Science Writer Dick Teresi delves into into some of the complex questions surrounding organ donation and the blurred line between life and death. The current Lord Mayor of Belfast, Ireland, talks about his city’s historic connections to the Titanic. Today’s installment of A History of the World in 100 Objects takes a look at a reliquary that houses what many believe to be a part of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ. Sax player Bill Evans describes his genre-bending approach to jazz. Plus, Anthony Marx, the President of the New York Public Library, addresses some of the controversy surrounding his institution.

Science Writer Dick Teresi delves into into some of the complex questions surrounding organ donation and the blurred line between life and death. The current Lord Mayor of Belfast, Ireland, talks about his city’s historic connections to the Titanic. Today’s installment of A History of the World in 100 Objects takes a look at a reliquary that houses what many believe to be a part of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ. Sax player Bill Evans describes his genre-bending approach to jazz. Plus, Anthony Marx, the President of the New York Public Library, addresses some of the controversy surrounding his institution.

Morning Edition is your perfect morning companion: gentle, but straightforward, explaining the vagaries of international diplomacy, reporting weather and even recommending the best film in town.

Nikki Haley, the Republican Governor of South Carolina, talks about her new memoir, the presidential race, and the future of the Republican Party. Plus: bestselling author A. J. Jacobs, talks about his latest installment in “experimental living.” And Gideon Rose, editor of Foreign Affairs Magazine, gives an update on the crisis in Syria and the upcoming presidential elections in Egypt. 

From Mexico to Easter Island, the followers of many world religions used objects to become closer to their gods. Neil MacGregor finds five such devotional items.

Read more about the Icon of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.

Electronic music band Kraftwerk is in the midst of a sold-out residency in New York – inspiring tribute concerts, ticket bidding wars, and spontaneous robotic dance-offs. Today, German singer and composer Theo Bleckmann joins Soundcheck to discuss the legacy of the synthpop pioneers. Plus: A live performance from Gypsy jazz guitarist Stephane Wrembel.

Reporters scour the globe for the most direct and compelling information, from the spread of AIDS in India to the inexplicable fluctuations of the Brazilian economy.

Reporters scour the globe for the most direct and compelling information, from the spread of AIDS in India to the inexplicable fluctuations of the Brazilian economy.

Tell Me More focuses on the way we live, intersect and collide in a culturally diverse world.

For this New Sounds program, it's a step beyond your pocket calculator -we'll hear all sorts of arrangements of Kraftwerk songs. There'll be an acoustic version of "The Mirror Stage" featuring lutenist Josef van Wissem and guitarist Gary Lucas.