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NPR's Richard Harris reports on a new study that explains why sand dunes and beaches sometimes emit mysterious singing or booming sounds. It turns out that the microstructure of sand particles varies from place to place, and this structure determines what sand sounds like when you walk on it or when it slides down a hill.

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports the Fed left interest rates alone today but warned that higher energy prices and eroding consumer confidence are contributing to economic weakness. The Fed dropped its bias toward raising the key short-term interest rates it controls, saying economic weakness is now a greater risk than inflation.

Injection drug use is a leading cause of the spread of HIV. Some health professionals are trying to curtail the sharing of used needles among drug addicts by giving them prescriptions to buy clean ones at local drugstores. But is this practice legal? From member station WBUR in Boston, Jason Beaubien reports.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Jerusalem reports on efforts by veteran Israeli politician Shimon Peres to win parliamentary support for his bid to run for prime minister in upcoming elections. The left-wing Meretz faction told Mr. Peres he should work with incumbent Prime Minister Ehud Barak to secure a peace deal with the Palestinians.

Ten years ago, the government in Japan vowed to wipe out the mob or Yakuza with a new anti-mob law. But today, the yakuza is back, stronger than ever. Recently Japanese the Prime Minister was seen dining with a well-known mobster and the stock exchange has had to reject mob-owned companies in the high-tech sector. Eric Weiner has the report from Kobe.

A new study in the Pacific Northwest has discovered that many female salmon in part of the Columbia river apparently started out life as males. The finding may provide more ammunition in the battle over the giant hydropower dams that cross the Columbia and Snake rivers. NPR's Joe Palca reports on what scientists know - and don't know - about the possible causes of this gender change.

The famed British music magazine is being absorbed by another publication after 74 years of making pop bands and driving the British music scene. The Maker, as it was known, publishes it's final issue today. It championed jazz, pop, and rock, from Louis Armstrong to Oasis. NPR's Rick Karr reports.

In the largest financial settlement ever under the Clean Air Act, the Midwestern utility Cinergy Corporation agrees to stake steps to reduce acid rain. Andrea Bernstein reports that the agreement settles a lawsuit filed by New York State and the Environmental Protection Agency, which blame Midwestern coal fired utilities for causing acid rain and harming public health.

NPR's John McChesney reports from San Francisco that Microsoft and Real Networks are competing for control of the use of streaming audio and video. Both companies want their software to be the standard. The challenges include improving the quality of the media as it streams over the Internet, and raising the limits on the number of people who can listen or watch the same transmission at once.

NPR's Julie Rovner reports on sweeping new regulations on medical privacy issued today by President Clinton. They will not only cover electronic medical records, but also the paper files still in use by many doctors and medical facilities. Health industry officials say the rules are too broad and could threaten their ability to deliver efficient patient care.