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Scientists say too much airborne nitrogen from farms is throwing off the ecological balance of Rocky Mountain National Park. So the federal government is hoping weather alerts for farmers will help.

The war in Syria has torn families apart and driven millions out of the country, but it has also transformed some Syrians as they take on roles they never imagined. A 26-year-old woman from Homs has put her dream of teaching English literature on hold as she works with the opposition.

Historian Rick Atkinson's new book completes his trilogy on the second world war. He tells NPR's Steve Inskeep that the events of the war may be 70 years in the past, but they're still very much a part of American culture.

It's been a great year for high-profile comics creators, producing landmark works destined for many "Best Comics of 2012" lists. But what about the lesser-known artists and their work? Glen Weldon points to outstanding works that haven't gotten the attention they deserve.

Two short tales: One about bad guys in a fishing village in Pakistan, the other about good guys in Baghdad. And the question is posed: in the long arc of time, which side prevails, those with the impulse to take or those with the impulse to give?

From China's Yellow Sea to the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, agricultural waste in the water system is fueling spectacular algae blooms. The masses of slime cause dead zones in the water and major losses in tourism revenue in affected towns. But the algae fight doesn't begin at the water's edge; it starts in the fields and pastures.

The state estimates that about 325,000 wells have been drilled since the mid-1800s, but the locations of 200,000 of them are unknown. This proves problematic when new wells occasionally intersect abandoned ones, and gas rockets up to the surface in a geyser.

As the Berlin Wall was coming down, East Germany's secret police, the Stasi, tore up millions of files. More than two decades later, the vast array of secret papers collected by the Stasi is still in huge demand. Archivists are now using groundbreaking computer technology to reconstruct those files.

Over 20 years, the average burden for a four-year college graduate in the U.S. has gone from $9,000 to $30,000. The percentage of students with debt has shot up from about half to nearly 70 percent.

It’s June, and that means warmer weather, outdoor gardening...and ticks. This week, Taylor Quimby, host of the NHPR podcast Patient Zero, is bringing us…