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NPR's John Nielsen reports on the controversy over a type of genetically altered corn that's fed to livestock. The corn has not been approved for human use, but may have found its way into the food supply. It's one of eight varieties of genetically modified corn seed currently on the market and contains a substance called krinine c (KRIGH-nine.see), which can trigger allergic reactions in humans.

A damaged tanker sinks off the coast of Spain, spilling tons of oil into the ocean. Salvage crews work to contain the spill; officials fear an environmental disaster worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports.

Linda talks with Tom Boatner (BOHT-nur), a firejumper from the Bureau of Land Management based in Fairbanks, Alaska. Right now he's in Houston (HYOO-stun), Alaska. As many as 100 homes and an estimated 7,000 acres have burned in this fire which is believed to have started on Sunday. More than 300 firefighters, supported by firefighting aircraft, are now working to contain the blaze which is being fueled by forty mile-per-hour winds.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports on violent protests yesterday in Israel by Ethiopian Jews following their discovery that Israeli blood banks, after drawing blood from the immigrants, throw the blood away, fearing it may be contaminated with HIV. Israel officials explain this was done quietly so as not to hurt the Ethiopians' feelings. But Ethiopian Jews say the disqualification of their blood is just one more example of thr discrimination they suffer at the hands of Israel's white, European-born majority.

NPR's Jon Greenberg reports Republicans say new notes released by the White House are a sign it tried to control damage regarding Whitewater. The notes, written by former White House aide Mark Gearan in early 1994, describe a meeting where administration officials wanted to contact Beverly Bassett Schaeffer, a key witness in the Whitewater affair. Republicans say that suggests an effort to influence Schaeffer's testimony. The Senate Whitewater committee also delved into who handled the billing records found recently at the White House.

NPR's Cheryl Corley reports that in the United States, the USDA is instituting a new system aimed at increasing the safety of meat and poultry. Currently, inspectors rely on literally touching, smelling and looking at meat to determine whether it has been contaminated. Under the new system, scientific tests would be used to detect E-Coli and other microbes, and meat processors would be required to identify ways meat could become tainted, and take steps to prevent it from happening.

that contains personal information about most people in the country. Opponents call it an invasion of privacy. But the company says the criticism is based on rumors and false information.

Today's transgenic (genetically modified) crops contain have been tinkered with in a relatively simple way. And there is no evidence that they pose any health risk. But scientists are now working on the much more complex modifications needed to enhance the nutritional value of food crop -- by increasing their vitamin content, for example. This could have unpredictable consequences. NPR's Eric Niiler reports.

Noah Adams talks to Jo Jones of Ditches Farm at Church Stoke in Montgomery in Wales about the devastating slaughter of her family's 228 pedigree dairy cows this week. Half of their herd of dairy cows came down with foot-and-mouth disease and because the virus is so contagious, all of the cows had to be killed, then burned. Her husband Winston and daughter Lottie are not just suffering economic loss, but more importantly, are emotionally distraught by the loss.

In the wake of last June's triumphal announcement that researchers had completed the first draft of the human genome, two of the world's leading science journals are about to unveil dozens of papers containing what might be called the "fine print" of the human instruction manual. To get in the mood, NPR's David Kestenbaum decided to find out what its takes to pull DNA out of a cell and then read it. He accepted an invitation - not to a lab, but a KITCHEN.

The current surge is being driven by the spreading of the highly contagious omicron variant.

The World Health Organization lifts an advisory against traveling to Toronto, Canada, because of SARS infections. Toronto hasn't seen a new case of the respiratory illness in 20 days, and the epidemic appears to be contained to hospital workers there. NPR's Robert Siegel talks to NPR's Richard Knox.

U.S. officials in Iraq discount Mohammed Mohsen al-Zubaidi's claim to be the mayor of Baghdad. Zubaidi says he was elected by a group of clerics, academics and tribal leaders -- and he says he's in frequent contact with U.S. military commanders. NPR's Scott Simon reports.

Robert Siegel talks with Tian Tang, author of a Web site dedicated to the misuse of Chinese characters in Western culture. Tang posts photos of Chinese character tattoos that either contain errors or carry no meaning. Tang says as a Chinese American, he felt it was his "duty and honor to educate the public about the misusage of Chinese characters."

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana delivers an offer of incentives to Iran from world powers who would like to see Iran curb its uranium enrichment program. Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani says the initiative contains "positive steps" but also some "ambiguities."

U.S. embassy support staff in China and Vietnam are given permission to leave those countries due to growing concerns over a contagious form of pneumonia. The World Health Organization reports that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has killed 78 people and sickened nearly 2,300, mostly in Asia. NPR's Joanne Silberner, Richard Knox and Rob Gifford report.

Three weeks after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans officially welcomes back its first residents. The Algiers area is the first to open. But some officials think it's too soon because of contaminated water and lack of utilities, among other problems.

Inspectors discovered thousands of rodents at a Family Dollar warehouse, and now hundreds of stores have temporarily closed in order to deal with a recall of possibly contaminated products.

As part of NPR's Changing Face of America series, a report on how the practice of adoption is changing. Traditionally, adoptions have kept the identities of both biological and adoptive parents secret from each other. But increasingly families are entering into so-called "open adoptions" where they remain in some degree of contact with the birthmother as the child grows up. NPR's Neva Grant profiles a family in Portland, Oregon, that has two openly adopted children.

Scientists in Japan prove that it is possible to get a live, fertile mouse by activating an egg containing only DNA from female mice. The process of getting an unfertilized egg to start dividing is called parthenogenesis. Although many non-mammalian species reproduce this way, the Japanese mouse is the first known incidence in mammals. NPR's Joe Palca reports.

In Shakespeare's Songbook, a book and CD collection, author and musician Ross Duffin presents a collection of 160 songs from the comedies and tragedies of the great playwright.

Lead in drinking water in Washington, D.C., is just part of a larger, more profound problem that affects cities across the country. In his second report about contaminated drinking water, NPR's Daniel Zwerdling reveals that many cities are still getting their drinking water from systems that date back to the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Environmental Protection Agency tells officials in 31 states that new air-pollution controls are needed to control smog in counties containing more than 150 million people. The EPA, acting under court order, said 474 counties have air that fails federal standards or contributes to pollution in a neighboring area. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.

Encouraged by a Food and Drug Administration ruling last year banning weight-loss supplements containing ephedra, a consumer advocacy group targets at least a dozen other dietary supplements. The FDA had never before banned a dietary supplement, and it took years to agree on a ban on ephedra. NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports.

An environmental advocacy group argues that the aerial fire retardant used to combat wildfires is leeching into waterways and causing environmental hazards, such as killing endangered fish and creating toxic algae blooms.