All Things Considered

Archeologists say our garbage provides a glimpse into our actions and values. Now, some scientists say our sewer systems do also. It only takes a teaspoon of waste water to reveal an entire city's eating or drinking habits. Environmental scientist Kevin Thomas talks about what the method can tell us.

It's been called the worst job in the country. And once you get it, unpopularity is practically certain. But it seems there's never a shortage of presidential candidates. Presidential historian Alvin Felzenberg talks about what it takes to make it into that small group.

German-based company Heidelberg Instruments has bought the patent for a process developed at the University of Colorado at Boulder that helps build computers on the nanoscale.  The new technique makes nano-sized drawings, lines that are a thousand times thinner than a human hair in polymer. These etchings are used when making semiconductors, which are the processors found in laptops and cell phones.

Colorado Democratic leaders got an earful from business officials in the tech and bioscience sectors Friday, many of whom said they were worried the state is at jeopardy of losing companies due to government red tape and an underfunded education system. 

Governor John Hickenlooper and senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet visited the Colorado office of Sierra Nevada Space Systems where motors and other equipment on the Mars rovers are developed.

Will Johnson may be one of the hardest-working people in indie rock. He leads two bands, records as a solo artist and plays as a sideman in a host of other projects. Johnson is originally from Denton, Texas, and his music — be it the lonesome balladry of South San Gabriel or the rock 'n' roll machine that is Centro-Matic — is inspired by the distinctive sounds of that state.