Story of the Day

Each January, anti-abortion protesters mark the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling with the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Attendance often reaches into the thousands, such as during the 25th anniversary march pictured here. The 40th March for Life

'Roe V. Wade' Turns 40, But Abortion Debate Is Even Older

3:57pm January 23, 2013

by Julie Rovner

Abortion foes say the U.S. Supreme Court's aggressive decision set the issue on the path toward becoming intractable. Others say factors besides the landmark case — including doctors, lawyers, President Nixon and the Catholic Church — more strongly influenced the state of today's debate.

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Menu for Lincoln's 2nd inaugural ball, March 6, 1865

An Inaugural Memory: President Lincoln's Food Fight

12:27pm January 22, 2013

by NPR Staff

The Smithsonian recently uncovered the menu from Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural ball, and it provides an interesting look at how different the celebrations were just 148 years ago.

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The Big Sandy Power Plant, 4 miles north of Louisa, is the biggest industry in Lawrence County. Local residents blame President Obama's environmental policies for the company's plans to close the plant in 2015.

National

In Kentucky's Coal Country, A Resentment For Obama

8:22pm January 21, 2013

by Noah Adams

If the voters in Louisa, Ky., had their wish, Mitt Romney would have taken the oath of office Monday. The local coal-fired power plant is due to close amid a push for cleaner-burning plants. Local residents blame Obama for the pending job losses.

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New education standards place more emphasis on nonfiction reading and writing over fiction works. Some say this could lead students away from a passionate engagement with literature.

New Reading Standards Aim To Prep Kids For College — But At What Cost?

9:17pm January 19, 2013

by NPR Staff

Almost the entire country has signed onto the Common Core Standards Initiative. The standards incorporate more nonfiction texts across all subjects to improve reading scores. But some fear the push for nonfiction reading could lead students away from passionate engagement with literature.

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Hannah and Marty eat watermelon snacks at the Save the Chimps sanctuary.

Science

Figuring How To Pay For (Chimp) Retirement

10:06pm January 18, 2013

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The National Institutes of Health owns or supports almost 700 chimps. But the question of where they go when no longer needed for research is a thorny one: NIH money to support retired chimps in sanctuaries has been limited by Congress.

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Vegetation like the kind growing here at Michigan State University's Kellogg Biological Station could one day be used to feed small biofuel refineries spread throughout the Midwest.

Could Some Midwest Land Support New Biofuel Refineries?

7:16am January 18, 2013

by Richard Harris

Land that isn't in good enough condition to grow crops could be used to produce substantial amounts of liquid biofuels, a new study claims. But there are many concerns about the study, and about the future of advanced biofuels in the U.S. and abroad.

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Car companies are picking up automobile concepts such as this Lexus SL 600 Integrated Safety driverless research vehicle, shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January in Las Vegas.

Bump On The Road For Driverless Cars Isn't Technology, It's You

1:07am January 18, 2013

by Sonari Glinton

New technology is getting us closer and closer to the point where cars will drive themselves. Automakers are testing and refining systems that will make this happen. But our love for control may keep us from riding in these cars anytime soon.

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Using touchscreens, visitors decide how they would make wartime choices.

World War II Exhibit Asks Visitors, 'What Would You Do?'

12:08pm January 12, 2013

by Elizabeth Blair

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans presents a range of real-life scenarios that give visitors a sense of the ethical — and often dangerous — decisions soldiers and civilians were forced to make during the war.

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The butter sculpture will be dumped into this pit of rotting fruit and vegetables on the Reinford family's farm. Then, all that food will get ground up and put into the farm's methane digester.

This Butter Sculpture Could Power A Farm For 3 Days

9:49pm January 11, 2013

by Scott Detrow

The biggest attraction at the annual Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pa., is always a giant, 1,000-pound sculpture crafted from butter. Once this year's show wraps up, all that beautiful butter will go right into a manure pit to become methane gas.

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Lego minifigures are displayed on October 18, 2012 in the newly-opened store of the Danish construction toys group at the "So Ouest" shopping center in Levallois-Perret, west of Paris.

Why Legos Are So Expensive — And So Popular

10:26am January 11, 2013

by Chana Joffe-Walt

Legos often cost twice as much as similar blocks from a rival toymaker. So why are Legos so much more popular than other brands?

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