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At sunset tonight, a few thousand Mexican long-nosed bats will fly from a cave high in the Chisos Mountains. They’ll disperse to feast on agave nectar — pollinating the iconic plants in the process. These “agave bats” are deeply imperiled by human impact but for now, they’re holding their own.

Órale, the Caló word of this episode is Praire. It means someone with a priest-like personality or otherwise very given to praying and moralizing. It’s a word made up of two other words, prayor (supplicant) and friar, which in Spanish is pronounced fraile. A praire does not necessarily have to be Christian or, for that matter, a follower of any particular religion. They’re not unique to any culture, class or geographic region. They’re people who simply see it necessary and obvious to invoke the spirits to resolve worldly problems. While some people see gravity and the laws of physics controlling reality, they see providential intervention in everything. So why not go ahead and ask the spirits to intervene when you can’t solve a problem or predict an outcome?

For the love of chickens

It's a time in the Earth's history that speaks clearly to our own. The Eocene Epoch began – some 56 million years ago – with massive greenhouse gas…

A top mine safety regulator testified before Congress that no new regulations are needed to protect workers from deadly silica dust, despite an epidemic of advanced black lung disease.

“There are many houses of great size, strength and height,” the Spanish chronicler Baltasar Obregon wrote in the 1560s. “They are six and seven stories,…

With NCAA brackets formed, the college basketball tournaments dubbed March Madness because of its drama begin this week. Here are some highlights to watch for as the men's and women's games begin.

The Charlotte Chess Center, where Naroditsky trained and worked as a coach, announced his death, calling him "a talented chess player, educator, and beloved member of the chess community."

Kenji Lopez-Alt left a restaurant job to test and write about the mysteries of food science. His new book details findings from how best to sear a steak to how to get more golden pancakes.

Complaints from patient groups and increased regulatory oversight appear to be leading to changes in the way some marketplace health plans cover expensive drugs.