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Arts & Life

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare
Frank Rossoto Stocktrek/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare

Fresh Air

When it comes to curiosity, science writer Mary Roach describes herself as someone who is "very out there." Her new book, Grunt, looks at some scientific developments that help keep soldiers safe.

From Medical Maggots To Stench Soup, 'Grunt' Explores The Science Of Warfare

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The Code Switch Podcast, Episode 1: Can We Talk About Whiteness?
Ariel Zambelich/NPR

Code Switch

The Code Switch Podcast, Episode 1: Can We Talk About Whiteness?

On our inaugural episode, we're digging into how we talk about whiteness — or, really, how we don't talk about it — and hear from some folks who say it's really important that we figure out how.

The Code Switch Podcast, Episode 1: Can We Talk About Whiteness?

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You Gonna Finish That? What We Can Learn From Artworks In Progress

Anton Raphael Mengs left some key details out of his Portrait of Mariana de Silva y Sarmiento, duquesa de Huescar, 1775. Courtesy of The Met Breuer Museum hide caption

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Courtesy of The Met Breuer Museum

Fine Art

You Gonna Finish That? What We Can Learn From Artworks In Progress

Nearly 200 great works of unfinished art are now on display at The Met Breuer Museum in Manhattan. Spanning six centuries, the works offer a glimpse into the creative process — from Titian to Warhol.

You Gonna Finish That? What We Can Learn From Artworks In Progress

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Television

'Top Gear' Returns With New Hosts On BBC America

The massively popular BBC show, Top Gear, relaunches Monday on BBC America. Following the painfully public downfall of its former host, the new hosts have big gears to grind.

'Top Gear' Returns With New Hosts On BBC America

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Movies

From Sequels To Reboots, Familiar Faces Return To The Multiplex This Summer

NPR's Bob Mondello has a selective preview of summer movies from superhero blockbusters to music documentaries and everything in between.

From Sequels To Reboots, Familiar Faces Return To The Multiplex This Summer

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Review

Movies

In 'Unlocking The Cage,' A Man Fights To Achieve Legal Rights For Animals

Unlocking the Cage is the latest from filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus. Pennebaker made his name with the Bob Dylan documentary, Don't Look Back, and Monterey Pop. For some 40 years, he and Hegedus, his wife, have collaborated on award-winning films such as The War Room, about Bill Clinton's presidential campaign.

In 'Unlocking The Cage,' A Man Fights To Achieve Legal Rights For Animals

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A Modern 'Roots' For An American Society Still 'Based On The Color Line'

Malachi Kirby and Emayatzy Corinealdi in the new production of Roots. Steve Dietl hide caption

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Steve Dietl

Television

A Modern 'Roots' For An American Society Still 'Based On The Color Line'

The remake of the seminal TV miniseries begins on the History channel this week. Co-producer LeVar Burton says he recognized an opportunity to retell the story "to and for a new generation."

A Modern 'Roots' For An American Society Still 'Based On The Color Line'

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Author Interviews

'Rolling The R's' Is A Story About Coming Of Age And Coming Out

Rolling the R's tells the stories of restless teenagers in the disco era in a gritty neighborhood in Hawaii. Author R. Zamora Linmark discusses the book's impact, 20 years after it first came out.

'Rolling The R's' Is A Story About Coming Of Age And Coming Out

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Parenting Pitfalls: Renegades, Privilege And Putting On The Boxing Gloves
Flickr user Patrick Berry/Flickr Creative Commons

National

Parenting Pitfalls: Renegades, Privilege And Putting On The Boxing Gloves

Heather Shumaker and Stephanie Land are two parenting writers with different ideas about how class and conventional wisdom shape the modern view of parenting.

Parenting Pitfalls: Renegades, Privilege And Putting On The Boxing Gloves

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Pop Culture

From Broadway To TV, An Actress' Death Takes Us Down Cultural Rabbit Hole

Beth Howland died in December at age 74. One of her best known roles, was as the original Amy in Stephen Sondheim's "Company." Looking into her past can lead you down a pop culture spiral.

From Broadway To TV, An Actress' Death Takes Us Down Cultural Rabbit Hole

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'Sweetbitter' Is A Savory Saga Of Restaurant Life And Love
Claire Harbage

Author Interviews

'Sweetbitter' Is A Savory Saga Of Restaurant Life And Love

Oysters, cocaine, fine wine, love triangles: Stephanie Danler's debut novel Sweetbitter follows a year in the life of a young woman working at a top-tier Manhattan restaurant.

'Sweetbitter' Is A Savory Saga Of Restaurant Life And Love

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Adventurer Says 'Walking The Himalayas' Wasn't About 'Sticking Flags In Peaks'

Levison Wood walked 1,700 miles, from Afghanistan to Bhutan, along the Himalayan Mountain range. He says that seeing Everest, the highest mountain in the world, was "just magical." Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

Author Interviews

Adventurer Says 'Walking The Himalayas' Wasn't About 'Sticking Flags In Peaks'

Levison Wood, who previously walked the length of the Nile River, has now trekked 1,700 miles, from Afghanistan to Bhutan, along the Himalayan mountain range.

Adventurer Says 'Walking The Himalayas' Wasn't About 'Sticking Flags In Peaks'

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Out Of Juvenile Corrections, Poems Of Fury, Loss — And Lingering Beauty

"If you can write this out and give it to society," Jimmy Santiago Baca told NPR last month, "it's going to allow them to take the blinders off and see what's really going on with you in your life." Hill Street Studios/Getty Images/Blend Images RM hide caption

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Hill Street Studios/Getty Images/Blend Images RM

Out Of Juvenile Corrections, Poems Of Fury, Loss — And Lingering Beauty

Over 1,000 students submitted their work for Words Unlocked, a poetry contest for juveniles in corrections. Two young poets split the top prize — and they've shared their poems with NPR.

Out Of Juvenile Corrections, Poems Of Fury, Loss — And Lingering Beauty

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