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The Gates Foundation has granted engineers more than $3 million to develop cheap, high-tech toilets that don't need water or electricity. To test these supercommodes, the foundation has purchased 50 pounds of soybean paste that resembles human waste.

A wave of states are implementing or considering laws that would require a government photo ID to vote. Some say the laws could disenfranchise voters, others say ID is required for basic needs. Host Michel Martin talks with journalist Kristal Brent Zook and Abigail Thernstrom of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Every nation that sent a delegation to the London Games sent at least one female athlete — a first for the Olympics. This year's Team USA has more female than male athletes — and the women have won nearly twice as many medals as the men: 100 total medals, by my count, to 59 for the men.

For fifty years, physicists have flocked to the Aspen Center for Physics to ponder their ideas amidst the serenity of the Rocky Mountains. The string theory revolution started there, and over the years the center has hosted 10,000 theoretical physicists--53 of whom are Nobel laureates.

The Avengers and Expendables 2 are two of the summer's biggest movies, and they share a common theme: a band of heroes trying to save the day. Film buff Murray Horwitz suggests alternative movies to watch at home if you like that theme, but don't want to stand in long lines at the box office.

Insider attacks by Afghan forces have killed 40 coalition troops so far in 2012, including ten Americans. That surpasses the number of so-called green-on-blue attacks in 2011, and raises serious questions about Afghan readiness as American forces prepare for a withdrawal that could begin in 2013.

The Paralympic Games are the second largest sporting event in the world, after the Olympics, and begin August 29th. 4,000 elite disabled athletes will compete in 20 sports. Many of the sports are familiar, but others — like boccia and goalball — are unique to the Paralympics.

A young Christian girl is behind bars in Pakistan, accused of burning pages of Quranic verse. Defaming Islam or its holy book is punishable by death in Pakistan. The case has drawn wide attention to Muslim extremists' influence on the law and intolerance toward religious minorities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 2012's outbreak of West Nile virus is on track to be the worst in U.S. history. The mayor of Dallas recently authorized an aerial spraying program to kill the mosquitoes that carry the virus, which provoked protest from area residents.

Grocery auctions find eager buyers for food that is discontinued, seasonal or near its sell-by date. The food is generally still good after its sell-by date, and these auctions may be one answer to America's growing food waste problem.