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Renaissance woman Hedy Lamarr was born on this day 100 years ago. Not only was she a major screen actress, she was also an inventor. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates speaks with Lamarr biographer Richard Rhodes.

As an acoustic engineer, Trevor Cox has spent most of his career getting rid of bizarre, unwanted sounds. But in The Sound Book, Cox turns up the volume on those sonic oddities. The book explores weird echoes and unexpected noises from around the globe — including "whisper galleries" and a chirping pyramid.

Comcast, the nation's largest cable provider, is set to become even bigger. The Philadelphia-based company has reached an agreement to acquire Time Warner Cable, the nation's second-largest cable provider, in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $45 billion. Consumer groups oppose the deal on the grounds that it will hurt competition and raise prices. But the companies claim competition won't be harmed at all.

When state legislators impose mandates on schools, educators get nervous. Sometimes, lawmakers want kids to learn legitimate skills; other times, they try to micromanage lessons down to the historical event.

How much is that colonoscopy? Finding out can range from hard to impossible. Massachusetts now requires that health care providers give patients prices within two days. But that doesn't always happen.

The FDA has released its mock-up of a proposed new label for food. On it, calorie counts go big and bold. What's out? Listing calories from fat. What else is new? More details on added sugars.

Congressional Republicans continue to call for a ban on travel from the West African nations caught up in the Ebola outbreak. The Obama administration, however, remains firm in opposing a travel ban.

Militants from the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, control about 80 percent of Iraq's Anbar Province. Joint Chiefs Chairman General Martin Dempsey says ISIS could eventually shell Baghdad Airport.

A checkpoint near Kirkuk marks the line between Kurdish-controlled territory and the world of Islamic State extremists. Some 5,000 civilians stream across daily, lives and families divided.

How better ratings can help students make better decisions.