Snails are slimy. But there's more to that goo of theirs than meets the eye. It's a fact that may help inspire the creation of new materials.

President Trump's proposed arch in Memorial Circle would intrude on dozens of nearby sites, says the National Park Service. But there's been minimal discussion of alternate locations.

Living in the desert is "not for everybody," says Watkins. Her home, in the Mojave Desert near Death Valley, is staggeringly beautiful and brutal. Her new novel Yellow Pine shares this landscape.