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Krulwich Wonders...
7:53 am
Tue May 7, 2013

Our Very Normal Solar System Isn't Normal Anymore

Some things you just count on. Like if we ever meet a space alien, it should have eyes (and maybe a head). Like somewhere out there, there are planets like ours. Like we have an ordinary solar system — "ordinary" because you know what it looks like ...

It's got a sun in the middle, little planets on the inside, bigger ones farther out. That's what most of them should look like, no?

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Animals
2:04 am
Tue May 7, 2013

This Bat Knows How To Drink

Originally published on Tue May 7, 2013 2:15 pm

Imagine it's a hot day, and you're craving some cold lemonade. Someone offers you a glass, but with one condition: You can drink it only using your tongue, with no lips touching the glass. No straw.

You might have a problem.

But many animals — bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and bats — have tongues specifically designed to do this. All drink nectar from flowers using only their tongues.

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National Security
2:03 am
Tue May 7, 2013

U.S. Turns Up Heat On Costly Commercial Cyber Theft In China

Originally published on Wed May 8, 2013 12:04 pm

American companies that do business with China make good money. They also lose a lot of money there to cyberthieves, who routinely hack into the computers of the U.S. firms and steal their trade and technology secrets.

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Joe's Big Idea
1:59 am
Tue May 7, 2013

Envisioning The Future With Cori Lathan

Credit Courtesy of AnthroTronix, Inc.
AnthroTronix Founder and CEO Corinna Lathan, at the company's offices in Silver Spring, Md.

Originally published on Tue May 7, 2013 10:04 am

Computers were created to be useful tools, but all too often it's still a chore to get technology to do our bidding.

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Business
5:02 pm
Mon May 6, 2013

Some Net Retailers Aren't Buying Online Sales Tax Proposal

Credit iStockphoto.com
The Senate on Monday approved a bill to allow states to collect sales taxes from online retailers. Proponents say sellers will get help navigating tax collection, but many retailers says complying will be burdensome and opens the door for unforeseen problems.

Originally published on Mon May 6, 2013 8:00 pm

Congress is considering a bill that would allow states to collect sales taxes from online retailers. Proponents say a law is necessary to level the playing field with brick-and-mortar stores and to raise revenue for states.

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Technology
3:57 pm
Mon May 6, 2013

Tech Week Ahead: YouTube's Subscription Service

Originally published on Mon May 6, 2013 8:00 pm

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

I'm Audie Cornish. And it's time now for All Tech Considered.

(SOUNDBITE OF THEME MUSIC)

CORNISH: YouTube, the website that made its name as the place where you can broadcast yourself, is on the verge of launching a subscription service. NPR's Laura Sydell joins us now to talk more about it. And, Laura, what is YouTube up to?

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The Two-Way
3:26 pm
Mon May 6, 2013

Pentagon: China's Government Hacked U.S. Networks

Credit Peter Parks / AFP/Getty Images
The 12-story building outside Shanghai that is alleged to be the headquarters of the People's Liberation Army's hacking group.

Originally published on Mon May 6, 2013 3:53 pm

The Pentagon has for the first time fingered Beijing directly for cyberattacks against both U.S. government networks and commercial computers, calling the practice a "serious concern."

The new report says numerous U.S. diplomatic, economic and defense industry networks were hacked in 2012 at the direction of China's government and its military.

As NPR's Tom Bowman reports: "In previous reports, the Pentagon has linked computer attacks to China, but not its government."

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The Two-Way
12:57 pm
Mon May 6, 2013

Senate Poised To Approve Online Sales Tax Bill

Credit Mike Coppola / Getty Images for eBay
Supporters of the Marketplace Fairness Act say it will level the playing field between online retailers and traditional brick-and-mortar stores.

Originally published on Mon May 6, 2013 6:24 pm

Update at 7:00 p.m.:

The Senate has passed the Marketplace Fairness Act by a vote of 69 to 27, The Associated Press reports.

Here's our original post:

The Senate is expected to approve a measure on Monday that would end tax-free shopping for online purchases, a move that concerns many e-retailers but has the support of the states that stand to collect billions in previously lost revenues.

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NPR Story
12:45 pm
Mon May 6, 2013

How Technology Is Transforming Archaeology

Originally published on Mon May 6, 2013 1:40 pm

Transcript

NEAL CONAN, HOST:

Legend has it that the rainforest of Mosquitia hid La Ciudad Blanca, the White City. For centuries, explorers tried to find the fabled city in the jungle of Nicaragua and Honduras. Protected by white water, coral snakes, stinging plants and brutal topography, the White City remained an archeologist dream. But with a new application of recent technology, a documentary filmmaker, not an archeologist, found the White City.

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