NPR News

Advances in genetic testing have greatly improved the changes for diagnosis and treatment of disease. In Am I My Genes?, Dr. Robert Klitzman explores the challenges individuals face when they gain more knowledge about the implications of their genetic makeup.

A New York federal court today dismissed a lawsuit against agribusiness giant Monsanto brought by thousands of certified organic farmers. The farmers hoped the suit would protect them against infringing on the company's crop patents in the future.

The Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association and several other growers and organizations do not use Monsanto seeds. But they were betting that the judge would agree that Monsanto should not be allowed to sue them if pollen from the company's patented crops happened to drift into their fields.

After a proposal to build an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas was denied by the Obama administration, TransCanada says it will start building the Oklahoma-to-Texas portion of the Keystone XL pipeline.

If you remember back in January, the administration told TransCanada to reapply for a permit on the 1,700 mile pipeline when it had plans to avoid the environmentally sensitive Sandhills of Nebraska.

In a 2003 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold affirmative action and said it expected that in 25 years, "the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary." The court will hear a case involving race-conscious admissions at the University of Texas in the fall.

More than half of children born to women under 30 in the U.S. are born out of marriage, according to the research group Child Trends. In an op-ed in Slate magazine, writer Jessica Olien says she wants to raise a child alone, without a husband to complicate the process.