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Tens of thousands of South Africans and world leaders celebrated the life of former president Nelson Mandela at FNB Stadium in Soweto. NPR's Gregory Warner has the story.

Can science be cool? This week, Ozy co-founder Carlos Watson tells NPR about a gangster-turned-astrophysicist and a race car driver working to making science "sexy" again. Plus, a look at the changing landscape of African art — no tribal masks allowed.

The Hospital de Bonecas in downtown Lisbon has been fixing dolls since the early 19th century. At a time of unemployment and rising poverty, repairing an old doll offers a frugal alternative to new toys for Christmas.

In photographer Chuck Close's portrait of model Kate Moss, Moss looks pretty ordinary — her skin is a confetti of freckles and pores, and there's no airbrushing to be seen. Moss trusted in Close's art, but, as an exhibit at Washington's Phillips Collection demonstrates, that isn't always the case.

This year was lauded by many news outlets as an incredible year for black films. CNN heralded "Hollywood's African-American Renaissance;" The New York Times called 2013 a "a breakout year for black films." Shani Hilton, deputy editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed, talks to NPR's Arun Rath about why she think those assertions are overstated.

Rachel Renee Russell's very popular series stars a not-so-popular protagonist. The Dork Diaries are written by Nikki Maxwell, a misfit at a new school. Russell was inspired to write the books after seeing her own daughters struggle with the "dork" label during their teenage years.

A new play tells the story of the night Cassius Clay, who changed his name to Muhammad Ali, beat Sonny Liston to take the world heavyweight title. It takes place in a hotel room after the fight where Clay, Sam Cooke, Malcolm X and Jim Brown talk about their lives, and their hopes for the future.

When she was 24, Piper Kerman dated a woman who was part of a drug smuggling ring. Years later, after being named as part of that ring, Kerman served time in a federal prison and at one point shared a cell with her former girlfriend. Her memoir of that experience inspired the Netflix series.

It was called "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." So what effects did the historic rally have on employment in the United States?

In marking the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, President Obama will celebrate the progress the United States has made, aides say. But he'll also talk about what's left to be done to achieve Martin Luther King's dream of racial justice — including fighting to protect voting rights.