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New tests confirm that Ludwig van Beethoven suffered from lead poisoning. The legendary composer, who experienced decades of illness that left him in misery for most of his life, died in 1827. Researchers aren't sure why his lead levels were so high, but they have some ideas.

Carly Simon, with Moonlight Serenade is on her fourth recording of American classics by composers like George & Ira Gershwin and Cole Porter. She talks about her musical life, then and now.

Months of bad news from Iraq have hurt President Bush's standing, with a new NPR poll of likely voters giving him a 50-percent approval rating, down from 53 percent in March. The poll also shows President Bush and his Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry in a statistical dead heat. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

Walter Mosley tells NPR's Cheryl Corley about his latest novel, The Man in My Basement. The best-selling author examines race, freedom and power in a book that chronicles an unusual relationship between two men -- one black, one white.

Raul Malo's new solo album of dreamy, romantic cover songs channels the sounds of Roy Orbison and Etta James. He says the trick was to pay tribute to the originals while doing them his own way.

For the first time ever, scientists from around the world convened a meeting dedicated solely to animal acoustics -- how animals use sound. NPR's Christopher Joyce attended the meeting and reports on what scientists were listening for, and why.

After a devastating storm and flood in 1953, The Netherlands embarked on an ambitious project to protect its shores and prevent future flooding. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, their experience could prove pivotal to preventing future disasters.

Renowned for its large, iconic photographs, LIFE magazine returned to U.S. newstands this week as an insert in local newspapers. NPR's John Ydstie speaks with LIFE managing editor Bill Shapiro and former LIFE photo editor John Loengard.

When Bob Morris' widowed father decided to start dating again at the age of 80, guess who found himself sorting through the personals? In Assisted Loving, Morris chronicles the search for Dad's new Ms. Right — and his own misadventures in the romantic jungle that is Manhattan's gay ghetto.

Minnesota children's otolaryngologist Asitha Jayawardena loved parenting his young daughters but was having trouble finding ways to connect with his older girl, whose interests were so different than his own.