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Must Reads : The Two-Way Some stories are just too weird, too funny or too sad to ignore. They may not be "serious news," but are so fascinating you must read them. NPR correspondents are on the watch for such tales. We pass along the best, from NPR and other news outlets.
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The Two-Way

Must Reads

Thursday

Aretha Franklin, The 'Queen Of Soul,' Dies At 76

Aretha Franklin, pictured in 1968, has died. Known as the Queen of Soul, she recorded 17 top 10 singles. Express Newspapers/Getty Images hide caption

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Express Newspapers/Getty Images

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Aretha Franklin, The 'Queen Of Soul,' Dies At 76

One of the most powerful and beloved voices of all time died Thursday in Detroit.

Aretha Franklin, The 'Queen Of Soul,' Dies At 76

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Tuesday

Thursday

South Carolina Lottery Christmas Winners Won't Get Prizes

On Wednesday the South Carolina Education Lottery announced it will not be delivering more than $30 million in prizes to players with winning tickets printed as a result of a computer glitch. Fitria Ramli / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm hide caption

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Fitria Ramli / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm

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South Carolina Lottery Christmas Winners Won't Get Prizes

The state lottery commission ruled it will not pay out more than $30 million to people who bought tickets "printed in error." Gamblers will be reimbursed only $1 for each ticket.

Monday

Great White Sharks Have A Secret 'Cafe,' And They Led Scientists Right To It

Scientists tagged over 30 great white sharks last fall — more than they had ever done in a single season. Courtesy Stanford University — Block Lab Hopkins Marine Station hide caption

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Courtesy Stanford University — Block Lab Hopkins Marine Station

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Great White Sharks Have A Secret 'Cafe,' And They Led Scientists Right To It

These sharks have a hidden life that has becoming a lot less hidden, thanks to a scientific expedition that was years in the making.

Great White Sharks Have A Secret 'Cafe,' And They Led Scientists Right To It

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Thursday

Asteroid Impact That Wiped Out The Dinosaurs Also Caused Abrupt Global Warming

An artist's rendering of the Chicxulub impact crater on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula from an asteroid that slammed into the planet some 65 million years ago. SPL/Science Source hide caption

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SPL/Science Source

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Asteroid Impact That Wiped Out The Dinosaurs Also Caused Abrupt Global Warming

The crash of the space rock that slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula also warmed up the Earth's atmosphere for 100,000 years. And scientists say it's a cautionary tale for people living today.

Asteroid Impact That Wiped Out The Dinosaurs Also Caused Abrupt Global Warming

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Tuesday

Scientists have videotaped sharks traveling a 500-mile-long "shark highway" in the Pacific Ocean.

Scientists have videotaped sharks traveling a 500-mile-long "shark highway" in the Pacific Ocean. Andy Mann/Waitt Foundation/Pacifico hide caption

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Andy Mann/Waitt Foundation/Pacifico

The Two-Way

Scientists Take A Ride On The Pacific's 'Shark Highway'

Biologists knew the sharks sometimes traveled from waters off Costa Rica south to the Galapagos Islands, but they'd never actually witnessed it.

Scientists Take A Ride On The Pacific's 'Shark Highway'

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Monday

NASA Launching New Satellites To Measure Earth's Lumpy Gravity

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, shown in an artist's rendering, will measure tiny fluctuations in Earth's gravitational field to show how water moves around the planet. NASA/JPL hide caption

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NASA/JPL

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NASA Launching New Satellites To Measure Earth's Lumpy Gravity

The two satellites, which are collectively called GRACE and will replace two retired probes, are one of the most important tools for understanding the effects of climate change.

NASA Launching New Satellites To Measure Earth's Lumpy Gravity

Listen · 3:45
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Sunday

Bishop Michael Curry's Royal Wedding Sermon: Full Text Of 'The Power Of Love'

Bishop Michael Bruce Curry delivering the sermon during the wedding ceremony of Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and US actress Meghan Markle in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. OWEN HUMPHREYS/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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OWEN HUMPHREYS/AFP/Getty Images

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Bishop Michael Curry's Royal Wedding Sermon: Full Text Of 'The Power Of Love'

The presiding bishop of the American Episcopal Church delivered a powerful and emotive sermon to those in attendance and millions more watching across the world on embracing the power of love.

Saturday

Wednesday

'Yanny' Or 'Laurel'? Why People Hear Different Things In That Viral Clip

The debate over whether an audio clip says "yanny" or "laurel" is tearing the Internet apart. Westend61/Getty Images hide caption

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Westend61/Getty Images

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'Yanny' Or 'Laurel'? Why People Hear Different Things In That Viral Clip

We consulted experts on how human brains perceive sound. The poor quality of the audio file can be blamed for the different ways our brains perceive it. What we expect to hear also matters.

Noisy Clip

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Under The Banner Of Marijuana — An Estonian Municipality Adopts A New Flag

The Estonian municipality has approved using the marijuana leaf as the official government symbol. It will appear as the government logo, on flags and crest. Susan Montoya Bryan/AP hide caption

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Susan Montoya Bryan/AP

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Under The Banner Of Marijuana — An Estonian Municipality Adopts A New Flag

The rural region has a long history of cultivating cannabis that goes back 150 years, and on Tuesday the newly formed local government approved using the leaf as the official government symbol.

Friday

Earth's 'Bigger, Older Cousin' Maybe Doesn't Even Exist

The planet, known as Kepler-452b, was believed to be about 60 percent larger than our planet and within the habitable zone of its star. NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle hide caption

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NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle

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Earth's 'Bigger, Older Cousin' Maybe Doesn't Even Exist

In 2015, to great fanfare, NASA announced a planet discovery considered a milestone in the hunt for another Earth. But now some researchers say it's not clear that this planet actually exists.

Earth's 'Bigger, Older Cousin' Maybe Doesn't Even Exist

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Thursday

Massive Eradication Effort Ends Rodents' Reign Of Terror On Forbidding Isle

Jane Tansell, one of the two handlers responsible for the rodent detection dogs, looks on from the background as a camera captures wildlife on South Georgia Island earlier this year. Oliver Prince/Courtesy of South Georgia Heritage Trust hide caption

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Oliver Prince/Courtesy of South Georgia Heritage Trust

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Massive Eradication Effort Ends Rodents' Reign Of Terror On Forbidding Isle

Since humans came to South Georgia Island centuries ago, rats have terrorized rare native birds. But an ambitious project, using some plucky canine aides, has cleared the frigid wilderness.