Story of the Day

The moon, seen from the International Space Station, on July 31.

One Small Step For Man, One Giant Lunar Park For The U.S.?

6:50pm July 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

Two members of Congress want to preserve artifacts from American lunar missions with a national park on the moon, but there are some international hurdles to jump. Still, Space Policy Institute director Dr. Scott Pace says the bill raises intriguing questions about what the future of human-space interaction will look like.

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Researchers say it may be possible to temporarily reduce racial biases.

How To Fight Racial Bias When It's Silent And Subtle

8:00pm July 19, 2013

by Shankar Vedantam

New research suggests that racial disparities and other biased outcomes in medicine, the criminal justice system, and other areas, can be explained by unconscious attitudes and stereotypes. But how do we get rid of subtle racial biases?

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Wildfires Will Worsen, And Further Strain The Forest Service

11:13pm July 18, 2013

by Christopher Joyce

Over the past decade, fires in the American West have grown in intensity and size. "We're on a growth trajectory that is very scary," says one fire tracker. "And if we think it's expensive and dangerous now, we're just now seeing the very beginnings of how big this problem is going to be very soon."

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National

Ex-FISA Court Judge Reflects: After 9/11, 'Bloodcurdling' Briefings

4:52pm July 18, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

Royce Lamberth, the retiring judge who led the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from 1995 to 2002, says he has no regrets when he talks about that court's business. In his view, another attack, in some form or other, is inevitable.

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Stephen Balaban has re-engineered his Google Glass to allow for facial recognition.

National

Clever Hacks Give Google Glass Many Unintended Powers

8:55pm July 17, 2013

by Steve Henn

Whether it's facial recognition or snapping photos with a wink of an eye, hackers are proving it's possible to re-engineer Google Glass in a number of creative ways.

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National

Zimmerman Verdict Feels Personal For Some In Service Sorority

7:54pm July 15, 2013

The verdict in the Travyon Martin case is reverberating at the annual gathering of Delta Sigma Theta, a prominent service sorority that has long focused on African-American civil rights.

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Pennsylvania's Voter ID Law Gets Its Day In Court

11:13pm July 14, 2013

by Mary Wilson

On Monday a judge will rule on the constitutionality of requiring all Pennsylvania voters to show state-issued photo identification. Supporters say it's a common-sense remedy for voter fraud, but opponents counter it's an attempt to disenfranchise minorities.

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Arts

Crazy For Cronuts: Picking Apart The Tasty Trend

11:13pm July 13, 2013

by Amy Held

The cronut, a croissant-doughnut hybrid, has skyrocketed ever since Dominique Ansel started selling it at his New York City bakery this spring. Patrons line up for hours, and scalpers have jacked up the price exponentially.

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Modern Chihuahuas trace their genetic roots in America to back before the arrival of Europeans, a new study suggests.

Science

Barking Up The Family Tree: American Dogs Have Surprising Genetic Roots

8:58pm July 10, 2013

by Rhitu Chatterjee

A few dog breeds indigenous to North America have genetic roots on the continent that stretch back 1,000 years or more. A study finds that their genetic lineages haven't changed much, despite an influx of European pooches.

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Much of the training for pilots for major airlines is conducted on sophisticated flight simulators, like this Boeing 787 simulator operated by an All Nippon Airways captain. Pilots are also trained to communicate clearly about problems they may encounter

National

After Asiana Crash, Pilot Training Gets New Scrutiny

7:40pm July 09, 2013

by Wendy Kaufman

Speculation about Saturday's plane crash has focused on the Asiana pilot, who had only 43 hours of Boeing 777 flying experience. But industry experts say pilot training regimes for major airlines rigorously prepare pilots to fly different plane models — and to work as members of a team in the cockpit.

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