1st Lt. Alonzo Cushing, shown in an undated photo provided by the Wisconsin Historical Society, is expected to get the nation's highest military decoration -- the Medal of Honor -- this summer, nearly 150 years after he died at the Battle of Gettysburg. Wisconsin Historical Society/AP hide caption
John Harris makes a weld for a test during a welding class at Spartanburg Community College in Spartanburg, S.C., on Oct. 22. Mike Belleme for NPR hide caption
Harald Jaeger in uniform next to the flag of his East German border regiment in 1964. Courtesy of Harald Jaeger hide caption
David Roberts says the Cyber-Enhanced Working Dog harness will allow humans to monitor dogs' physical and emotional states remotely, such as in search-and-rescue operations. Becky Kirkland/North Carolina State University hide caption
Oil, carried here by the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, is fundamental to the state's economy. But Alaskans also face the effects of climate change in their daily lives. Al Grillo/AP hide caption
Being born too soon can set a child back for a lifetime. Jennifer Coate/AP hide caption
The Smithsonian's Jon Blundell scans the fossilized foot bone — the metatarsal — of the Wankel T. rex to help create a digital 3-D image of the long-dead dinosaur. Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post hide caption
Janet Napolitano in May of 2014. Jim Watson /AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Alicia Morant, 53, poses with her son Oriol Puig, 29, in their apartment near Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church. Both mother and son support Catalan independence from Spain, but they have different reasons for doing so. Lauren Frayer/NPR hide caption
NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of Super Typhoon Nuri after it developed an eye on Nov. 3. NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team hide caption
Screen grab from the teaser for the Discovery Channel's Eaten Alive. The Discovery Channel/YouTube hide caption
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on this way to Kabul. NATO hide caption
A man who breaks a wrist after age 50 is more likely to die prematurely than a woman with the same injury. iStockphoto hide caption
BJ Leiderman is the composer of the theme music heard on NPR's Morning Edition, Weekend Edition and Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Courtesy of Cole Rian: Jen Haynes & Mel Wils hide caption
President Obama answers questions during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, one day after Republicans seized control of the U.S. Senate and captured their biggest majority in the House in more than 60 years. Larry Downing/Reuters/Landov hide caption
Phil Rudd, the drummer for rock band AC/DC, leaves a court house in Tauranga, New Zealand, on Thursday. George Novak/AP hide caption
Health workers sit at the emergency entrance of a Doctors Without Borders clinic in Monrovia. New data seem to show a decline in Ebola cases in Liberia, WHO says. Zoom Dosso/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Students taking part in Columbia University's Ebola design challenge demonstrated for judges how to use a special chamber for decontaminating small items. Courtesy of Columbia Engineering hide caption
Berkeley's efforts to pass a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks faced opposition with deep pockets — but it also got sizable cash infusions from some big-name donors. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
Members of the activist group ACT UP, which has fought for the rights of people with AIDS, held a demonstration in New York's Times Square in 1992. Andrew Savulich/AP hide caption
Chevron Corp. supported several candidates in Richmond, Calif., where the company has been hoping to modernize a large oil refinery, seen here in 2010. None of the Chevron-backed candidates were elected. Paul Sakuma/AP hide caption
Marcus Lattimore retired from the NFL Wednesday, ending his hopes of returning from a knee injury to play for the San Francisco 49ers. Jason O. Watson/Getty Images hide caption
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says he sees issues where a Republican-led Congress can work with President Obama. McConnell won re-election Tuesday, as his party took control of the Senate. Timothy D. Easley/AP hide caption
In the latest bids to compel companies to label foods made with genetically modified ingredients, voters in Colorado and Oregon weighed in on the issue Tuesday. Brennan Linsley/AP hide caption