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California wants to limit the water that farmers can pump from depleted aquifers. To enforce those limits, regulators are turning to remote sensing satellites.

U.S. colleges are restarting study abroad programs after a year of cancellations brought by the pandemic. But the virus and travel restrictions have added new hurdles to an already complex process.

It's the first step in an audacious plan to solve vaccine inequity by setting up the manufacturing of mRNA vaccines across low-resource countries.

The liberal arts school said it's dropping legacy admissions to both create a fairer system and to promote diversity. The practice has been criticized for advantaging students from wealthier families.

The league accepted changes after an outcry over test score adjustments known as "race-norming," which make it harder for retired Black players to win dementia awards.

Brazil's parliament has been investigating President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic and is issuing a report that's harshly critical of his performance.

NPR's Sarah McCammon speaks with Latino USA host Maria Hinojosa and producer Reynaldo Leaños Jr. about their reporting on the aftermath of the largest single-state immigration raid in U.S. history.

NPR's Don Gonyea reports the Bush administration is going to court in support of three white university students who say their school uses racial quotas. The White House is accusing the University of Michigan of using quotas in deciding who is admitted. The university says its policy is constitutional, and that race is one of many factors it considers in its selection process. Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress say after the racial remarks made by Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS), now is not the time for the administration to challenge the factor of race in admissions.

Dina Temple-Raston reports from Rwanda on the thousands of open-air, informal courts trying suspects in the 1994 genocide between Hutus and Tutsi. The government hopes this airing out of crimes will close the book on a horrific chapter of Rwandan history. Critics say the process is horribly arbitrary and is ignoring the crimes of the Tutsi.

The Supreme Court reviews a 1996 law that orders non-citizens convicted of some crimes to be held without bond while a court decides whether to deport them. Opponents say it violates due process. The government says it's needed for public safety. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports.

A new, $100-million plant in Tampa, Fla., converts seawater into fresh drinking water, making the city the first in the country to get a substantial portion of its drinking water from the sea. But some fear the salty concentrate left over from the filtering process will harm the region's rich marine life. NPR's Phillip Davis reports.

For decades, scientists have searched for plants containing disease-fighting compounds. Some powerful cancer drugs are derived from a flower that grows in the forests of Madagascar. But experts say the oceans, teeming with life, might be a better place to search. As NPR's Eric Niiler reports, researchers are now scouring the seven seas in hopes of finding the next blockbuster drug.

NPR's Eric Niiler reports on the process of identifying the remains of the seven astronauts aboard the Columbia space shuttle. NASA will identify the bodies using dental records, blood type, fingerprints and, perhaps, DNA.

Two hundred years ago this year, Captain Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and the Corps of Discovery set out on their 7,000-mile, two-year trek across the wilderness of the new West. The explorers kept meticulous diaries -- including details of what they ate. Now a new cookbook with authentic recipes gives readers a taste of what what the Corps cooked on their journey.

Six school districts are suing the state and say the Department of Health’s basis for issuing a rule giving parents the right to opt out of mask mandates is wrong.

NPR's John Nielsen examines the arduous process of finding the pieces of the shuttle Columbia that have been spread across such a large area. He explains the difference between shuttle "forensics" and the investigation of plane crashes.

CDC endorses booster doses of Moderna and J&J vaccines. Many people apply to nursing school, but there aren't enough teachers. An interview with the secretary of Department of Veterans Affairs.

NPR's Steve Inskeep and Quil Lawrence speak to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough about how the agency is caring for veterans.

In the mid-70s, Canadian musician Randy Bachman's favorite guitar went missing. Using the internet, a fan tracked down the stolen instrument.

Some landlords got hurt by tenants who took advantage of eviction bans during the pandemic. Now they can't get any help from a massive $47 billion federal rental assistance program.

During the 1991 Gulf War, retreating Iraqi troops blew up and set ablaze many of Kuwait's oil fields, leaving massive oil spills and an environmental disaster. Now some military analysts say a desperate Saddam Hussein could once again attack Kuwait's oil fields -- or wreck his own to try to slow any U.S. attack. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

The Border Patrol recorded nearly 1.7 million apprehensions last year, eclipsing the record set in 2000. Still, the number of migrants crossing illegally is likely far below the all-time high.

The actor and author has a new book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play. He talks with NPR's Scott Simon about why walking in the woods makes him feel better and how to experience nature in a city.

In a paper published Wednesday, scientists from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School and Chicago's Shedd Aquarium explained how, for the first time, they located hardier heat-tolerant coral on Florida's reef.

A pair of towns along the Polish-German border, separated after World War II, will be reunited next year when Poland enters the European Union. But residents of Görlitz and Zgorzelec have mixed feelings -- some because of history, others because of the merger's economic impact. NPR's Emily Harris reports.