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The prevalence of Alzheimer's and other dementias declined by almost 3 percent from 2000 to 2012, a study finds. That could be a result of people getting more education, and better health overall.

A recent study shows that top scavengers, like hyenas, can be beneficial for human health. But the same study reveals that scavenger populations are declining and could mean more disease for humans.

New music from Bruce Cockburn; Norah Jones' songwriter Jesse Harris; Dreamy Brazilian pop from Celso Fonseca; Violin virtuoso Andrew Bird; New bluegrass from Blue Highway and more.

The population of an endangered bird, the Everglade snail kite, has rebounded recently. Scientists it's all thanks to an invasive snail that has provided kites with a new abundant food source.

NPR's David Baron reports that a new study suggests the time, effort, and money put into rescuing oil-soaked seabirds after oil spills is often for naught. An analysis of North American oil spills over the past three decades finds most rehabilitated birds die within two weeks after release to the wild. Wildlife rehabilitators say the study doesn't take into account recent improvements in treatment.

After building an underground reputation for the mellow, textured sounds of American Analog Set, Texas-based singer-songwriter Andrew Kenny has returned to his native state to work on his latest group, The Wooden Birds. With easy morning melodies, background whispers and lo-fi poetics, Magnolia is simple, intelligent and moving.

This week's All Songs Considered includes a sneak preview of Anderw Bird's Break It Yourself, the hypnotic harmonies of Julianna Barwick, and sweet pop from Hospitality.

Lady Bird Johnson has died at 94. She was the wife of Lyndon Johnson, the nation's 36th president. But during the 34 years since his death, Lady Bird Johnson earned renown in her own right, as a champion of beautifying the outdoors. Johnson lived in Austin, Texas, where she oversaw her husband's presidential library and a wildflower research center that was named for her.

Legendary jazz musician Charlie Parker died 50 years ago Saturday. Poet Joe Pacheco recalls one of Parker's last performances, when the saxophonist known as "Bird" played in Manhattan. The poem is from Pacheco's book The First of the Nuyoricans/Sailing to Sanibel.

Scott Paul and Gerald Taylor of the Alliance for American Manufacturing discuss a report on how manufacturing decline in the U.S. has left many African-American communities spiraling toward poverty.

In The Backyard Bird Chronicles, author Amy Tan charts her foray into birdwatching and the natural wonders of the world.

The discovery of an infected pig at a backyard farm in Oregon raises concerns about bird flu's potential to become a human threat.

President Bush is calling for $7.1 billion in emergency funding to protect against a flu pandemic. Speaking Tuesday at the National Institutes of Health, the president said he wants to have enough vaccine to protect 20 million Americans against the current strain of bird flu.

It's the peak of the fall migration season. This is when bird deaths from window collisions tend to spike, even though simple solutions can prevent this.

James McBride's The Good Lord Bird follows 10-year-old ex-slave Henry, known as "the Onion," as he travels with abolitionist John Brown.

Colossal Biosciences, a Texas company trying to bring extinct species back to life, reports creating artificial eggs that would be necessary to revive extinct birds such as the dodo.

Romance books are on the rise, even as overall book sales are declining. NPR's Juana Summers visited a romance book club at Baltimore's Charm City Books to see what brings readers to the genre.

Elderly hospital patients often arrive sick and leave worse off. But some hospitals are preventing these sharp declines by treating the elderly in units that minimize bedrest and spur mobility.

Bird's records have grown quieter and more intimate in recent years, but he remains a remarkably dynamic live performer. Watch him collaborate with Tift Merritt at the 2013 Newport Folk Festival.

Studies have found fragments of bird flu virus in about 20% of the milk supply. It's not expected to pose a threat to humans, but may indicate the outbreak is more widespread than previously thought.