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Emmanuelle Charpentier (left) and Jennifer Doudna have a case for being the inventors of CRISPR-cas9, a transformative tool for gene editing. Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Scientists Battle In Court Over Lucrative Patents For Gene-Editing Tool

A gene-editing technology called CRISPR-cas9 could be a goldmine for its inventors. But it's not clear who owns the idea. U.S. patent judges will soon hear oral arguments to decide the issue.

Antonino Fernandez was born in 1917 in the village of Cerezales del Condado, in Spain's northern León province. Until his health deteriorated about five years ago, Fernandez came from Mexico to visit his hometown most summers. He and his wife had no children and were generous with financial help to distant relatives and former neighbors. Lauren Frayer for NPR hide caption

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Lauren Frayer for NPR

Parallels - World News

A Spanish Village Stays Afloat, Thanks To Corona Beer Tycoon

Antonino Fernandez, who made his fortune from Corona beer, died in Mexico in August at 98. But he never forgot where he came from — a tiny village in northern Spain that he helped support for decades.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced Sunday night he would resign, after voters rejected the referendum on constitutional reforms. Opposition parties had framed the vote as a referendum on Renzi himself. Franco Origlia/Getty Images hide caption

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Franco Origlia/Getty Images

Parallels - World News

Message From Italy's Failed Referendum: More European Uncertainty Ahead

The big winners in the referendum are Italy's two major euroskeptic parties — the anti-immigration Northern League and the maverick 5-Star Movement, which waged vitriolic campaigns.

Standing with his son Eric, wife Melania, and daughters Tiffany and Ivanka, Donald J. Trump cuts the ribbon for his latest property, the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 26. NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption

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NurPhoto via Getty Images

Business

What Are Trump's Potential Conflicts Of Interest? Here's A List

President-elect Trump has interests in hundreds of businesses. Many government agencies and policies could affect his profits. Here's a look at some of his businesses and the possible conflicts.

"Ghost Ship," a warehouse and artist's space in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, Calif., burned down on Friday. It was the deadliest fire in Oakland history. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images hide caption

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Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

The Two-Way - News Blog

Recovery Efforts At Burned Oakland Warehouse Paused Over Fear Of Collapse

A devastating fire on Friday killed at least 36 people at an artists' collective in Oakland, Calif. Firefighters temporarily halted recovery efforts after they noticed a wall was leaning.

Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria in Washington, D.C., has been made the center of a bizarre online conspiracy theory — with real-world consequences. The Washington Post/Getty Images hide caption

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The Washington Post/Getty Images

The Two-Way - News Blog

Man Fires Rifle Inside D.C. Pizzeria, Cites Fictitious Conspiracy Theories

An entirely baseless rumor about Comet Ping Pong has spread online. On Sunday, police say a man claiming he was there to "investigate" pointed a gun at an employee, who fled before the man fired.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson waves while arriving at Trump Tower on Tuesday. The next day, President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Bloomberg via Getty Images

Politics

Trump Taps Ben Carson For Secretary Of Housing And Urban Development

The retired neurosurgeon and former GOP presidential candidate is an unorthodox pick to lead the agency that oversees affordable housing programs and enforces fair housing legislation.

A hamlet between the towns of Tsihombe and Ambovombe, in the most drought stricken area in southern Madagascar. Most families in the region have resorted to eating wild fruits and tree leaves. Courtesy of Jeanluc Siblot hide caption

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Courtesy of Jeanluc Siblot

The Salt

Drought-Stricken Southern Madagascar Teeters On The Edge Of Famine

Fighting extreme poverty and failing crops caused by a three-year drought, United Nations food agencies are struggling to keep the region's population from succumbing to starvation.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear cases on whether lawmakers in Virginia and North Carolina weighed race too heavily when redrawing congressional districts. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Politics

Questions Of Race And Redistricting Return To The Supreme Court

Cases before the Supreme Court on Monday test whether lawmakers in Virginia and North Carolina weighed race too heavily in redrawing congressional districts following the 2010 census.

Questions Of Race And Redistricting Return To The Supreme Court

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Local television news displays Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaking to reporters at his official residence in Tokyo on Monday, as he announced he will become the first Japanese prime minister to visit Pearl Harbor. Jiji Press/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Jiji Press/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way - News Blog

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Will Become First Japanese Leader To Visit Pearl Harbor

President Obama and Abe will visit the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor together later this month. The historic trip will happen weeks after the 75th anniversary of the Japanese surprise attack.

While incarcerated, Mark Baskerville says he suffered five diabetic comas. He says he's now doing a better job of managing his health. Rae Ellen Bichell/NPR hide caption

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Rae Ellen Bichell/NPR

Shots - Health News

Helping Ex-Inmates Stay Out Of The ER Brings Multiple Benefits

Each year, millions of Americans leave jail and prison. When they do, they're likely to have a hard time managing their health. Some clinics are trying to provide ex-inmates with better, cheaper care.

Helping Ex-Inmates Stay Out Of The ER Brings Multiple Benefits

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A visit to Jupiter's moon Europa in the 2020s is among the upcoming NASA missions that have real potential to search for "biosignatures," or substances that provide evidence of life. NASA/JPL hide caption

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NASA/JPL

The Two-Way - News Blog

If You're Looking For Alien Life, How Will You Know If You've Found it?

Searching for alien life is harder than you might think, because whatever is out there might be really odd. Leading astrobiologists are meeting to advise NASA on how to go about looking for it.

If You're Looking For Alien Life, How Will You Know If You've Found it?

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Corey Ryan Forrester, Drew Morgan and Trae Crowder write and perform together. They wrote a book called, The Liberal Redneck Manifesto, which challenges what readers might expect from southern comedy. Robin Marchant/Getty Images hide caption

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Robin Marchant/Getty Images

Analysis

'Liberal Rednecks' Are Killing Southern Stereotypes With Comedy

Trae Crowder and his fellow comedians call themselves liberal rednecks. They use their Southern roots — and thick accents — to attack racism and homophobia.

'Liberal Rednecks' Are Killing Southern Stereotypes With Comedy

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The HPV vaccine has reduced the prevalence of the cancer-causing human papillomavirus by as much as 65 percent among those who are vaccinated. Matthew Busch for The Washington Post/Getty Images hide caption

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Matthew Busch for The Washington Post/Getty Images

Shots - Health News

When Doctors Talk To Parents About HPV Vaccine: Make It Brief

A decade after HPV vaccine was introduced in the U.S., many doctors still hesitate to routinely recommend that children get vaccinated against the cancer-causing virus.

Advice For Doctors Talking To Parents About HPV Vaccine: Make It Brief

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