Journey Into Vietnam's Lost World

It is hard to imagine that much of scientific interest would be left in the once pristine jungles of Vietnam, site of almost uninterrupted warfare from the 1940s through the mid-'70s. The conflict with the U.S., with its carpet- bombing and wholesale spraying of Agent Orange, was especially devastating. Thus it was something of a surprise that the first scientific foray deep into the Vu Quang Nature Reserve, near Laos, found what amounts to a "lost world" of animal and plant species.

The most exciting discovery: a large, horned mammal that may be a kind of goat. Scientists brought out bones and skin samples to help them find out where it fits in the evolutionary puzzle. The expedition, sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, also brought back sightings or specimens of two new species of bird, one new kind of fish, and a previously unknown, yellow- shelled tortoise -- and there are probably more new creatures to be found. A follow-up expedition is already in the works.