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Ann Powers picks her favorite chart-topping, radio-dominating songs of 2012.

A new federal regulation will require commercial pilots to get roughly triple the number of flight training hours many airlines require today before they can be hired. Some airlines — especially the smaller ones — worry this will result in a pilot deficit.

Plenty of apps promise to make life easier for people with life-threatening allergies to nuts and other foods. One scientist even invented a smartphone-based lab to detect potential allergens. But asking "Does that have nuts in it?" may actually be a better and safer option than pulling out your phone.

The year saw some disappointments in the development of drugs to treat Alzheimer's. But the setbacks were offset by progress in other areas. The upshot from this year's mixed results, some scientists say, is that treatment for Alzheimer's needs to start long before forgetfulness and muddled thinking are apparent.

As the year comes to a close, many people turn attention to giving back through charitable donations. With the economic recovery, many are seeking out more information to be sure that the donations go to the intended cause.

Something remarkable happened in 2012.

In a tit-for-tat measure, Russia's parliament has approved a bill to ban adoptions of Russian children by American citizens. President Putin has not said whether he will sign the bill, though he has voiced support for the measure. The move is in retaliation for a U.S. law that sanctions Russians accused of human rights abuses. Robert Siegel talks with NPR's Corey Flintoff about the ban.

In 2007, Prince William County, Va., voted to step up police checks aimed at driving out illegal immigrants. The move sparked local outcry and national attention, but five years on, supporters and opponents differ on whether the policy has been a success.

The short supply of a key drug to treat lymphoma forced doctors to switch to another medicine. Now researchers have documented that the fallback drug wasn't as good a choice as many doctors thought.

The Law & Order creator's detective fiction debut is set in New York after the killing of Osama bin Laden. Although The Intercept borrows stylistically from Wolf's television background, he says novel writing allows him "to tell bigger stories on a bigger canvas."