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The air thousands of feet high in France’s Pyrenees Mountains should be some of the cleanest on Earth. However, recent research revealed that the air at the top of the mountains actually contains microscopic plastic. Listen to learn more about the experiment that revealed this surprising fact, why it matters, and what researchers plan to investigate next.

When a young diver found thousands of golf balls underwater, she decided to collect them and ask a scientist about the risks they might pose to the marine environment. They began investigating the situation together. Listen to find out what they learned and why the diver thinks “people would be shocked.”

There is so much flooding in Bangladesh that many students cannot travel safely to school. In order to ensure that students in isolated villages have access to education, a nonprofit organization has created floating schools that pick students up at their homes and hold class right on the boat. Listen to learn about how and why these special schools are helping students in Bangladesh.

Neighborhoods are often chosen by real estate prices and schools, and now they might be chosen by politics. Some people can feel like outsiders if they are living among others who don’t value or believe what they do. One idea is to create conservative Republican enclaves, where everyone shares the same values and feels connected to each other. Others think we should figure out how to exist together with different types of people. Listen to this story and then debate: Should we surround ourselves with people who have the same values and beliefs?

Scientists say the results will be devastating if we don’t address global warming. The Climate Summit in Paris this month will bring countries together to agree on a plan to slow climate change. People call the Amazon rainforest the “lungs of the world.” Most of Europe and America have already cut down their trees in favor of agriculture and industry. Is it fair to ask Brazil to sacrifice its interests to preserve the rainforest for the rest of the globe? Listen to this story and have students choose a side in this debate: Should rich nations pay to preserve the rainforest?

Since the end of World War II, the United States has served as a dominant military and political power in Asia. The enormous economic growth of China has some former U.S. diplomats worried. When China’s economy shifted from pure government control to a more mixed model they widened their international impact and their scope of interest. Should we continue to see China as a solid ally in the region or as a powerful potential rival? Listen to hear why to former diplomats argue that China is a threat.

Nepal, the mountainous South Asian country nestled between China and India, is small but densely populated. On April 25th a large earthquake devastated the country. From the capital city of Kathmandu to the highest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest, every corner of the country has been affected. With the death toll rising above 6,000 the international community and aid groups have sprung into action, sending supplies and people to support recovery. Unfortunately, the limited infrastructure in this developing nation is making the relief effort difficult.

In the wake of the Holocaust during World War II, the word “genocide” was coined, accepted and recognized as a crime. However, the Holocaust may not have been the first modern genocide. Looking back to the World War I, it seems clear that the Ottoman Empire perpetrated a form of genocide against the Armenian population through mass relocation and massacres 100 years ago. Listen to learn more about the Turkish Ottoman Empire during WWI and this dark period of Armenian history.

Where does your fish come from? A year-long journalistic investigation found that some of the fish that ends up in U.S. food products appears to have been been caught by slaves. People from Burma are being held against their will and forced to work loading and unloading fish on a remote island in Indonesia. When this modern day slavery was uncovered, reporters traced the route of this fish all the way to American stores, tables and pet food. Listen to learn more about how slavery still exists in parts of the world.

Social media is used to post pictures, follow others, and communicate with friends and family. But it can also be used to share pictures of everyday life with people across the globe, changing perspectives and worldviews. This happened when Ugaaso Abukar Boocow, a Somali refugee living in Canada, returned to Somalia to explore her home country and spend time with her mother. The media often focus on civil war, violence and poverty that has plagued Somalia since the early 90’s, but Ugaaso is exposing the world to the beauty and small moment of everyday life in the Somali capital Mogadishu through her Instagram feed.

How do you get to school? What age is the right age for kids to walk to school alone? A rise in parental neglect cases has sparked a debate across the country about when and where it’s appropriate for kids to go solo. Listen to learn more about the factors that parents and authorities consider when judging what is neglect and what isn’t.

While Americans are enjoying low gas prices, oil producing nations are feeling the squeeze as the value of their biggest commodity continues to decline. Why is the price of oil dropping and who is it impacting? Listen to learn more about the international consequences of low oil prices and the interconnectedness of the international economy.

Today marks the first night of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights. Hanukkah comes with many traditions both ancient and modern. This story explores the historic origins of foil wrapped chocolate coins given during Hanukkah, known as gelt. Listen to hear how migration to urban areas to and to America changed the traditions of Hanukkah.

The number of child migrants coming to the United States from Central America has slowed, but efforts to stop the underlying violence in these countries is growing. The United States Agency for International Development (USAid) is partnering with local government and police forces in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to bring violence prevention efforts that have worked in the United States to these communities. Listen to learn more about this programming and its impact.