Animals
11:41 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Domesticated Foxes: Man's New Best Friend?

For thousands of years, dogs have been our companions. After countless generations of selective breeding, they've become hard-wired to follow human commands: sit, lie down, jump, even shake.

So far, most other animals don't come close. But what if they could?

In 1954 a Russian geneticist named Dmitry Belyaev wanted to isolate the genes that make dogs so easy to train. He started a fox farm in Siberia and set out to do with foxes in one lifetime what took dogs thousands of years.

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Author Interviews
5:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

'The Moon': Children's Book Tackles Lifelong Themes

Host Rachel Martin speaks with author Natalie Babbitt about her new book, The Moon Over High Street. Babbitt is a celebrated writer of children's literature, including the classic, Tuck Everlasting. She's won the Newbery Honor Medal and five of her books have been ALA Notable Children's Books.

Author Interviews
5:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

A 'Wild,' Solitary Journey On The Pacific Crest Trail

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

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Politics
5:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Who's Money? SuperPACs To Reveal Records

Residents of Illinois and Louisiana this week have been bombarded by TV ads attacking one or another presidential candidate, the vast majority of them funded by superPACs, groups that run TV ads like a regular candidate's campaign, but legally have nothing to do with the candidate they support. Tuesday night, they must file a report detailing who gave them money and how they spent it. Host Rachel Martin talks with NPR's S.V. Dáte.

Presidential Race
5:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Puerto Rico Holds Primary With Statehood In Mind

Puerto Ricans are American citizens who do not vote in U.S. presidential general elections, but they do participate in Republican and Democratic nominating contests. Sunday, Puerto Rico holds a GOP primary. Both Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney visited the island this week. From San Juan, NPR's David Welna reports.

Around the Nation
5:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Tenn. Town Fights Fire With Money

Originally published on Sun March 18, 2012 6:57 am

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Two years ago in South Fulton, Tennessee, firefighters in this town watched a home burn to the ground. The owners hadn't paid the required $75 fee for fire service. Now, after a barrage of national media attention, city leaders have finally made a change. Chad Lampe from member station WKMS in Murray, Kentucky has more.

(SOUNDBITE OF BIRDS CHIRPING)

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Economy
5:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

First-Time Homebuyers Carry Financial Baggage

Host Rachel Martin speaks with Yale professor Robert Shiller about the challenges facing would-be, first-time home buyers, including stringent mortgage loan standards and record levels of student loan debt. Shiller's home price indices, developed originally with Karl Case, are now published as the Standard & Poor's/Case Shiller Home Price Index.

Religion
5:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Anglicans To Get New Spiritual Head

The resignation of the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, comes at a time of tension within the Anglican Church over issues related to homosexuality as well as women bishops. Vicki Barker has reaction to the news.

Sports
5:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

NCAA Madness Marches On

Credit Rick Bowmer / AP
Indiana forward Will Sheehey takes the game-winning shot against Virginia Commonwealth in the second half of an NCAA college basketball tournament third-round game in Portland, Ore., on Saturday. Indiana won 63-61.

The madness marches on. Sunday holds eight more games in the NCAA Division 1 men's basketball tournament. On Saturday, thankfully, there were no major rip-up-your-bracket upsets. That is, if your bracket was in still in one piece. But there was plenty of drama. Two of the most exciting games were at the sub-regional in Portland, Ore.

March Madness isn't just screaming crowds and grown men and women chanting things like the University of New Mexico's "Everyone's a Lobo, woof, woof, woof." In fact, sometimes there's drama in hushed silence.

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Afghanistan
5:00 am
Sun March 18, 2012

Will Massacre In Kandahar Be A Policy Tipping Point?

Originally published on Sun March 18, 2012 6:57 am

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.

In Afghanistan, the massacre of 16 unarmed Afghan civilians, allegedly by a U.S. service member, is the latest in a string of events which may have shifted the dynamic between the Afghan people and the U.S.-led Army that's been occupying the country for a decade.

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