Talk of the Nation

In Afghanistan and other conflict zones, the military is often first on the ground, followed by diplomats, contractors and journalists. Next, in many cases, are aid workers: People who work for private organizations and strive to remain impartial in some of the world's most dangerous places.

It's been an unusually warm winter in some parts of the country, with springtime temperatures and very little snow. How is nature responding? Purdue entomologist Tom Turpin and horticulturalist Kristin Schleiter of the New York Botanical Garden discuss how an early spring affects flower buds, beetles and bees.

The New Horizons Mission blasted off toward Pluto in 2006; it's on course to arrive in Pluto's neighborhood in 2015. Mission leader Alan Stern discusses the journey of the spacecraft, and why he thinks Pluto is still a planet. Plus, the mission to get Pluto on a commemorative stamp.

Reporting in Nature, researchers write they have deciphered the genetic code of the gorilla, the last of the great apes to have its genome sequenced. Study co-author Aylwyn Scally discusses what the data reveal about the evolution of humans and other apes.

When you crunch into a potato chip or take a spoonful of chocolate mousse what you experience is more than just the taste of the food. In her book Taste What You're Missing, Barb Stuckey discusses why truly experiencing food involves all five senses and offers tips on how to get more enjoyment from your next meal.