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NPR's Richard Harris reports on a new fossil skull, perhaps the most complete ever from a crucial period 3.5 million years ago. It was a period when the pre-human line was branching in several evolutionary directions. A member of the Leakey family found the skull. The Leakeys have been discovering fossils for three generations.

NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports that in the 50 years since the discovery of DNA's structure, genetic research has moved from a race for pure knowledge to a pursuit of profit. The scientific work of researchers James Watson and Francis Crick is now at the center of the entrepreneurial economy, and is erasing the traditional line between academia and industry.

David Cronenberg's films consistently confound viewer expectations. Naked Lunch, The Fly and Crash subverted the line between reality and fantasy. Now comes A History of Violence.

The term "Pro-Government Conservatives" is a new grouping in the Pew Research Center's typology of voters. The group tends to live south of the Mason Dixon line, religion is important to them, and many of the women work. Family and finances are big concerns for them.

Andrew Bird ruminates on a line from Joan Didion's 1968 essay collection Slouching Towards Bethlehem.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli concludes her series on Muslims in Europe with a look at the new religious battle lines that have been drawn between the continent's Christians and growing Muslim population. As different cultures collide in what was the bastion of Christendom, Islam is striving to adapt to Europe's cultural environment.

U.S. troops in Iraq have some tasks that aren't in line with traditional warfare -- establishing checkpoints and searching for improvised explosive devices. These often require soldiers to be out in the open and vulnerable. NPR's Anne Garrels profiles the soldiers who protect their fellow soldiers: snipers.

The line-up of new television shows for the fall season is heavy on sitcoms and light on reality TV -- a departure from the trend of the past few years. Hear USA Today television critic Robert Bianco.

After 10 years of marriage, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur for a dentist who believes his wife may be cheating on him. Alan Rudolph's new film, The Secret Lives of Dentists, explores the emotional and psychological bonds of marriage. Hear Rudolph's interview with NPR's Melissa Block.

The major areas where Americans have debt are mortgages, auto loans, student loans, retail cards and home equity lines of credit.