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Kai Ryssdal hears from listeners about the origins of modern-day advertising, working with overseas vendors and ethical concerns about killer robots.

Northwest Airlines has canceled an usually high number of flights for the second time in two months. The carrier blames bad weather, mechanical problems . . . and a shortage of pilots. Martin Moylan reports.

Businesses are increasingly leveraging summer interns to boost business. Some even do the job for free to gain experience. But employers have to be careful with federal employment guidelines. Brett Brune reports.

Cancer-causing byproducts forced the drug maker to stop production, leaving many in the developing world without inexpensive options for treating HIV. Activists want Big Pharma to step in. Helen Palmer reports.

With many farmers rushing to grow corn to fill a growing market for ethanol for cars, wheat supplies are the lowest in a generation. And U.S. farmers are sitting in the catbird seat. Jeremy Hobson reports.

Firms specializing in buyouts indirectly employ more than five million Americans. And unions are increasingly looking to shore up gains by making concessions to the new economic powers. Steve Henn reports.

The diabetes drug could be linked to a greater chance of heart attack or stroke. And analysts worry GlaxoSmithKline might not have a blockbuster drug in the pipeline to boost sales. Stephen Beard reports.

Globalization has played a large part in the strong growth of United Parcel Service. Kai Ryssdal talks with CEO Michael Eskew about how the business has changed, and how in many ways it will always stay the same.

The genetically modified tuber tastes terrible, but a special starch inside could mean big bucks to BASF. Europeans, however, are notoriously wary of modified crops. Lisa Napoli talks with Stephen Beard.

Corn was likely first cultivated in Mexico and it still has a central part of the culture. But genetically modified strains simply produce more corn per acre, and there's a hungry nation to feed. Dan Grech reports.