Jasjit Kaur Singh, an Indian chef, cooks kaala channa, a traditional spicy Sikh dish. A psychologist says that children who grow up in cultures with lots of spicy food are taught to like spice early on.

Jasjit Kaur Singh, an Indian chef, cooks kaala channa, a traditional spicy Sikh dish. A psychologist says that children who grow up in cultures with lots of spicy food are taught to like spice early on. Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images

The Salt

How Do We Grow To Like The Foods We Once Hated?

A psychologist says we have to be taught to like chili pepper and other foods we may initially dislike. The experience of eating it often somehow converts what's an aversion to a preference, he says.

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince Salman in Riyadh on Sunday. The meeting was part of Maduro's diplomatic tour of OPEC members to discuss falling oil prices, which have hit Venezuela's economy hard.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince Salman in Riyadh on Sunday. The meeting was part of Maduro's diplomatic tour of OPEC members to discuss falling oil prices, which have hit Venezuela's economy hard. Reuters /Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Reuters /Landov

The Two-Way - News Blog

OPEC Members Feel The Pain Of Falling Oil Prices

Venezuela's leader was in Qatar this week seeking billions to shore up his flagging economy. Oil prices have fallen by nearly 50 percent since last year and are now near a six-year low.
U.S. funding for medical research by source, 1994-2012. (Data were adjusted to 2012 dollars using the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index.)

U.S. funding for medical research by source, 1994-2012. (Data were adjusted to 2012 dollars using the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index.) American Medical Association hide caption

itoggle caption American Medical Association

Shots - Health News

U.S. Funding Of Health Research Stalls As Other Nations Rev Up

It's not just government-sponsored medical research that's dwindled in the last few years in the U.S. Drug firms have curbed their investment, too, especially in early-stage hunts for new drugs.

Credit: NPR

Tiny Desk Concerts

Daniel Lanois: Tiny Desk Concert

The producer presides over an all-instrumental, free-form trio with drummer Brian Blade and bassist Jim Wilson. Lanois never says a word, but he sculpts some serious, hypnotic sounds.
George Murray was able to access his VA benefits relatively easily while living in Boston; other vets have run into challenges.

George Murray was able to access his VA benefits relatively easily while living in Boston; other vets have run into challenges. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption

itoggle caption Jesse Costa/WBUR

Back At Base

VA Data Show Disparities In Veteran Benefits Spending WBUR

Nationwide veteran benefits data show a huge variation in coverage from state to state and even within states. In Massachusetts, access to VA services changes dramatically from Boston to Cape Cod.
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In Boyhood, Ethan Hawke (right) plays the divorced father of Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and Samantha (Lorelei Linklater). Hawke says he'd love to see his character get older.

In Boyhood, Ethan Hawke (right) plays the divorced father of Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and Samantha (Lorelei Linklater). Hawke says he'd love to see his character get older. Courtesy of IFC Films hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of IFC Films

Movie Interviews

The Magic Of The 'Boyhood' Experiment: Time And Patience

If the story fell apart after 12 years of filming, it would have been a "real drag," says Patricia Arquette, and a "colossal waste of time," says Ethan Hawke. Instead, it won three Golden Globes.
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On a 2007 visit to Savelugu Hospital in Ghana, President Jimmy Carter asks a group of children if they've had Guinea worm. A raised hand is a yes.

On a 2007 visit to Savelugu Hospital in Ghana, President Jimmy Carter asks a group of children if they've had Guinea worm. A raised hand is a yes. Louise Gubb/Courtesy of the Carter Center hide caption

itoggle caption Louise Gubb/Courtesy of the Carter Center

Goats and Soda

'Watch Out, Guinea Worm, Here Comes Jimmy Carter'

Those words were on a poster greeting the former president on a visit to Nigeria. In an interview with NPR, Carter explains his center's vow to wipe out the nasty worm, which is now down to 126 cases.
An oil and gas facility in Roger Mills County in far-western Oklahoma. The governor is warning state agencies that low oil prices could stall the state economy.

An oil and gas facility in Roger Mills County in far-western Oklahoma. The governor is warning state agencies that low oil prices could stall the state economy. Joe Wertz/StateImpact Oklahoma hide caption

itoggle caption Joe Wertz/StateImpact Oklahoma

Economy

'Kings When It's Good': Oklahoma Braces For Possible Crude Crash

Big-energy states are hoping the cheap oil is just a blip. In Oklahoma, the head of a catering firm delivering food to oil field workers worries that $40-a-barrel oil is "going to shut everything."
A supporter of ousted President Hosni Mubarak reacts in a courtroom to a verdict ordering a retrial in Cairo on Tuesday.

A supporter of ousted President Hosni Mubarak reacts in a courtroom to a verdict ordering a retrial in Cairo on Tuesday. Ahmed Abd El-Gwad/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Ahmed Abd El-Gwad/AP

The Two-Way - News Blog

Egyptian Court Overturns Hosni Mubarak's Final Conviction

The ruling, which throws out an embezzlement conviction, means the former Egyptian dictator could be set free soon. Ousted four years ago, Mubarak also saw a murder conviction overturned in November.
This October 2008 photo, provided by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, shows a brown bat with white-nose fungus in New York.

This October 2008 photo, provided by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, shows a brown bat with white-nose fungus in New York. Ryan von Linden/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Ryan von Linden/AP

Animals

Good News For Bats! Things Are Looking Up For Stemming Disease Spread NCPR

The disease known as white-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats, but scientists are seeing hopeful signs that some bat colonies are recovering.
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