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Alabama starts the year ranked No. 1, but after the playoffs, rankings will be less subjective. Guest host Wade Goodwyn checks in with NPR's Mike Pesca for a preview of the sports ahead: the start of the NFL season, the concussion settlement and a look at the 2013 college football.

If you want to go paleo in your diet, invest in a lawn mower. An examination of fossilized teeth from early humans and their ancient forebears reveals our ancestors switched from an ape diet of fruits and leaves to eating grasses and sedges about 3.5 million years ago.

Many birds seek out anthills, but not for a snack: They just want to roll around in a pile of insects. Some scientists think this strange behavior serves as a form of insect repellent. Others maintain that "anting" is a fun, pleasurable (and maybe even habit-forming) experience for birds.

Republicans cast the Labor Department report showing another month of sluggish economic growth as evidence that President Obama's policies have failed. Democrats said the recovery will take more time and that the partisan impasse in Congress has hampered progress. But analysts say the latest numbers likely won't change voters' minds.

The culture of hazing is back in the national spotlight after charges were filed against 13 people in connection with the hazing death of a Florida A&M University student. Florida has one of the toughest anti-hazing laws in the country, but legal experts say prosecuting the crime is tricky.

In Colorado Springs, firefighters are in "triage" mode. They're passing by some homes they don't think can be saved to get to others they may be able to keep from burning. Dry conditions, hot temperatures and strong winds are fanning the flames.

The summer's over, and Europeans are returning from vacation to harsh reality — the battle to save their single currency zone from collapse. Every now and then there's a milestone in a simmering crisis that's ruined banks, brought down governments, and triggered riots and bail-outs. On Wednesday Germany's constitutional court will rule on Europe's new bail out fund.

Plant pollinators are in trouble. But it isn't just the bees, its birds, butterflies and bats, too. A Seattle artist designs landscapes to connect the many different pollinators to the plants we eat.

Drought conditions in the Midwest are drying up the Arkansas River basin. Shrinking water levels are ravaging crops, sapping tourism and threatening drinking water supplies in the Rocky Mountains.

Women face a higher risk of stroke than men. But until now there haven't been guidelines specific to women for managing the risk. New recommendations say women should start thinking about reducing their stroke risk early on, when they're thinking about getting pregnant or avoiding pregnancy.