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Classical Greeks and Romans dreamed up some fantastic inventions — including an analog computer to track the sun, and amphitheater surround sound (of sorts). Historian Vicki Leon discusses these innovations and more in her new book, How to Mellify a Corpse: And Other Human Stories of Ancient Science & Superstition.

The science fiction icon, who also wrote such classics as The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes, died Tuesday. Bradbury was known for his futuristic tales — but he never used a computer, or even drove a car.

The trial against the police officer charged with killing George Floyd commences in Minneapolis this week. Jamiles Lartey of The Marshall project explains why convictions in cases like this are rare.

Many tribal nations rely on oil and gas for economic independence. They hope Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will make it easier for them to extract fossil fuels despite her past opposition.

After keeping a nervous world waiting for days, the squabbling politicians of debt-ridden Greece finally announced a new interim government Thursday. It will be headed by a former European Central banker, Lucas Papademos, whose main task will be to ensure that Greece meets the conditions set by its European partners to receive new loan money and avoid default. That means showing that Greece will enforce austerity measures.

In the 1940s, U.S. publishers printed paperbacks — everything from romances to Westerns — that were designed for battle. Molly Guptill Manning explores their history in When Books Went to War.

Jane's Fame, Claire Harman's book about the author of Emma and Sense and Sensibility, reveals the gap between her legacy — modest, indifferent to fame and devoted to her characters — and her ambition.

The Iranian-American journalist was imprisoned in Iran, interrogated, tried and eventually released. But the controversy continues. Saberi says she confessed to her crimes in order to get out of jail but asserts that she did nothing wrong. Her new book Between Two Worlds is an account of her time in captivity.

The summer sun may be shining, but vampires don't seem to be going anywhere. NPR's Margot Adler has read more than 100 vampire books this year, and gives a heads-up on two bloodsucking books expected to be summer blockbusters: Christopher Farnsworth's Blood Oath and Justin Cronin's The Passage.

Rural New Hampshire was a big destination for people fleeing cities early on in the coronavirus pandemic. If those urbanites make the move permanent, it could help revitalize the region.