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Marin Alsop, conductor of the Colorado Symphony, gives a behind-the-scenes look at a percussion concerto called UFO, by American composer Michael Daugherty. The piece was written for the soloist Evelyn Glennie, who talks with Alsop about some of the unorthodox instruments that make up a percussionist's arsenal.

A Clonaid official backpedals on providing evidence of the company's claim that a cloned infant has been born. Clonaid's CEO says the mother of the child born Dec. 26 is wavering on providing a DNA sample key to establishing genetic proof. Scientists remain skeptical of Clonaid's claim. Hear from NPR's Joe Palca and James Randi, who is devoted to debunking pseudoscientific claims.

North Korea resists pressure to halt a nuclear energy program the United States fears could be used to develop nuclear arms. The nation's ambassador to China says North Korea is defending against U.S. aggression. South Korea's president-elect may try to mediate, and China could be a key diplomatic player. Hear from Anthony Kuhn and from James Lilley, a former U.S. envoy to China and South Korea.

Commentator Hollis Gillespie is a flight attendant now - but she's had lots of jobs and she's been fired from many of them. Once, though, she turned down an offer to be a skycap. She was embarrassed, afraid that she'd encounter past enemies or old flames at the airport on their way somewhere exciting. Now, she regrets her decision.

Commentator Aaron Freeman hopes he caused his sister's brain tumor. When they were children, he kicked her in the head. As an adult, she developed the tumor. The exact cause isn't certain, but the other probable cause is genetic - and the gene is linked to breast cancer - so he hopes that it is the kick, and not the gene, that is the culprit.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix says that two months of investigation on the ground in Iraq have failed to produce any "smoking guns." Blix is preparing to brief the U.N. Security Council on the inspections process. NPR's Vicky O'Hara reports.

The Israeli Supreme Court reverses a ban on two Arab members of parliament, permitting them to participate in the Jan. 28 general election. Meanwhile, the small centralist party Shinui, which demands an end to special benefits for Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jews, moves up in polls. Hear NPR's Peter Kenyon and Linda Gradstein.

The bacterium D. radiodurans can survive thousands of times more radiation than any other living creature -- because it has a unique ability to repair genetic damage extremely efficiently. Scientists have been trying to discover how the bug pulls of this nifty trick for 40 years. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports.

Carmakers consult the atlas and the thesaurus in the search for exotic new vehicle names.

A group describing itself as "anonymous animalists" seems to have entered a dangerous area and rescued the dogs, leaving a banner signed by the fictional commando group.

Pianist and singer Vienna Teng recorded most of her debut full-length CD, Waking Hour, while studying computer science at Stanford University. After graduating in 2000, Teng took a job as a computer engineer, but quit this past spring to perform her music around the country. NPR's Liane Hansen talks with Teng about her music.

The seven men arrested in Britain over the weekend were allegedly manufacturing Ricin, a poison made from the berries of a common ornamental plant. NPR's Ketzel Levine looks at the plant itself.