NPR Staff
Stories
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Politics
Nature, Nurture And Your Politics
When most of us think about how we came to our political views, we often give a straightforward answer. We believe our stances on taxes, immigration or national security are shaped by those around us — our friends, parents, teachers. We assume our life experiences are the root of our political ideologies. But what if there is something deeper in us that drives the music we listen to, the food we eat — even the politicians that we elect? This week, we explore the role of biology in shaping our political identities.
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It's The Water ... That Helped Extinguish Flames At Old Olympia Brewery In Tumwater
Fire consumed an abandoned building in the Olympia Brewery Complex in Tumwater early Monday, Oct. 8. The Olympia beer name is now owned by Pabst Brewing Company and brewed under contract by MillerCoors in California, but still distributed widely throughout the Northwest.
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World
Vatican's Meeting Of Bishops Is Overshadowed By Abuse Allegations
The pope opened a three-week gathering of bishops as the Catholic Church deals with new revelations about sex-abuse claims against priests in the U.S., Germany, Chile and elsewhere.
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Your Word Of The Day Is 'Torrefaction.' First-Of-Its Kind Plant To Open In Eastern Oregon
Construction begins soon in eastern Oregon for the first commercial-scale "torrefaction" facility in the country. If you don't know what that word means, you're in good company. But the process itself isn't all that exotic. Think of how your coffee beans get crispy.
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Environment
Why Many Northwest Animals And Plants Need Wildfire
Not all wildfire is a force of destruction. Many of our favorite Northwest plants and animals have evolved to depend on it.
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Environment
Feds Propose Listing Rare Humboldt Marten As A Threatened Species
Only a few hundred Humboldt martens are left, living in small coastal pockets of forest in Northern California and Southern Oregon.
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Science
Anil Seth: How Does Your Brain Construct Your Conscious Reality?
When we look around, it feels like we're seeing an objective reality. But neuroscientist Anil Seth says everything we perceive, from objects to emotions, is an act of informed guesswork by the brain.
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Health
How Worried Should We Be About Ebola In Congo?
WHO upgraded the risk factor to "very high" in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Yet officials point to reasons for cautious optimism.
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US District Court Judge Greenlights Controversial Forest Restoration Project in Northeast Washington
A US District Court Judge in Spokane Thursday gave the green light to a controversial forest restoration project on Washington’s Colville National...
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Health
Flu Season Dependent On Weather And City Transportation Patterns
The more people a city has — and the more organized their movements are — the longer its flu season is likely to last, according to new research from Oregon State University.