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The Maiden Blush, Chenango Strawberry and Duchess of Oldenburg are heirloom apples found in old orchards across Colorado, which was once a major apple-producing state.

The Maiden Blush, Chenango Strawberry and Duchess of Oldenburg are heirloom apples found in old orchards across Colorado, which was once a major apple-producing state. Adalyn Schuenemeyer /Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project hide caption

itoggle caption Adalyn Schuenemeyer /Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project

The Salt

The Comeback Of The Endangered Colorado Orange, An Apple KUNC-FM

The Colorado Orange is no orange; it is an apple, with a unique texture and citrus taste. There's a new effort to bring it and other endangered Colorado apples back from the brink of extinction.

Mountains of "little blue pills" and their chemical kin have transformed the way many people think about sex and aging.

Mountains of "little blue pills" and their chemical kin have transformed the way many people think about sex and aging. Raphael Gaillarde/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Raphael Gaillarde/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Love And Sex In The Time Of Viagra — 16 Years On

Longer lives means more decades of intimacy. Drugs that help male physiology match desire have affected more than just the body, men who take these pills say.

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Randen Patterson left a research career in physiology at U.C. Davis when funding got too tight. He now owns a grocery store in Guinda, Calif.

Randen Patterson left a research career in physiology at U.C. Davis when funding got too tight. He now owns a grocery store in Guinda, Calif. Max Whittaker/Prime for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Max Whittaker/Prime for NPR

Shots - Health News

When Scientists Give Up

They were talented, idealistic risk-takers on the road to what they thought would be important medical discoveries. But when the funding for risk-takers dried up, these two academics called it quits.

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"The State of the Birds" 2014 report found that red knots (above) and other shorebirds are among the most threatened groups in the U.S. More than half of U.S. shorebird species are on the report's Watch List — species that are currently endangered or at risk.

"The State of the Birds" 2014 report found that red knots (above) and other shorebirds are among the most threatened groups in the U.S. More than half of U.S. shorebird species are on the report's Watch List — species that are currently endangered or at risk. Gerrit Vyn/The Smithsonian Institution hide caption

itoggle caption Gerrit Vyn/The Smithsonian Institution

U.S. Gets Middling Marks On 2014 'State Of Birds' Report Card

Domestic cats, high-rises and vanishing habitat are taking a toll on more than 33 species of American birds, a comprehensive update reports. Still, wetland and coastal birds are faring better.

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Aficionados line up outside Hot Doug's, a gourmet hot dog diner in Chicago, in May. Owner Doug Sohn has announced that he will shut the doors in October after nearly 14 years.

Aficionados line up outside Hot Doug's, a gourmet hot dog diner in Chicago, in May. Owner Doug Sohn has announced that he will shut the doors in October after nearly 14 years. M. Spencer Green/AP hide caption

itoggle caption M. Spencer Green/AP

The Salt

Why Food Pilgrims Will Wait Four Hours For A Taste Of The Sublime

Psychology tells us that waiting for an experience can boost our happiness, as can talking about the experience afterward. That's one reason food pilgrims seem to be queuing up and Instagramming it.

A handout picture provided by Nicaraguan Army on Monday shows the place where what was first reported as a meteorite fell close to International Airport Augusto Sandino, in Managua, Nicaragua.

A handout picture provided by Nicaraguan Army on Monday shows the place where what was first reported as a meteorite fell close to International Airport Augusto Sandino, in Managua, Nicaragua. Nicaraguan Army/ Handout/EPA/Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Nicaraguan Army/ Handout/EPA/Landov

The Two-Way

Scientists Doubt That Meteor Caused Crater In Nicaragua

Authorities first said the 40-foot crater outside Managua's international airport was caused by a meteor that may have broken off from an Earth-passing asteroid. But scientists are skeptical.

A Baltimore oriole perches near apple blossoms in Mendota Heights, Minn.

A Baltimore oriole perches near apple blossoms in Mendota Heights, Minn. Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Environment

More Than Half Of U.S. Bird Species Threatened By Climate Change

A new Audubon report shows how climate change could affect the ranges of 588 North American bird species by the end of the century. Bald eagles, loons and orioles are among those facing major threats.

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Opponents of Michigan fish farms say there is no room for them in the lakes because of sport fishing and other recreational activities.

Opponents of Michigan fish farms say there is no room for them in the lakes because of sport fishing and other recreational activities. sfgamchick/Flickr hide caption

itoggle caption sfgamchick/Flickr

The Salt

Could Great Lakes Fisheries Be Revived Through Fish Farms? ILPR

This summer, Michigan's aquaculture industry took a step forward. And that has touched off a debate over whether the Great Lakes are an appropriate place for fish farming.

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Lisa Schlager of Chevy Chase, Md., demonstrates outside of the Supreme Court as arguments were made in a case seeking to determine whether the BRCA breast cancer genes can be patented. The court ruled in 2013 that individual genes can't be patented.

Lisa Schlager of Chevy Chase, Md., demonstrates outside of the Supreme Court as arguments were made in a case seeking to determine whether the BRCA breast cancer genes can be patented. The court ruled in 2013 that individual genes can't be patented. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty hide caption

itoggle caption Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty

Shots - Health News

Researcher Urges Wider Genetic Screening For Breast Cancer

Genetic tests are recommended for women with a family history of breast cancer. One researcher says all women should be screened, but others say there's not enough evidence that they are at risk.

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