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0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8ba20001The 2012 Summer Olympics, the Games of the XXX Olympiad, will take place in London, England, United Kingdom from July 27 - August 12.Athletes from over 200 countries are expected to compete in 36 different events.For full schedule and results, plus more information, visit the official London 2012 website.

8.4.16: Inside the World of Olympic Archery, Flossing Benefis are Murky, & Overheard

Jonathan Yeap via flickr Creative Commons
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https://flic.kr/p/8tqUkG
Singapore's Loh Tze Rong Vanessa loses to Turkey's Elif Begunhan Unsal in the archery Junior Womens' Individual elimination round of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) played at the Kallang Field in Singapore, Aug 18 2010.

By the time the 2016 Olympic opening ceremony kicks off in Rio, ranking rounds for one of the fastest growing sports will already have taken place--archery, not known for its high drama. On today’s show, Zen and the art of Olympic archery.

Then, a few days ago the AP news service blew the top off of a story that's been brewing for a while now. Despite what decades worth of guilt and dental advice might make you think, flossing might not actually be doing much for those pearly whites.

And for this month’s edition of Overheard, we invited NHPR reporter Emily Corwin and Senior Editor for Politics and Public Policy, Dan Barrick to share what they’re listening to.

Listen to the full show

Olympic Archery

Archery is an enigmatic sport that is both growing, and yet going nowhere, a sport that requires profound skill but can be mastered in only a couple of years. A sport that is both deeply suspenseful to watch, and...sort of boring.

Reeves Wiedeman is a contributing editor at New York Magazine, and he wrote about archery, and some of the unusual athletes who pursue it, for Harpers.

Related: "Arrow Heads"

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Olympic Archery

The Benefits of Flossing Are Scientifically Murky

Jeff Donn is a reporter for the AP's national investigative team and he filed an Freedom of Information Act in order to ask the Federal Government: "What is the evidence that says we should floss for oral health?"

Related: "Medical Benefits of Dental Floss Unproven"

WOM08042016B.mp3
The Benefits of Flossing Are Scientifically Murky

Vulcanite Dentures or When Patent Violators Fight Back

Now that the curtain has been pulled back on flossing, it's time for a tale of dentures and patents and "unusual financial arrangements" - and at the intersection? A deadly crime - but what sounds like pulp fiction is a very real story that has had long reaching effects in the dental world. Roman Mars from the podcast 99% Invisible has the story.

Listen to this story again at prx.org.

Overheard for August: Part 1

Twice a month we sit down with a few of our colleagues to talk about compelling sound. This week NHPR reporter Emily Corwin and and Senior Editor for Politics and Public Policy, Dan Barrickjoined Virginia with their picks for this edition of Overheard.

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Overheard for August: Part 1

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