Rebecca Davis

In Leipzig, Germany, two scientists from very different backgrounds are working on a unique research project.

She's a typical teen — blue nails, loves Coldplay. But she believes she won't be able to build a life in her homeland.

Fatmeh is one of hundreds of thousands of children who have fled Syria with their families. In Lebanon, she works in the fields up to 14 hours a day, clinging to her dream of going to college.

One of the most important medical advances may also be the simplest: hand-washing. It's the best defense against spreading disease. And its power was discovered long before anyone knew about germs.

Gorillas often get a bad rap, but folks who work with them say they're as much gentle as giant. On a recent trip to scope out the primates, an NPR producer trekked into the Virunga mountains of East Africa, where more than half of the world's mountain gorillas live.