In a town called Guanayen in the heart of Venezuela, supporters of acting President Nicolas Maduro take in the cool evening breeze. Morning Edition and Steve Inskeep will be reporting this week from Venezuela ahead of the election.

Credit: Jasmine Garsd/NPR

markmemmottnpr:

Live-blogging the asteroid’s approach. NPR provided me with protection. (Photo by Wright Bryan)

Mark Memmott, a blogger from The Two Way, was ready for anything. -L

You know how a big blue sky seems to go on forever? For the astronauts in Planetary Collective’s breathtaking documentary, that experience is amplified to awesome effect. Astronauts who experience the Overview Effect—the sudden recognition that we are part of a living, breathing planet—have a unique perspective on how we relate to and interact with Earth.

via Spaceship Earth: Who Is In Control? — rachel

Photo: NASA

Hey there Tumblr tumblers,

My name is Lizzy and I’m the newest intern addition to the social media team at NPR. I’m an Idahoan, a Montana graduate and a Washington newb. I’m all over social media from Twitter to Facebook to Instagram, but I’ll admit, Tumblr is not my strongest platform.

Here goes nothin’.
L

A wind turbine appears over Cedar Rapids, Iowa, like a giant hovering bird. #npr ‘s @johnwpoole is in Iowa with Howard Berkes, reporting an upcoming story on farm safety. And killer corn. Stay tuned …

Think of it as bagel surgery. Robert Krulwich attempts the transformation of one ordinary bagel into two intertwining, unbroken bagel parts. In other words, a Mobius bagel. — rachel

via Mathematically Challenging Bagels - NPR

Credit: George W. Hart

On a foot patrol in Kandahar, Nick Staback lost both of his legs after he stepped on a homemade bomb. Over the next year, his mother, Maria, became a tough coach as he learned to walk on two prosthetic legs, and together they adjusted to what she calls the “new normal” for their family.

Listen to and read the full story: http://n.pr/TahyT1

Photo: David Gilkey/NPR

By some counts of human history, the number of humans on Earth may have skidded so sharply that we were down to just 1,000 reproductive adults. And a supervolcano called Toba might have been to blame.

Read the full story here: http://n.pr/PlSBsS

Photo: Robert Krulwich/NPR

Those fighting the sex trafficking of children are enlisting truck drivers to help. A nonprofit group called Truckers Against Trafficking is reaching out to truckers about tell-tale signs of trafficking and distributing cards with the number for a 24-hour hotline. Sarah Jaikel started the hotline five years ago and says truck drivers are in an “incredibly unique position to recognize and report sex trafficking of children in this country.”

Listen to the fully story here: http://n.pr/S8x6di 

Photo: Brakkton Booker/NPR

— rachel

In the same vein of black-and-white, 1950s-era photos, here’s one that doesn’t inspire quite as many laughs as Lucy (see below). During the early 20th century, polio killed thousands of American children each summer and paralyzed many more. NPR’s health blog Shots takes a look back at how the polio vaccine came to be and how it’s being used to eradicate the disease globally.

Want more photos? Check out our slideshow and read the full story here: http://n.pr/R7gIZ6

Photo: Boston Children’s Hospital

— rachel