Search results for

The characters in Monica McFawn's short stories range from a gambling nanny to a butterfly-selling mathematician. Each story is full of carefully observed human detail and flashes of brilliance.

Astrophysicist Roberto Trotta argues that we don't need jargon. He tells NPR's Wade Goodwyn he's compiled a history of the universe as we know it, using only the 1,000 most-common English words.

In Norwalk, Conn., a new hotel focusing on fitness targets business travelers who want to stick to healthy routines while on the road. It's a new niche for the hospitality industry.

Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees are fleeing fighting between Kurdish forces and the Islamic State militants. NPR's Wade Goodwyn speaks to correspondent Deb Amos from the border about the crisis.

Captain Citrus was sponsored by Florida's orange growers, whose profits are being hurt by disease and declining consumer demand for orange juice. They hope the comic character will boost sales.

The top two presidential candidates in Afghanistan shake hands and sign a power-sharing deal, ending months of bitter disputes over who will succeed Hamid Karzai.

While a U.N. agency reported about 70,000 refugees this weekend, a Turkish official says 100,000 Syrians have entered Turkey in the past week. Fighters from ISIS are closing in on the border.

Along with the violence, the political landscape is also chaotic in Libya. Mary Fitzgerald from The Irish Times speaks with NPR's Arun Rath about the militias and Libya's embattled parliament.

Angela Stimpson donated a kidney to a complete stranger. Why did she do it? Researchers found that the brains of Stimpson and other altruists are sensitive to fear and distress in a stranger's face.

Brian Morton's Florence Gordon is about the relationship between a tough, 75-year-old feminist icon and her granddaughter. It's self-aware, funny and full of characters that are entirely believable.