Morning Edition

Americans Alvin Roth and Lloyd Shapley won the Nobel economics prize Monday for their theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design.

You'd think that someone who is a science correspondent and is as allergic to poison ivy as I am would have heard of urushiol, but no. I didn't recognize the word when I saw it a week or so ago. Now, thanks to my new beat (Joe's Big Idea), I'm allowed to dig a little deeper into stories, and what I learned about urushiol is pretty amazing.

Acne, the scourge of many an adolescent life, is getting harder to treat, but 80 percent of teenagers have some form of it.

Conventional treatment includes topical and oral antibiotics. Studies are now finding the bacteria that cause acne are increasingly resistant to antibiotic treatment. Alternatively, there are effective laser treatments. But these are costly and typically not covered by insurance.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. The space shuttle Endeavor is on the road this morning here in L.A., traveling the streets from the airport to its new home at the California Science Center. Four hundred curbside trees were cut down so its massive wings could pass by. Hundreds of metal plates laid down to protect underground utilities from the shuttle's weight. And dozens of traffic signals removed to accommodate its height. Even for L.A., an epic commute. This is MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Vice President Joe Biden and GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan engaged in a memorable and highly combative debate Thursday night in Danville, Kentucky. It's the only time the two men, who occupy the second spots on their party's presidential tickets, will square off before the election.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told business leaders the Pentagon is developing capabilities to ward off attacks on the nation's infrastructure. He says foreign actors have already probed key systems that could cause damage and even death — and the Pentagon has a key role to play in stopping such efforts.

The Pew Research Center surveyed about 1,000 Americans to find out how they watch the presidential debates. Eleven percent watched on two screens — on a computer or mobile device and on TV. The numbers are higher among younger viewers.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Next, let's follow up on today's surprise winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. In effect, it went to most of a continent, the European Union. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it was a decision that was long overdue considering the EU's role in advancing and maintaining peace since World War II. Here's the chairman of the Nobel Committee, Thorbjoern Jagland.

THORBJOERN JAGLAND: The stabilizing part played by the European Union has helped to transform most of Europe from a continental war to a continental peace.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

An assembly dominated by Islamists is drafting a new constitution for Egypt. And controversy has broken out over a section on women's rights. The draft article guarantees equality between men and women, but only if it does not contradict the rules of Islamic law. Merrit Kennedy in Cairo reports that some women are asking what this mean, especially under a government-led by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.

GROUP: (Chanting in foreign language)

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Foreign language spoken)