This fungus among us — baker's yeast, aka Saccharomyces cerevisiae — is useful for more than just making bread. iStockphoto hide caption

Lt. Gen. Abdul Raziq is the police chief widely credited with bringing much greater security to the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. But critics accuse him of human rights abuses including torture and extrajudicial killings. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

When J.D. Falk was dying of stomach cancer in 2011, his wife says doctors would only talk about death in euphemisms. Hope Arnold hide caption

The famous chariot race in Ben-Hur was filmed on a movie set at Cinecittà in 1958. AP hide caption

First-graders take soccer class at the Nandulehe Elementary School in suburban Beijing. The school is one of 20,000 that's launching a national soccer curriculum in the next five years. It's part of a government plan to raise China's soccer skills and eventually, China's leaders hope, host and win a World Cup. Anthony Kuhn/NPR hide caption

An ancient stone tool unearthed at the excavation site near Kenya's Lake Turkana. It's not just the shape and sharp edges that suggest it was deliberately crafted, the researchers say, but also the dozens of stone flakes next to it that were part of the same kit. MPK-WTAP hide caption

Alan Doan likes the fact that Missouri Star Quilt Co. is following in the footsteps of fellow Hamilton native J.C. Penney, but Doan's never been into an actual J.C. Penney store. Frank Morris/KCUR hide caption

On Mathias Eick's new album, Midwest, he composes musical impressions of the Midwestern landscape. Courtesy of the artist hide caption