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A scientist has developed a technology to turn the cellulose in nonfood plants like trees and grasses into edible starch. Sounds zany, but guess what? Cellulose products are already commonly used as food additives in hundreds of processed and fast food items.

Syria's army has retaken the key crossroads town of Qusair after heavy fighting with rebels. NPR's Rima Marrouch, who was a regular visitor before the war, explains how the Christian-Muslim town became a sectarian battleground.

A building crumpled at mid-morning Wednesday. An adjacent thrift store was heavily damaged. At least 13 people were injured.

Box office receipts in China reached new highs last year, and American filmmakers want to tap into that market. Host Michel Martin speaks with Los Angeles Times reporter John Horn, about the growth of the Chinese movie market, and how Hollywood plans to cash in.

What started as a small sit-in on Friday in Istanbul grew into a massive demonstration against the Turkish government. That government dismissed the demonstrators as extremists. Steven Cook, of the Council on Foreign Relations, talks about Turkey's changing role as a democracy in the region.

President Obama has announced his choice of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice as the next national security adviser, an appointment that does not require Senate confirmation. Congressional Republicans have sharply criticized Rice for erroneous statements she made after the attacks on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, last September.

Paul Spring's first album of family music draws from his own childhood, as well as Mark Twain's.

Bob Mondello says a G rating used to mean "general audiences." Now it means a movie for kids, and that means kids are less likely to be interested in them than they once were.

High crime rates are holding back economic development in Latin America. One element of the crime is extortion, which cuts into the bottom line for local businesses and ordinary citizens.