NPR News

A Seattle widow's one-stop estate planning advice blog was inspired by her own paperwork frustrations after her husband's death. Chanel Reynolds offers a checklist of documents to prepare, a will template and a list of details to write down, like passwords to online accounts.

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Researchers say a study of more than 58,000 U.S. Facebook users says their "likes" can be used to accurately predict everything from their sexual orientation to their political views. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Both are surprising and fun. In their own way, they're also kind of sweet.

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Criticism over a study's findings has not deterred researchers from saying their work may represent one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs in hundreds of years: "fossilized biological structures" in a meteorite.

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The judge in the case said if James Holmes pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, he could be interviewed using a truth serum. Holmes is expected to enter a plea in a hearing on Tuesday.

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Less sleep equals more eating, according to a rigorous new study. People who slept just five hours a night burned more energy but also ate more — so much more that they gained almost 2 pounds in less than a week.

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In separate events, high ranking officials from both sides called for rules regarding hacking. China also continued to defend itself against accusations that it was behind the hacking of dozens of American companies.

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Almost 100 years ago, a water-supply diversion from Owens River helped quench Los Angeles' thirst some 200 miles away. L.A. thrived, but it drained the Owens Lake and created a salt flat that now pollutes the air. A century later, the finger-pointing continues, and this week, the city's water department is back in court over its cleanup plan.

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Dr. Ben Carson, a well-known surgeon, made a splash last month when he criticized President Obama's policies in a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. "It's a shame that we've reached a level in our country where we think that you don't have the right to put your opinion out there," he tells NPR.

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When President Obama took office, he changed the rhetoric from the Bush years. But he never abandoned the idea of global war — a concept with profound legal implications.

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A state Supreme Court justice said the regulations overstepped the authority granted to the New York City Board of Health. And the judge noted that the regulations wouldn't have applied equally across food retailers.

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Chains like H&M and Forever 21 turn out new styles so quickly that they've been dubbed "fast fashion" retailers. While the stores reap big profits, many say the business model has hidden costs, like encouraging poor labor practices and churning out cheaply made products that quickly end up in landfills.

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Post-traumatic stress disorder has been a problem for many military members returning from combat zones. Now the military is looking more closely at whether its canine members suffer from PTSD in the same ways.

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Craig is making the argument to justify using campaign funds to mount a legal defense. Craig was arrested at a Minneapolis airport for allegedly sexually soliciting an undercover officer.

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The video is not for the squeamish. But climber Mark Roberts' bumpy trip down an ice-covered cliff in Wales thankfully ended with him bruised and battered, but alive. His camera captured the whole ride.

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While its true that noroviruses are "perhaps the perfect human pathogens," as The Journal of Infectious Diseases reports, it also seems that Noma could have spared some of its diners from the pathogens if the staff had read emails from health inspectors.

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Like in 1986, citizens are expected to stick with the British. But there's little doubt that the ongoing dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom will continue long after the referendum is settled.

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Social media has definitely ingrained itself into our lives, but now it's seeping into our afterlives as well. A few companies are building services to maintain your online presence once you're six feet under. One's slogan is: "When your heart stops beating, you'll keep tweeting."

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Social media has definitely ingrained itself into our lives, but now it's seeping into our afterlives as well. A few companies are building services to maintain your online presence once you're six feet under. One's slogan is: "When your heart stops beating, you'll keep tweeting."

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Inside China, Tibetan "customs" include the Nagqu horse festival, complete with state-sponsored repression. At least that's what's on display in an exhibit at the National Museum Of China.

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