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There's a hard biscuit in the U.K. called a Dorset knob, and people compete throwing biscuits across a field. The last contest in 2019 attracted 8,000 people — too much for the village to handle.

W.C. Fields called Bert Williams "the funniest man I ever saw, and the saddest I ever knew." Williams was an African-American vaudeville star in the early 1900s, and an influence on many future comedians. A small record company has released a collection of Bert Williams recordings. Elizabeth Yates McNamee reports.

Last Friday, Harvard University President Lawrence Summers suggested that innate differences between men and women might be one reason there are fewer women in the fields of science and engineering. More than 50 Harvard professors signed a letter protesting his statement, and alumnae have threatened to withhold donations. Summers has apologized, but commentator and psychological researcher Drew Westen says that apology might be unwarranted.

In the weeks following the U.S. invasion of Iraq, soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field artillery Regiment set up quarters in a war-damaged palace in Baghdad. A former lair of Uday Hussein, the crumbling palace barracks serve as a backdrop to the new documentary, "Gunner Palace."

NPR's Andrea Seabrook talks to Dr. Steve Mann, a computer science engineer in Toronto, Canada, who may be the world's first "cyborg" -- part man, part machine. Mann has boosted his sensory abilities with special glasses and implanted sensors that enhance his perception of reality and give him constant biofeedback. He's the author of Cyborg: Digital Destiny and Human Possibility in the Age of the Wearable Computer and a pioneer in the field of cybernetics.

A group of anesthesiologists discusses reports that patients who are put into a deeper sleep during surgery are more likely to die within weeks, or months. Experts in the field say that while people over 65 may be at a greater risk, tens of thousands of deaths may be preventable by taking the findings into account. NPR's Richard Knox reports.

A performance and chat with musician Stephin Merritt and author David Handler (a.k.a Lemony Snicket) about The Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate Events. Merritt, of The Magnetic Fields, contributed his talents to the soundtrack.

When Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field on April 15, 1947, it was the beginning of a year that would test his courage, and the mettle of a nation. In his new book, author Jonathan Eig delves into the personal and professional battles that Robinson fought during his rookie season.

Even though players can't carry phones onto the field, replays show Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodofo Castro's cell sliding out. It happened Tuesday — the day Castro was called up from the minors.

Stefan Fatsis got the Denver Broncos to let him kick with the team and then wrote a book about the experience, titled A Few Seconds of Panic: A 5-Foot-8, 170-Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL.