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New fossil discoveries have confirmed that the ancestors of whales had ankles and walked on land before making their way into the sea. NPR's Joe Palca reports that two separate teams of scientists -- publishing in both Science and Nature this week -- show that whales belong to the same animal group as sheep and hippos.

Liane Hansen speaks with singer/songwriter/legend Carole King, who wrote the music for 1960's hits including Up on the Roof and One Fine Day. Her 1971 album Tapestry was a huge hit, selling 14 million copies. Her latest cd, Love Makes the World, has just been released on her own label, Rockingale Records. {You can find out more at www.caroleking.com.}

It's hard to imagine a New York mayor's race without larger-than-life personalities, but this year's pack of candidates has failed thus far to fire the public imagination. Instead, the contest has been dominated by incumbent Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who is leaving office because of term limits. He may not be running, but Giuliani's eight years in office are the dominant issue in the campaign. Beth Fertig has our report from member station WNYC in New York.

NPR's Kathy Lohr reports on efforts to preserve the country's dwindling number of Civil War battlefields. Sites like Kennesaw Mountain -- the last obstacle between General Sherman and Atlanta -- are in danger from suburban sprawl.

Frank Gasparro, the man who designed the back of the Lincoln penny -- the side that displays the Lincoln Memorial -- died this past weekend at the age of 92. Linda Wertheimer talks with Christina Hansen, daughter of Frank Gasparro, about her father's work.

Lisa talks with economist and Working Assets founder Peter Barnes about his proposal that the citizens of this country open a "Sky Trust," and collect dividends from polluters. He outlines his theory in his new book Who Owns The Sky? Our Common Assets and the Future of Capitalism (Island Press).

The pandemic drove U.S. life expectancy down again in 2021 even though life-saving vaccines were widely available.

Host Noah Adams interviews David Shenk, author of a new book about Alzheimer's disease entitled The Forgetting. Alzheimer's: Portrait of an Epidemic.

NPR's Lynn Neary reports on the images of racial minorities that America displays overseas...through Hollywood films. See images and check out comprehensive NPR News coverage of the U.N. World Conference Against Racism.

In June of 1951, a husband and wife -- Julius and Ethel Rosenberg -- were executed in the United States. They had been convicted of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. The star witness against them was Ethel's brother, David Greenglass. Greenglass also served 10 years in prison for spying. And then, he and his wife and children disappeared, into a fog of false identities. Decades later, New York Times reporter Sam Roberts tracked him down. Roberts recorded his conversations with Greenglass. Robert Siegel talks with Roberts about his encounters with Greenglass.