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NPR's Joanne Silberner reports that a new study has found that genetic factors alone may not be responsible for Alzheimer's disease. Now, scientists are considering how environmental factors may interact with genes to cause the onset of the debilitating condition.

The Flint Hills in central Kansas are covered by tallgrass prairies that once spread across much of the Midwest. Now 11,000 acres of that land are being set aside as a national preserve. Matt Hackworth of member station KCUR in Kansas City reports.

Seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt died yesterday in a car crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500. NPR's Tom Goldman reports.

NPR's Tom Gjelten reports on President Bush's visit yesterday to a military reserve installation. Mr. Bush is emphasizing the important role of the reserves in national defense and calling for modernization and an increase in soldiers' pay.

NPR's Anne Garrels reports on a set of new laws designed to ease the burden on the Russian penal system. Russia's chief prosecutor has blocked the passage of the laws, saying dangerous criminals need to be behind bars.

NPR's Margot Adler reports from the International Toy Fair in New York on a new direction for Lego: action figures with weapons. Some parents are upset with the latest offerings from the construction toy company.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports Israeli troops have been demolishing Palestinian homes and razing fruit and olive groves near Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip in a bid to stop Palestinian attacks on the settlers. There have been loud complaints from human rights activists and others.

NPR's David Molpus reports on a recent study that looks at the global diversity practices of U.S.-based multinational companies. The study suggests that while companies are becoming more sensitive to diversity issues, they must walk a fine line between American practices and local customs.

NPR's Ivan Watson reports on vigilante justice in southeastern Nigeria. A provincial government has hired a machete-toting militia called "The Bakassi Boys" to deal with a spate of armed robberies. The results have been bloody but immensely popular, and the crime rate has dropped sharply.

There are plans for a massive new natural gas pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico. The 750-mile pipe will carry natural gas from Alabama to the Florida peninsula. As NPR's Debbie Elliott report, It's a first for the environmentally-sensitive eastern Gulf.