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Can we really see the Universe in a grain of sand, even as we slog through traffic? Can we really hold infinity in our hands, even as we drop off the kids to Violin practice? Commentator Adam Frank says we can if we take the time to notice the beauty of the natural world surrounding us.

http://66.225.205.104/1-19-09boone.mp3In 1971, a black high school football coach guided a newly integrated team to a Virginia state championship. The…

When evaluating our presidential candidates, it's a common cliché that the most likable candidate always wins. A "likeability" metric might not matter as much as you think. Voters, says one political scientist, actually decide on the basis of who they think is going to do the best job.

The day after his widely panned debate performance, President Obama went on the attack.

Host Scott Simon reads some of the best fan mail to authors, written by authors.

Alcohol has bolstered many writing sessions throughout history — not just as a drink but as an ink. For most of the last millennia, writers, artists and kings alike relied on an ink that commonly included wine. Now some people are trying to bring this tradition back.

The planets orbiting far-off stars are close to Earth-sized and are a distance from their suns that makes their surfaces neither too hot nor too cold. Since launching in 2009, the Kepler telescope has identified more than 100 planets.

While there are similarities between Mitt Romney's remarks in 2012 and President Obama's in 2008 — both meant to explain to donors why some voters are cold to them — there are profound differences, as well.

Samuel Beckett, the author of Waiting for Godot, is known for the spare, modern rhythms of his plays. Now, as Jeff Lunden explains, the off-Broadway show Sounding Beckett brings together three of the playwright's short works with new pieces of contemporary music they inspired.

Robert Siegel talks with Mike Pesca about Friday's ruling that went against the NFL in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal. An arbitration panel overturned the league's suspension of four players, while leaving the suspension of coaches intact.

At first, you couldn't ask for a better meal plan. The food is free, delivered straight to you. It lands, literally, right at your feet. All you have to do is bend over and eat. Except: the portions are very small and tend to slip away rather quickly. That's why sandpipers seem so frantic when you see them at the beach. Their food keeps disappearing.

Mark Greenwald's departure comes just eight months before the next winter Olympics and while the organization is steeped in controversy.

A raft of big names gather at the chapel for a by-the-numbers comedy about a couple whose nuptials get sidetracked by shenanigans involving the groom's long-divorced parents.

The Pennsylvania Dutch didn't invent the whoopie pie and other dubious tourist fare. Instead, they developed a complex, largely unknown cuisine that reflects the pressures and possibilities of becoming American.

The current vaccine loses its protective value as people get older. A vaccine in the works maintains its strength over time. The biggest challenge may be getting adults to use it.

There's some too-cute narration and some suspiciously convenient footage in this sort-of documentary from Disneynature, but when the monkeys are at their best, they're quite charming.

Mary Savig, curator at the Archives of American Art in Washington, D.C., says the contact lists reveal a lot about the artists' personal and professional networks.

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has refused to sign a bill that includes funding for a commission overseeing the cleanup of coal ash dumps. The…

Carey Mulligan plays the role once occupied by Julie Christie, but her very different take may be too controlled for its own good.

Dolores Umbridge, enemy of the boy wizard, gets profiled in a new story from Rowling on Halloween. Also: Goodnight Moongoes bilingual, and a campaign for diverse books turns to crowd-funding.