NPR News

Feeding on flowers with caffeinated nectars gives bees a memory boost, new research shows. Turns out, other studies have found humans can get a similar boost in short-term memory with caffeine — if they're exhausted.

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Commercial fishermen have the highest rate of on-the-job fatalities of any occupation in the country. The winches that shrimpers use to pull in their nets pose particular hazards, an analysis of deaths and injuries finds.

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It will take more than a week for Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which began Saturday, to cover nearly 1,000 miles. But every minute counts — and several mushers are trying out special pants that allow them to race without stopping for bathroom breaks.

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China's so-called fan subtitle groups are trying to change the country's thinking. Every week, thousands of young Chinese gather online to translate popular TV shows like The Newsroom into Mandarin. Some do it for fun, but others see it as a subtle way to introduce new ideas about free thought and questioning authority into Chinese society.

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Some have proposed a culinary approach to the millions of locusts that made their way from Egypt to Israel this week: Eat 'em up. Plenty of world cuisines can offer inspiration, but there's a catch: Rabbis don't agree locusts are kosher.

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The nomination survived an epic, nearly 13-hour filibuster by Sen. Rand Paul, who demanded an explanation of the Obama administration's targeted killing program.

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America's still-awful job market, in two charts.

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An influential cleric said Ahmadinejad, a close ally to Hugo Chávez, should have left religion out of his letter to the Venezuelan vice president.

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Syrian rebels have captured a provincial capital, Raqqa, in the north of the country. The Syrian government has responded with airstrikes, which has set off an exodus of refugees heading to the Turkish border.

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Thousands of Venezuelans have been lining the streets of Caracas, grieving the death of their-larger-than-life leader, Hugo Chavez. The outpouring of emotion reflects the huge impact that "El Comandante" had on Venezuelans — and gives a sense of the void he'll leave behind.

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In 1957, Sen. Strom Thurmond prepared for his filibuster against civil rights legislation with steam baths — to become dehydrated so he wouldn't need a bathroom break. He got at least one chance to relieve himself, however. This week, Sen. Rand Paul gave up when nature's call became too urgent.

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For more than a century, neurons have been the superstars of the brain. Now researchers say that when they placed human versions of another type of brain cell into mice brains, the mice grew up to be faster learners. This supports the hypothesis that these glial cells — and not just better-known neurons — play an important role in learning.

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For more than a century, neurons have been the superstars of the brain. Now researchers say that when they placed human versions of another type of brain cell into mice brains, the mice grew up to be faster learners. This supports the hypothesis that these glial cells — and not just better-known neurons — play an important role in learning.

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The Palm Beach County beaches were closed earlier this week as a precautionary measure after thousands of migrating sharks were spotted near shore.

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"Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?" the attorney general asks. "The answer to that question is no."

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NPR's supposedly sharp news blogger is surprised when he looks down to see that his left foot didn't know what his right foot was wearing.

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The tests are required by federal "No Child Left Behind" laws. Officials offered the unprecedented waiver to give some relief to the victims of the shooting rampage that killed 20 first-graders.

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China's citizens do not report as much as $2.34 trillion of what they make every year, hiding "gray income" that represents nearly 20 percent of the country's GDP, Chinese economics scholar Wang Xiaolu says, in a report from the news site Global Voices.

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Paul's epic-length filibuster not only drew attention to an issue of increasing concern to Congress, but also helped raise his own profile. The Kentucky Republican has long been considered a presidential aspirant.

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You didn't hear her voice on the air or know of her influence over our coverage, but Brenda was the kind of editor journalists dream of. She would get the best from correspondents and quietly fix their mistakes. If she liked what she read or heard, she'd give it her ultimate blessing: "Cool beans."

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