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People who do well on one kind of mental test tend to do well on other tests, as well. This has led scientists to investigate a quality of the mind that's known as "general intelligence." General intelligence is just one aspect of smarts and savvy, but it is the part that gets assessed by tests like IQ tests. Now, researchers report that they have localized general intelligence to one part of the brain. NPR's Richard Harris reports on this contentious finding.

NASA scientists report today that they have discovered a new kind of black hole. These are much larger than black holes caused by collapsing stars, but much smaller than the ones in the centers of galaxies. Black holes are so dense, not even light can escape their gravity. The new discovery could help explain how these bizarre objects come into being. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Reporter Jennifer Glasse reports from Kinshasa on U.N. Secretary General Kofi Anan's announcement today that he was withdrawing a team of investigators who have been probing massacres of Rwandan refugees in the Congo. The team has encountered persistent obstacles while attempting to gather information about Hutu refugee killings.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's sharp criticism of his nation's news media has provoked attacks on reporters at pro-Chavez events. Now he's ordering TV stations to cover his speeches. NPR's Martin Kaste reports.

NPR's Maria Hinojosa reports on a trend in some cities where, in a reverse migration, couples are moving from the suburbs and back into the cities. There, in urban solitude, people can enjoy a shorter commute, they don't have to deal with the constant sound of lawnmowers and they can take advantage of greater cultural opportunities. Hinojosa reports the some companies are also jumping on the bandwagon and returning to cities to do business.

Chris Richard has this report on religious worship behind bars. Richard reports that while many prisoners search out the chapel or synagogue on prison grounds out of noble intentions, others use church as an opportunity for deadly deeds. The constant possibility of wrongdoing keeps chaplins and rabbis on their guard even though they say many inmates are sincerely interested in their own spiritual evolution.

In the first of a four part series on the gap between rich and poor in America, NPR's Margot Adler reports on the history of inequality in this country. She reports that America has always believed in political equality, but not necessarily economic equality. The income gap, which has risen and fallen at various times in U.S. history, has been widening for the last two decades.

NPR's Michael Goldfarb reports that the long-awaited report with suggestions on how to end the arms impasse in Northern Ireland is due out tomorrow morning. The peace process has been stalled because the Protestant Unionists want the the Irish Republican Army to give up its guns. The IRA's political wing, Sinn Fein, has said it won't give up the arms until all-party talks begin.

A new report released today by the General Accounting Office says the Internal Revenue Service had botched a multi-billion dollar modernization project. The project, to replace the agency's thirty-year-old computer system, has already cost taxpayers more than four billion dollars. The GAO says the new system is way over budget, far from being finished, and riddled with problems. NPR's John Nielsen reports.

Robert talks to David Armstrong, a reporter for the Boston Globe, about how the Massachusetts Department of Social Services has been allowing convicted criminals to become foter parents. Armstrong has reported that convicted rapists, spouse abusers, and robbers have been approved as foster parents. Today, the department said that it will no longer allow waivers for convicted criminals to take in foster children.