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More than 1 million fans illegally downloaded the first episode of Season 3 of the popular HBO series this week — within 24 hours of its premiere. The illicit popularity of the show, based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling fantasy books, has wider implications for the future of TV.

You can learn a lot about a culture by listening to its music. NPR producer Jasmine Garsd took a reporting trip to Puerto Rico recently. She found that the island's uncertain economic future not only affects day-to-day life, but also its music. Garsd shares some songs with host Michel Martin.

Mississippi got lots of attention this week for finally having ratified the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery. But many states have taken decades to join the rest of the country when it comes to amending the Constitution. And some have withheld approval to this day.

About half want a new pope to drive the church in a new direction; the other half want a traditionalist. Most American Catholics, however, would approve of a pope who wants to allow priests to marry.

The birds are roaming the town of Albany on the east side of San Francisco Bay. They're messy, they're loud and they can be aggressive. And if you don't think they can be scary, check how freaked out one California TV producer got when she encountered just one turkey in another town.

From creating human ears, to gun parts and even bars of chocolate, 3-D printing has opened seemingly limitless possibilities for the field of manufacturing. The technology's potential also raises a variety questions, including copyright and regulatory issues.

The senators cited Hagel's lackluster confirmation hearing performance and his views on Iran. The White House said it would not back down from the nomination.

Despite inhabiting sewers and cesspools, cockroaches are quite clean — or at least their exteriors are, according to entomologist Coby Schal of North Carolina State University. That's because cockroaches are constantly grooming themselves, particularly their antennae. Publishing in PNAS, Schal and colleagues investigate why they groom.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, residents are using wood stoves to heat their homes during the frigid winter months. But, smoke created by these wood burners is contributing to some of the worst air pollution in the country. Cathy Cahill discusses air quality in the Last Frontier.

Kids whose parents have talked to them about the dangers of drugs are more likely to think that using isn't OK. That message can become mixed when parents bring up their own experience. There's no need to lie to a child, but parents should be careful about offering too much information.