Cultures Impact
Understanding our past and protecting our future
Out of Eden Walk
In 2013, Paul Salopek set out on a 24,000-mile odyssey to retrace our ancestors’ global migration. Moving at the beat of his own footsteps, Paul is walking the pathways of the first humans who migrated out of Africa in the Stone Age and made the Earth ours. Along the way, he is covering the major stories of our time — from climate change to technological innovation, from mass migration to cultural survival — by giving voice to the people who inhabit them every day.
Our Human Histories and Cultures Explorers
From human rights issues and stories of survival to the evolution of ancient species and human progress, they map out our shared past.
Our Human Histories and Cultures Explorers dedicate their lives to documenting, investigating, studying, and preserving our planet’s past and uncovering the very roots of humanity. Revealing stories from the past brings context to the modern-day.
Read more stories of impact from some of our Explorers on nationalgeographic.com
Pablo Albarenga: Exploring modern colonization through photography
Tara Roberts: Diving with a purpose
Paul Salopek: Retracing humanity's ancient migration, on foot
Making a difference
Help us protect our human stories
Cultivate curiosity in the next generation
Dig deeper into Human Histories & Cultures and download resources we've made available for educators and learners in our Resource Library. We've provided lessons, articles, maps, videos, and so much more, to inspire our mission to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world.
Support our work
As a global community, we have a duty to preserve our rich histories and cultures. We believe that when people understand our shared histories, they can better appreciate its cultural wonders and care for one another. Will you help protect the wonder of our world?
Photo Credits from top of page: Robert Clark, John Stanmeyer, Cristián Mora, Jim Richardson, Ami Vitale. Below: Michael Nichols, Andy Mann, Paul Nicklen, Ami Vitale, Christian Tryon, Kenneth Garrett, Mark Thiessen.