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Riley Baugus made playing the banjo his full-time profession after 18 years as a welder.

Riley Baugus is a 41-year-old banjo player from North Carolina, and for him, music could have stopped a century ago. Using homemade banjos, he plays old-time music: the tunes from the Scots-Irish who settled and farmed in the southern Appalachians.

Summer Songs: 'Lean On Me,' 'Fight The Power'

All summer long, NPR's Melissa Block has been asking musicians, listeners and a novelist about their favorite summer songs and what kind of memories they evoke. During those conversations, Block has been flooded with memories of her own. She and Madeleine Brand pick their own summer songs.

Patricia Barber rehearses in NPR's Studio 4A.

Patricia Barber Plays A Special 'Funny Valentine'

She's best known for her original songwriting, but her cool, insinuating delivery is perfect for classics, too. She visits NPR's Studio 4A for a performance from her latest album, The Cole Porter Mix — plus a certain Valentine's Day standard.

This rare flower grows almost exclusively in the Illinois River Valley

The banks of the Illinois River are just about the only place in the world you can spot a decurrent false aster growing in its natural habitat.

Oakland City Hall is bathed in red light in a memorial to the people who have died from COVID-19 throughout the country in Oakland, Calif. in January 2021.

Oakland, Calif., declares racism a public health crisis

Oakland City Council votes without opposition to declare the public health crisis and sets aside up to $350,000 for consulting and a data analyst.

A Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is prepared during a pop-up vaccine clinic at Cristo Rey Church in East Austin on July 24, 2021.

Moderna seeks approval for a 2nd COVID-19 booster shot for adults

If approved, this would be the second booster shot Moderna has issued for people ages 18 and up.

Yo-Yo Ma played Ukraine's national anthem and brought the audience to its feet at the Kennedy Center on Monday.

Yo-Yo Ma performs a musical protest outside the Russian Embassy

The world-famous cellist made a personal stand with Ukraine on Monday, setting up his instrument on the sidewalk in Washington, D.C., next to an improvised street sign reading, "Zelensky Way."

Cristina Calderón, the last known native speaker of the Yaghan language, poses outside of the local community center in Puerto Williams, southern Chile, on April 23, 2017.

Cristina Calderón, Chile's last known Yaghan speaker, dies at 93

Until the end of her days, Abuela Cristina — as many knew her — bided her time making traditional reed baskets, and sharing the Yaghan language and culture with those around her.

A tent is seen between trees as the Milky Way appears in the sky in the Uruguayan countryside some 185 km north of Montevideo near Capilla del Sauce, Florida Department, on Feb. 5, 2021. (Mariana Suarez/AFP via Getty Images)

Exploring the origins of the Milky Way galaxy

A new analysis from two astronomers at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany gives us a better understanding of the Milky Way's dramatic early years.

Blak's Story

Ten years ago, award-winning producer Dave Isay teamed up with LeAlan Jones and Lloyd Newman to create two gritty, groundbreaking portraits of urban life. Today, Isay presents the story of Yanier "Blak" Moore, a former drug dealer turned author who was first discovered by Jones and Newman during their reporting in the Chicago housing projects.

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