For now, the Afar region remains a harsh and unforgiving landscape. Daytime temperatures often soar to 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius), cooling only to a “balmy” 95 degrees (35 ...

This story appears in the January 2012 issue of National Geographic magazine. It was like a scene conjured by a Hollywood special effects shop. In September 2005 Afar herders in northern Ethiopia ...