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Commentator Aaron Freeman hopes he caused his sister's brain tumor. When they were children, he kicked her in the head. As an adult, she developed the tumor. The exact cause isn't certain, but the other probable cause is genetic - and the gene is linked to breast cancer - so he hopes that it is the kick, and not the gene, that is the culprit.

China is setting some lofty goals. For the first time, the nation prepares to send people into space. They'll be called Taikonauts. Robert Siegel and Lynn Neary explain.

A Clonaid official backpedals on providing evidence of the company's claim that a cloned infant has been born. Clonaid's CEO says the mother of the child born Dec. 26 is wavering on providing a DNA sample key to establishing genetic proof. Scientists remain skeptical of Clonaid's claim. Hear from NPR's Joe Palca and James Randi, who is devoted to debunking pseudoscientific claims.

The average American got quite a leg up yesterday -- at least according to politicians of both major political parties. When Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) declared his intention to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, he said he'd fight for regular people. And President Bush said he is thinking about all Americans in working on his economic stimulus package. Commentator Jake Tapper says that both politicians are good at seeming like regular guys - but he's not sure that a regular guy is really what voters want.

North Korea's ambassador to China rejects any U.S. preconditions on talks. But he demanded North Korea's own precondition before it would agree to shut down its nuclear program -- a nonaggression treaty with Washington. Anthony Kuhn reports.

Some states are revisiting laws requiring drug offenders to serve long prison terms. Some legislators say the laws put too many nonviolent criminals behind bars and strain the penal system. NPR's Adam Hochberg reports.

NASA investigators are continuing to comb through telemetry data and internal records, examine debris and evaluate other sources of information includic home videos and eyewitess accounts. Meanwhile the remains of the astronauts arrive at Dover Air Force Base. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Storyteller Kevin Kling says since his motorcycle accident over a year ago, he's been leading a life determined by surgeries and recovery. The most menial actions are now mammoth tasks. Kevin takes us on a journey through his day -- today and beyond.

To talk about the diplomacy involved in resolving the North Korea conflict, Robert Siegel turns to a former ambassador to China and South Korea, James Lilley. He's now a Senior Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. Ambassador Lilley says we are now at a turning point in what the U.S. role will be in Asia. While America is a major player, Lilley says South Korea's and China's roles in a diplomatic solution will be key.

Each year, U.S. tourist attractions recruit thousands of foreign workers. But in some places --such as Lake Placid, N.Y. -- foreign workers aren't so welcome. Critics say the influx from abroad keeps wages low and makes it hard to earn a decent living. Brian Mann of North Country Public Radio reports.

Marin Alsop, conductor of the Colorado Symphony, gives a behind-the-scenes look at a percussion concerto called UFO, by American composer Michael Daugherty. The piece was written for the soloist Evelyn Glennie, who talks with Alsop about some of the unorthodox instruments that make up a percussionist's arsenal.

The jury deliberated for about an hour before finding William George Davis guilty of capital murder. Davis was accused of injecting air into four patients' arteries after they underwent heart surgery.

Robert Siegel talks with Shelley Murphy, staff reporter for the Boston Globe about a sighting in London of notorious fugitive James "Whitey" Bulger. Bulger, an FBI informant, has been on the run since 1995. He is wanted in connection with the murder of 19 people in the United States, and is on the FBI's list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. See: http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant/topten/fugitives/bulger.htm

The bacterium D. radiodurans can survive thousands of times more radiation than any other living creature -- because it has a unique ability to repair genetic damage extremely efficiently. Scientists have been trying to discover how the bug pulls of this nifty trick for 40 years. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports.

The escalator arrives in Cambodia, and it's catching on -- though some shoppers need a little help figuring out how to use it.

The seven men arrested in Britain over the weekend were allegedly manufacturing Ricin, a poison made from the berries of a common ornamental plant. NPR's Ketzel Levine looks at the plant itself.

A group describing itself as "anonymous animalists" seems to have entered a dangerous area and rescued the dogs, leaving a banner signed by the fictional commando group.

Carmakers consult the atlas and the thesaurus in the search for exotic new vehicle names.

Senate Democrats speak out against the White House's renomination of a federal judge candidate whose stance on civil rights has disturbed many critics. Democrats rejected Charles Pickering's nomination last year. NPR's David Welna reports.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix says that two months of investigation on the ground in Iraq have failed to produce any "smoking guns." Blix is preparing to brief the U.N. Security Council on the inspections process. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

In the first of a three-part series on cloning, NPR's Joe Palca reports on the stem cell research that's being conducted at publicly funded research labs in Britain. The stem cells are derived from human embryos that are discarded by in-vitro fertilization clinics. Scientists around the world oppose the use of cloning techniques to create human babies. But they support the cloning of embryos for stem cell research, which has the potential to produce new treatments for various diseases.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports the White House plans to push harder to bridge the gap between Venezuela's president and opposition forces that want him out, and end the opposition strike that's paralyzed Venezuela's oil industry. The Bush administration wants Latin American leaders to join the effort. Opposition forces have been striking for more than six weeks against President Hugo Chavez.

The computer and recording industries join up to try and stop digital copying of CDs and unauthorized file sharing on the Internet. Both agree they don't want government intervention, specifically legislation mandating a technological solution to piracy. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports.

U.N. arms inspectors search Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's main palace for evidence of weapons of mass destruction. Meanwhile, top U.N. nuclear monitor Mohamed ElBaradei warns Iraq that it must cooperate more intensely with arms inspectors. NPR's Lawrence Sheets reports.

The Food and Drug Administration suspends more than two dozen gene-therapy studies after a second child in a French genetic experiment is diagnosed with leukemia. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and Richard Knox.