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Before whales, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, giant filter-feeding fish swam the prehistoric seas. By going back and searching through museums for misunderstood or overlooked fossils, a researcher found evidence that these fish existed for more than 100 million years — far longer than scientists had previously thought.

Every other month seems to bring new revelations about a celebrity or politician who's been caught in a tawdry affair. Is there something about high-profile success that promotes infidelity? The answer is both yes and no.

The first detailed color pictures from the Mars Phoenix Lander have arrived on Earth, giving NASA its first close views of Mars' north pole. Guy Raz talks to NPR's Joe Palca at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena about what scientists say they are seeing.

Five years ago, San Diego voters decided to embark on an experiment. The public supported a switch from a city-manager form of government to a strong mayor system. Now the time has come for voters to decide on Proposition D. The initiative aims to make the strong mayor system permanent.

President Bush's call for more science funding comes amid criticism of his administration's approach to scientific research. Scientists say the White House puts ideology first. The president's chief science adviser calls the complaints "irrelevant."

Rom Houben became famous for supposedly communicating his innermost thoughts through a trained facilitator after doctors initially concluded that a car accident had left him in a vegetative state. Now, Houben's doctor says those reports appear to be false.

Mosquitoes use their sense of smell to find human victims. In many parts of the world, a mosquito bite brings more than just an itchy bump — you can get malaria, a sometimes deadly disease. Researchers are looking at the odors that attract mosquitoes in hopes of using that information to ward off the disease-carrying insects.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigned and handed control to the military on Friday after 30 years in office. The announcement by Vice President Omar Suleiman electrified hundreds of thousands of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, who hugged one another and chanted, "The people have brought down the regime!"

Free screening of a documentary by local filmmaker

Airs Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV