Classical Composers' Feathered Influences
Did Beethoven cop from a warbler? Did Mozart plagiarize a starling? NPR's Wade Goodwyn speaks with Talkin' Birds host Ray Brown about these musical mysteries.
Science
For This Tarantula-Killing Wasp, Dinner's A Meal Best Served Living
All the recent rain in Texas is great for insects — including the terrifying tarantula hawk. It's a big, nasty wasp that doesn't just sting tarantulas ... it turns them into food for its offspring.
Vaccine Court Aims To Protect Patients And Vaccines
It has been nearly 30 years since Congress established a special court to help keep good vaccines on the market and fairly compensate the rare person who has a severe reaction. Who wins these cases?
Cholera Vaccine Protects Whole Community, Even Unvaccinated
A cheap, oral vaccine — about the size of an "energy shot" — offers fresh hope for preventing cholera epidemics, like the one that has killed nearly 10,000 people in Haiti.
Tom Selleck Accused Of Stealing Water For California Ranch
TV star Tom Selleck has been accused of stealing water amid California's drought from a neighboring water district. Los Angeles Times reporter Matt Hamilton has been reporting on the the mystery of Magnum PI's water supply.
Genetic Tweaks Are Restoring Hearing In Animals, Raising Hopes For People
The latest accomplishment for gene therapy involves mice with inherited deafness. Meanwhile, the drugmaker Novartis is conducting the first trial of gene therapy for people with hearing loss.
Study Finds Most Ants In A Colony Are Slackers
NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Anna Dornhaus, associate professor with the University of Arizona's ecology and evolutionary biology department, about its study on slacker ants.
After Sketchy Science, Shark Week Promises To Turn Over A New Fin
Shark Week is here, and scientists are afraid. Not of the toothy swimmers — but of inaccuracies, bad science and the demonization of animals that aren't as ferocious as Discovery Channel has made out.
Scientists Discover One Of The Oldest Horned Dinosaurs
The "new" dinosaur — named Wendiceratops pinhornensis — lived about 79 million years ago and helps scientists understand the early evolution of the family that includes Triceratops.
Budget Cuts Force Colorado National Forest To Rely On Volunteer Labor
Uniformed volunteers are working visitors centers and monitoring trails in the busiest national forest in the country. The White River National Forest in Colorado is increasingly relying on free labor as federal budget cuts continue. The volunteers are doing what forest service staff used to do, including maintaining trails and educating visitors about bear safety.