NPR
One Professor’s Quest To Collect Every Video Game Soda Machine
It’s a hot day in the nuclear post-apocalyptic wasteland, and you’ve spent all afternoon fighting off mutated zombie creatures. What you probably need right now is a nice, cold soda. Chances are, if you’re playing a video game, there’s some sort of soda machine right around the corner. Jess Morrissette has the evidence to prove…
Voice Recognition Software Finally Beats Humans At Typing, Study Finds
In a face-off between voice entry and typing on a mobile device, voice recognition software performed significantly better. The results held true in both English and Mandarin Chinese.
Shrimp Grown In Tanks Make A Splash, Coming To A Market Near You
Americans love shrimp. We import about $5 billion worth of it from all over the globe, including from India, Thailand and Indonesia. But over the past year, we’ve learned more about the downsides of global shrimp production. The AP uncovered slave labor in Southeast Asia, and there’s also documentation of environmental degradation from destruction of…
Justice Department Will Phase Out Its Use Of Private Prisons
Federal officials said the contract facilities don’t offer substantial cost-savings or provide the same level of security as those run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
You Can Eat It Here And There: Green Eggs And Ham Are Everywhere (On Menus)
The Dr. Seuss book that made the dish famous turns 56 this month. But what does this meal taste like in real life? Chefs across the U.S. are tackling the question.
Robot-Like Machines Helped People With Spinal Injuries Regain Function
Eight people with serious spinal injuries who practiced hours of interaction with wearable machines for months regained lost feeling and some ability to move.
Justice Department Issues Scathing Report On Baltimore Police Department
The Baltimore Police Department has disproportionately targeted African-Americans for stops and arrests, a Justice Department investigation has found. After the police department took a “zero tolerance” approach to policing in the early 2000s, the report finds, it began engaging in a pattern and practice of discriminatory policing. Statistics analyzed in the scathing 163-page report show…
This Year’s Perseid Meteor Shower Is Going To Be Quite A Show — Here’s How To Watch
Stargazers, get ready for something spectacular on Thursday. The annual Perseid meteor shower, already one of the most reliably impressive celestial events, promises to be especially good this year.
The Best Schools In The World Do This. Why Don’t We?
A group of lawmakers and staff with the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures spent a year and a half studying the best school systems in the world. Here’s what they learned.
When Food Firms Cut The Salt, What Do They Put In Instead?
Too much salty goodness isn’t great for health. Food companies looking to cut the sodium while keeping the flavor have a promising candidate: potassium chloride. But it’s far from perfect.