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NPR's Ivan Amato reports on a curious phenomenon called stochastic resonance and how it might help improve the human sense of touch. When a tiny electric charge is applied to the fingertips, people are able to feel faint sensations they wouldn't otherwise be able to notice. It's a reversal of the accepted notion that electrical noise interferes with a signal. Diabetics and the elderly, who lose sensation and often fall as a result, could profit from application of this discovery.

On her new album, Asha's Awakening, the artist Raveena sends her protagonist on a thousand-year intergalactic journey of discovery, all in order to better understand her own place on Earth.

What was once a niche sector in Las Vegas has grown into a national mega-business that people can enjoy from their living rooms — and the advertising dollars have followed.

Four months after parliamentary elections Iraqi leaders are still struggling to form their leadership. Meanwhile Iraqis endure shortages and frustration.

A community rallied after a couple lost their dog in a car accident that nearly killed them all. Eventually, they all made it home.

Gillo Pontecorvo's 1965 film The Battle of Algiers portrays the urban warfare between Algerians and the French troops occupying their country. The film's raw presentation of a ruthless conflict just years after it occurred left audiences enthralled. The film is now being re-released -- and to some, it conveys a new meaning in light of the U.S. involvement in Iraq. David D'Arcy reports.

Scott Simon previews this weekend's National Football League playoffs with Weekend Edition Sports Commentator Ron Rapoport. Both Scott and Ron offer their predictions.

The latest novel by Chilean writer Arturo Fuguet is called Movies of My Life. It tells the story of one man's youth on two continents, through the memories evoked by popular films. Tom Vitale reports.

Film writer Peter Biskind's new book is Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film. It reveals the uglier side of independent films, dishing dirt on Robert Redford of Sundance and the Weinstein Brothers of Miramax Films. But it also credits them with transforming American cinema. Hear Biskind and NPR's Scott Simon.

Legendary choreographer George Balanchine was born, who died in 1983, left behind hundreds of original ballets inspired by the unique abilities of his dancers. For Intersections, a Morning Edition series on artists and their inspirations, Kim Kokich profiles one of Balanchine's greatest ballerinas.