bipartisan bills to change its status have been introduced in both the Senate and House of Repre-sentatives;chances of passage are unclear.Some top-ranking federal health officials privately bemoan the paucity of marijuana science but tiptoe around the subject in public statements.Not so Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York,who introduced a bill along with fellow Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Senator Rand Paul,a Kentucky Republican.Marijuana,Gillibrand says,has“always been demonized.But when you focus on patient-centric advocacy and get patients in front of lawmakers,they will realize how stupid the law isIt is absurd we are not permitted to do scientific research.”Gilli-brand isnt sure if there will be a vote on the bill this year,but she is hoping for a hearing to bring the concerns to light.The timing couldnt be better.The disconnect between the willingness of some states to regulate,sell,and tax marijuana and the federal reluctance to allow research to progress leaves an increasing number of people without the knowledge to make informed,science-based choices.A Hard Look at a Soft DrugDid you know a group of sea turtles is called a bale?Did you also know a group of National Geographic members who insure their car with GEICO are called Savers?Thats right,as a member and subscriber of Nat Geo,you could save even more on your car insurance with a special discount.Join your fellow members who already insure their car with GEICO,and you could end up saving a bale of money, discounts,coverages,payment plans and features are not available in all states or all GEICO companies.Discount amount varies in some states.One group discount applicable per policy.Coverage is individual.In New York a premium reduction may be available.GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company,Washington,D.C.20076;a Berkshire Hathaway Inc.subsidiary.2014 GEICOThe National Geographic Society is a global non-profit membership