Africa

Civilians Flee, Soldiers Dig In On Sudanese Frontier()  

Nyachieng Nguot Teng, 25, lost her left leg and her 7-month-old son suffered a fractured leg when a Sudanese bomb fell on her hut in Lalat, South Sudan, on May 5. The United Nations is trying to prevent the recent fighting between the two Sudans from escalating into full-scale war.

Sudan and South Sudan are still threatening one another along their borders. The U.N. is warning both Sudans that they could face sanctions if they can't reverse their escalating feud.

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Research News

Dino-Aged Deep-Sea Bacteria Have Been 'Splitting A Pie' For Eons()  

Researcher Hans Roy opens a core sample taken from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. A core sample like this one contained bacteria that settled on the seafloor 86 million years ago.

Back when the dinosaurs ruled the Earth, some hardy bacteria took up residence at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Eighty six million years later, they're still there. And a new study says they're living out the most Spartan lifestyle known on this planet.

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The Salt

The Secret Life Of California's World-Class Strawberries()  

Strawberry research fields in Watsonville, Calif.

We may romanticize that strawberries are grown down the road, but most of them come from California. And a complex web of plant cloning practices, relocation and fumigation has cropped up to keep it that way. Although scientists are exploring new options, like soil-free growing.

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Opinion

Two Gray Titles, One Sexy Mix-Up()  

Historical fiction fits in a bustier.

What happens when two books with similar names are out at the same time? Well, when one is historical fiction set in Lithuania and the other an S&M novel that's ripping up the best-sellers list, some interesting teachable moments.

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Music News

Cecil Taylor: The Pianist Who's Also An Orchestra()  

Cecil Taylor, 83, is being feted in a two-week celebration of his music in New York City.

He broke all the rules of jazz and improvised music — and that was in the 1950s. Now 83 and idolized by musicians, the great improviser is celebrated for developing a unique language at the keyboard.

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It's All Politics

Billionaire Donor Joe Ricketts: From Behind The Scenes To Center Stage()  

Joe Ricketts, whose American Film Company produced The Conspirator, arrives at the film's premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010.

TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts became front-page news Thursday because of a report he was considering a $10 million ad campaign that would attack President Obama over his former pastor. But Ricketts has been quietly funding conservative political causes for the past few years.

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The Fracking Boom: Missing Answers

Pennsylvania Doctors Worry Over Fracking 'Gag Rule'()  

Plastic surgeon Amy Pare says it's important for doctors to know what kind of substances patients she's treating might have been exposed to.

A new law grants doctors access to information about trade-secret chemicals used in natural gas drilling. Doctors say they need the information to treat patients who may have been exposed to chemicals. But the law also says doctors can't tell anyone else — not even other doctors — about what's in the formulas.

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Law

Same-Sex Parents Lobby Congress For Equal Rights()  

Family Equality Council Executive Director Jennifer Chrisler (left), her partner Cheryl Jacques and their sons Tom and Tim Jacques visited Washington on Thursday to ask Congress for equal rights for same-sex families.

Dozens of same-sex families descended on Capitol Hill on Thursday to ask Congress for a break. They shared their stories of not being recognized as legal parents — or legal families — in hopes that lawmakers would feel their own views on same-sex rights evolve, just like Obama's did.

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