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North Korea watchers are hoping a rare political conference in Pyongyang will yield clues about the secretive country's future leadership. Ruler Kim Jong Il is expected to name his youngest son to key jobs that could pave his way to power.

The worsening security situation in Iraq has prompted U.S. military commanders to prepare contingency plans for sending additional troops to the country. U.S. commanders have not requested additional forces, but they are considering whether more troops trained in rapid-response techniques are needed. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.

Popular movements during the Arab Spring paved the way for democratic elections in Egypt and Tunisia. In Egypt, Islamists are assuming powerful roles. Many women's rights activists fear that a shift toward democratically-elected Islamist rulers will limit personal and political freedom for women.

Longtime Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced Tuesday he will not seek a seventh term in office. Part of the city's political royalty, he's credited with building the skyline and beautifying its stunning lakefront, but he leaves office with the budget in crisis, violent crime soaring in some neighborhoods and the feds probing corruption in City Hall.

Two Kinds of Horror Films to Choose From This Weekend

What kind of impact will the USS Carl Vinson have on San Diego's culture and economy? We talk to reporter Alison St. John about the arrival of a third nuclear aircraft carrier in our community.

Cindy Vong is taking the state to court after the cosmetology board pulled the plug on her fish-pedicure business. The board says the practice is unsanitary, but Vong's attorney disputes the claim the spa fish put anyone at risk.

Setting his sights on the mystery of human uniqueness, V.S. Ramachandran reveals what baffling and extreme case studies can teach us about normal brain function and how it evolved. In his new book, the neuroscientist takes us on a tour of some seemingly inexplicable behaviors of the brain. For instance, how can a totally blind person locate a spot of light on a wall? Or, a patient in coma wake up to answer the phone and then lapse back into a coma?

Researchers say people living in poor neighborhoods are less likely to get as much exercise as affluent neighborhoods. Joanne Faryon visits two communities to find out what factors play the largest ro

South Korean scientists announced Wednesday they have created the first cloned dog. Snuppy, an Afghan hound, was born in April. The cloning technique used is not efficient. It took nearly 2,000 eggs to make some 1,000 embryos -- all of which produced just one healthy puppy.