Culture

A standout entry from our NPR College Podcast Challenge was a story about two sisters: One a college junior, the other a soldier in the U.S. Army.

Since 1914, Denver, Colorado, has maintained a small bison herd in a park outside the city. In recent years, an Indigenous group has slaughtered one annually to feed urban Native people.

A 1960s pop song, a must-have soft toy and a global anime hit are among the leaders on YouTube’s year-end trends list.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist has been kidnapped and thrown from a car. Still, Addario says, parenting two young kids can be more challenging than war reporting.

A woman with a terminal diagnosis asks her husband to leave the house in Ann Packer’s new novel. Some Bright Nowhere is an absorbing book about end-of-life care and what the living owe the dying.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces growing scrutiny over an attack on an alleged drug boat. His response included a parody of the kids’ book character Franklin, showing the turtle firing at boats.

Nobel winners Olga Tokarczuk and Peter Handke bring us a reissue and a new book respectively this week. Also, a story from a fictional African country and a commentary on beauty.

After a decade of development, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a beautiful but befuddling game full of misguided design decisions and annoying sidekicks.

Alicia Graf Mack says her new role as artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is like coming full circle after a stint as principal dancer for the beloved group.

The 2025 selection follows its predecessors, “brain rot” from 2024, “rizz” from 2023 and “goblin mode” from 2022.