That means new challenges for lots of students, even traditional high achievers.

Russia and Western countries have had several close encounters in the air and at sea recently. Russia says these are just routine military exercises, but NATO and its Nordic partners are alarmed.

Baby Tiger Playtime is a popular draw in Clark County, but the Wildlife in Need refuge has had repeated violations and state officials are powerless to do anything about it.

The federal government lost hundreds of millions of dollars when solar panel maker Solyndra and car company Fisker went bankrupt. Now the loan program has made up for early losses and is in the black.

This map shows where irrigation on urban land is greatest by country.

A hackathon is developing a video game to train doctors and nurses volunteering for Ebola duty in West Africa.

On Wednesday, the justices took up a redistricting case from Alabama that explores which kinds of political gerrymandering are acceptable and which are not.

In medieval art, Virgin Mary was cloaked in blue. "Blue laws" In Colonial America (and sometimes still today) made it illegal to buy alcohol on Sunday. And more recently, irreverent blue humor made blue the most off-color color.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer's new book centers on Frank Bascombe, a 68-year-old man with a lot of problems.

As founding judge Randy Jackson announces his departure from American Idol, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says he embodies all that's wrong with a pioneering show that's become a pop culture cliche.

Hipsters in Beirut have a problem. Their long, lustrous beards are getting them mistaken for Islamist extremists and drawing unwanted scrutiny from the security forces.

Each sale then funds the destruction of weapons in Africa.

California's coffee crop is new and small, but farmers are optimistic about its potential. Scientists hope that by growing coffee here they can learn more about how to help the crop resist disease.

Israeli policy bars Jews from praying on the Temple Mount, the Jerusalem hilltop sacred to Jews and Muslims. But some rabbis and right-wing politicians are increasingly challenging the ban.

People consider their personal health information to be more sensitive than their religious views or purchasing habits, according to a survey on privacy by the Pew Research Center.

Most unpaid penalties are between two and 10 years overdue; some go back two decades. And federal regulators seem unable or unwilling to make mine owners pay.

A number of Columbus’ small craft breweries have switched from glass bottles to cans.

The August Schell Brewing Company hopes to refurbish and preserve the sign, which has been dark for nearly two decades.

Long before legislators in Vermont grappled with civil unions or same-sex marriage, two women in Weybridge lived together as a married couple for 44 years.

In light of the museum's planned move to a new downtown building, the projector will probably not see another year of use.

Ku Klux Klan groups are diversifying their aims and marketing themselves to people of color. But these moves aren't new.

Most of America’s food industry is male-dominated, from the farmers to the chefs.

What we can learn about life from the leader of the crew.

Other countries have moved away from child labor, but not Bolivia, which has lowered the legal working age to as young as 10. Advocates say the move brings the law in line with harsh reality.

There's more than one way to make color, nature tells us. And more than one way to use it to your own advantage.

Although roughly 83 percent of Bel-Ridge residents are black or African-American, the police force is almost entirely white.

Millions of miles from Earth, the Philae robotic lander has settled on the comet's surface, the European Space Agency says.

Unlike novelists and musicians, visual artists don't get royalties for their work. New legislation aims to fix this by taxing public sales, but auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's oppose the idea.

When Jennifer Hopper's husband was hit in the eye with a baseball, she rushed him to a hospital she knew was within their insurance plan. Then the ER doctor sent her an extra bill for more than $700.

The Common Core State Standards have led to big changes in the way many teachers approach reading instruction.

An Iraq war veteran has developed a better artificial leg with a cooling fan. Gary Walters says most prosthesis don't release heat, causing many amputees to stop wearing them.

Samples includes new music from Oil Boom, Damien Rice, Melody's Echo Chamber and Lost Midas.

Vimeo's first foray into original Web TV follows a nameless pot delivery dude who engages in oddly intimate business transactions.

When Christopher McCandless died in the wilds of Alaska, his story became famous all over the world. A new memoir by his sister Carine reveals some of the reasons he chose to walk away from the world.

Tennis, meet data geeks. Could numbers help top players win their next big game?

The projects could help the roughly 10 percent of the world's population that is dyslexic, much of which may be otherwise excellent at reading and writing.

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl joins hosts Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton to discuss his upbringing in Washington, D.C., and the role of geography in Foo Fighters' new album, Sonic Highways.

Scientists understand well the mechanics of hearing. What interests Maria Geffen, a University of Pennsylvania researcher in the Perelman School of Medicine's department of otorhinolaryngology, is the next step: how the brain assigns meaning to sound.

Network science is shining a spotlight on everything from your status in high school — it's not as simple as how many people you know — to the spread of diseases, says commentator Adam Frank.

In the late '70s, it took a song called "Rapper's Delight" to get the developing hip-hop art form on the radio. One of pioneering emcees, Big Bank Hank, died Tuesday.

A new report paints a bleak economic picture for Milwaukee's 53206 zip code.

The tiny town of Albion, Idaho made national headlines a year ago when its mayoral election ended in a tie and the outcome was then decided by a coin toss.

We went to a veterans event in San Diego to find out what homeless vets look like -- and how they see themselves.

One-third of people have trouble downing pills, and many skip taking medications as a result. A researcher in Germany says that two techniques help. Really? We tested them ourselves to find out.

Putting a probe on a comet's surface would be a first for mankind. But it doesn't look like it will be easy.

From a spoof of Kanye West's "Bound 2" (called "Hardcover Bound 2") to click-bait classic novel titles, millennials are proving that smart content and Internet frippery aren't mutually exclusive.

As more discover the site, there's a question about whether that changes the central meaning of a memorial meant to be infrequently visited.

This idea started small but became a hit.

“It’s been a great life. Been a great country to be a part of.”

Sylvia and Ron McHone of Crystal Lake, Ill., knew the news was not good when Marines came to their door after 10 o'clock at night in 2012. This is their story.

Watch the vocal group sing new music in what may be the loudest acoustic Tiny Desk concert ever.

If you buy your own health insurance, it's time to check out the options on the Obamacare exchanges.