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.

The Two-Way

Must Reads

Friday September 30, 2016

The United Nations Is Launching A Space Mission

A model of the planned Dream Chaser mini-shuttle designed by Sierra Nevada Corp. is displayed in March 2014 for a news conference at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Janet McConnaughey/AP hide caption

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Janet McConnaughey/AP

Must Reads

The United Nations Is Launching A Space Mission

September 30, 2016 • The U.N. is planning to send its first spacecraft into orbit, packed with scientific experiments from countries that can't afford their own space programs.

Carnegie Deli Says It Is Closing Down Its Landmark NYC Restaurant

A pastrami sandwich sits on the service counter at the Carnegie Deli in New York. The deli is closing at the end of 2016. Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images

America

Carnegie Deli Says It Is Closing Down Its Landmark NYC Restaurant

September 30, 2016 • As news of the closing rippled far beyond the deli's home turf in Manhattan Friday, hundreds of people responded with sadness and disbelief.

Feminist Bookstore Slams 'Portlandia' And Says Show Can No Longer Film There

Fred Armisen performs as Candace and Carrie Brownstein as Toni in a Portlandia sketch about two feminist bookstore owners in Portland. Augusta Quirk/IFC hide caption

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Augusta Quirk/IFC

America

Feminist Bookstore Slams 'Portlandia' And Says Show Can No Longer Film There

September 30, 2016 • The staff of In Other Words says the TV comedy is "diametrically opposed to our politics and the vision of society we're organizing to realize."

Thursday September 29, 2016

Americans Unconvinced Of Potential Good Of Self-Driving Cars, Study Finds

Pilot models of the Uber self-driving car in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Angelo Merendino/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Angelo Merendino/AFP/Getty Images

Must Reads

Americans Unconvinced Of Potential Good Of Self-Driving Cars, Study Finds

September 29, 2016 • Most Americans say they should always have the option to drive themselves. That's despite the fact the average driver is excited by driverless technology.

Scientists To Bid A Bittersweet Farewell To Rosetta, The Comet Chaser

An illustration of Rosetta just before Friday's expected landing on the comet known as 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The final approach aims to be only at "walking speed," mission specialists say, but that's enough to tip the antenna away from Earth. ATG medialab/ESA hide caption

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ATG medialab/ESA

Must Reads

Scientists To Bid A Bittersweet Farewell To Rosetta, The Comet Chaser

September 29, 2016 • To cap its 12-year scientific voyage, the Rosetta spacecraft will take a final plunge Friday. Scientists will signal Rosetta to crash into the surface of a comet — and gather data all the way down.

Scientists To Bid A Bittersweet Farewell To Rosetta, The Comet Chaser

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Wednesday September 28, 2016

Agnes Nixon, 'Queen Of Modern Daytime Drama,' Dies At 93

Agnes Nixon arrives at the 37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Las Vegas in 2010. Chris Pizzello/AP hide caption

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Chris Pizzello/AP

Must Reads

Agnes Nixon, 'Queen Of Modern Daytime Drama,' Dies At 93

September 28, 2016 • Soap opera pioneer Agnes Nixon created All My Children and One Life to Live. She was known for exploring challenging and taboo social issues through daytime television.

What Meerkat Murder Tells Us About Human Violence

A new study finds meerkats are the most murderous mammals. Frank Bienewald/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

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Frank Bienewald/LightRocket via Getty Images

Must Reads

What Meerkat Murder Tells Us About Human Violence

September 28, 2016 • What is the most murderous mammal? A new study says it's the meerkat. But the study argues that over all of human history, humans are still more lethally violent than the average mammal.

Coins From The Roman Empire Found In Ruins Of Japanese Castle

The Uruma city municipal office released this image of a 4th-century copper coin from ancient Rome that was found during an excavation of a castle in Okinawa, Japan. Jiji Press/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Jiji Press/AFP/Getty Images

International

Coins From The Roman Empire Found In Ruins Of Japanese Castle

September 28, 2016 • The copper coins were found in 2013; X-ray analysis shows that they bear an image of Constantine the Great.

I Guess We Need To Talk About Pepe The Frog

A man poses with a sign of Pepe the Frog outside Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., site of Monday's first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters hide caption

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Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Must Reads

I Guess We Need To Talk About Pepe The Frog

September 28, 2016 • A cartoon frog became popular, then a pariah. Now the Anti-Defamation League has identified it as a hate symbol. We take a short look at the amphibious, ambiguous meme.

Tuesday September 27, 2016

New York Fertility Doctor Says He Created Baby With 3 Genetic Parents

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Must Reads

New York Fertility Doctor Says He Created Baby With 3 Genetic Parents

September 27, 2016 • The New York-based doctor has sparked praise and criticism by going to Mexico and using DNA from three adults to create a child for a couple from Jordan who lost two children to a genetic disorder.

New York Fertility Doctor Says He Created Baby With 3 Genetic Parents

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92 Percent Of The World's Population Breathes Substandard Air, WHO Says

Smog blankets Cairo, Egypt, in 2012. Hassan Ammar/AP hide caption

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Hassan Ammar/AP

Must Reads

92 Percent Of The World's Population Breathes Substandard Air, WHO Says

September 27, 2016 • The pollution levels have a staggering impact on health, according to the report, which says: "In 2012, one out of every nine deaths was the result of air pollution-related conditions."

Monday September 26, 2016

NASA Spots What May Be Plumes Of Water On Jupiter's Moon Europa

Europa is believed to have a vast subterranean, saltwater ocean that contains twice as much water as Earth's oceans. NASA/JPL/Ted Stryk hide caption

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NASA/JPL/Ted Stryk

Must Reads

NASA Spots What May Be Plumes Of Water On Jupiter's Moon Europa

September 26, 2016 • If jets of water vapor are indeed erupting from Europa, a spacecraft could potentially fly through them and analyze their chemistry. The moon is believed to have a vast subterranean, saltwater ocean.

Saturday September 24, 2016

#NPRreads: Get Below The Surface This Weekend With These 3 Stories

Joe Paterno is seen on the scoreboard during a time out against the Temple Owls during the game on September 17, 2016 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Penn. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Must Reads

#NPRreads: Get Below The Surface This Weekend With These 3 Stories

September 24, 2016 • Correspondents, editors and producers from NPR's newsroom share the pieces that have kept them reading, using the #NPRreads hashtag.

Friday September 23, 2016

Dozens Of U.S., Canadian Tribes Unite Against Proposed Oil Pipelines

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip shakes the hands of First Nation leaders after they sign the Treaty Alliance Against Tar Sands Expansion during an announcement on oil sands pipelines Thursday at the Musqueam Community Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. Ben Nelms/Reuters hide caption

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Ben Nelms/Reuters

Must Reads

Dozens Of U.S., Canadian Tribes Unite Against Proposed Oil Pipelines

September 23, 2016 • At least 50 First Nations and tribes signed a treaty Thursday opposing tar sands expansion plans that they view as "a collective threat to our Nations."

Thursday September 22, 2016

Computer Scientists Solve Mystery Of The Ein Gedi Scroll By 'Virtual Unwrapping'

A virtually unwrapped image of writing on the inside of the partially destroyed Ein Gedi Scroll. Science Advances hide caption

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Science Advances

Must Reads

Computer Scientists Solve Mystery Of The Ein Gedi Scroll By 'Virtual Unwrapping'

September 22, 2016 • Researchers used a new kind of analysis to make a virtual image of a crumbling ancient scroll from Israel. Biblical scholars were able to read the re-created text, which is from Leviticus.