Talk of the Nation

NPR's Lynn Neary reads from listener comments on several past programs, including shows about the shortage of primary care physicians, sexual harassment in online gaming and the benefit of study abroad programs.

We spend roughly a third of our lives asleep, but know very little about what happens while we slumber. In Dreamland, journalist David Randall writes about how lack of sleep contributes to fatal traffic and airplane crashes, and incidents of friendly fire in the military.

Every year, incoming college freshman get their first assignment: a "common read." Colleges and universities assign the same book for freshman to read over the summer in preparation for discsussions on campus. Many schools are assigning Sonia Nazario's book Enrique's Journey.

Mental health professionals are faced with difficult decisions about when to warn about potential threats to public safety. State laws vary: Some require mental health workers to report a perceived threat, others ease confidentiality requirements, and some states have no established duty to warn.

Republicans and Democrats can agree on one thing about Mitt Romney's pick of Paul Ryan as his running mate: His selection refocused and reshaped the race for president. That may be all they agree on. NPR's Ron Elving discusses the range of reactions.

The Science Friday Book Club reconvenes this week to talk about Monkey Mind--writer Daniel Smith's personal account of his severe anxiety. Kirkus Reviews calls the book "a true treasure-trove of insight laced with humor and polished prose." Call in and share your review. Peer into the anxious mind of writer Daniel Smith with the SciFri Book Club.

Researchers are attempting to treat Alzheimer's disease with antibodies, hormones and gene therapy. But will any lead to a cure? Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, talks about the latest research, and whether there might someday be a vaccine to protect the aging brain.

For fifty years, physicists have flocked to the Aspen Center for Physics to ponder their ideas amidst the serenity of the Rocky Mountains. The string theory revolution started there, and over the years the center has hosted 10,000 theoretical physicists--53 of whom are Nobel laureates.

Science fiction hero Tom Swift has amazed children with his incredible inventions since combustion and electricity drove the nation into a new era. These stories captured a cultural love of science and inspired such famous figures as Steve Wozniak and Isaac Asimov — all while predicting new technologies decades in advance.

The Curiosity rover nailed its dismount, following a complex routine of aerial acrobatics last weekend. Now, after the thrill of the picture-perfect landing, scientists are eager to start the real mission. John Grotzinger, project scientist for the Mars Science Laboratory mission, describes the immediate goals for the Curiosity rover, now in Gale Crater on Mars.

Curiosity carries one of the most "complicated instruments ever to land on the surface of another planet," according to NASA. The rover's "Sample Analysis at Mars" — which can take dirt and crushed rock from the Red Planet and analyze those samples for indicators of alien life — was partly built in the Big Apple by Honeybee Robotics. Flora Lichtman got a tour of the facility.

College students are often urged to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad. Mark Salisbury, of Augustana College in Illinois, argues that meaningful cross-cultural education doesn't always happen.

Bipartisan legislation approved in late July by the Senate Intelligence Committee includes anti-leak provisions designed to curb disclosure of national security information. This legislation, and an ongoing FBI inquiry into U.S. intelligence leaks, have raised questions about the relationship between reporters and sources.

Fossils discovered in East Africa suggest that Homo erectus, the species believed to be humans' direct ancestor, may have shared Earth with two genetically distinct but similar species. Some paleontologists believe that these species may be distant relatives to modern humans, while others need more evidence.

In Cuba, President Raul Castro has plans to reform the economy, but many challenges lie ahead before the country can move forward. Many of the changes are being implemented slowly because of resistance from within the Communist Party.