NPR News

Napping in a hammock is one of the more delightful tasks of summer, and Swiss researchers say they now know why.

The gentle rocking motion makes people fall asleep faster, and they sleep deeper. Those changes in brain activity may inspire new ways to help insomniacs, the researchers say.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is betting a downtown casino would help boost the economy and fill holes in the city's budget.

Illinois lawmakers approved a bill last month that would give Chicago a casino and add others around the state, but the plan has hit a snag with Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who's threatening a veto.

Meanwhile, many Chicago residents continue gambling across the state line in Indiana.

Starting today in Japan, Burger King will offer a new sandwich with the slogan "What Women Want, Women Get." What Women Want, apparently, is a tiny cheeseburger with Spam instead of burger. Burger King describes the sandwich as, enticingly, "suitable for women." We made our own.

Ian: Our slogan should be "What We Don't Want, We Get Anyway."

Mike: Is this Hello Kitty meat?

Mike: Why is this for women? Because it's pink?

The Concord used to take 3.5 hours to travel across the pond from New York to London. A new concept for a plane unveiled by EADS, the parent company of Airbus, at the Paris Air Show yesterday is supposed to make that trip in 90 minutes.

What's more, the Zero Emission Hypersonic Transportation, or Zehst, accomplishes the feat by burning seaweed-made biofuel. Here's Crunchgear on how the airplane would work:

This is not news they want to hear in baseball-crazy St. Louis:

Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has a small fracture near his left wrist and will be "out of the lineup for four to six weeks," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

He was hurt Sunday in a collision on the basepath.