By combing through 100 million search queries on Bing, Yahoo and Google, Microsoft Research Lab co-director Eric Horvitz and his colleagues were able to discover a previously unknown interaction between two commonly prescribed drugs. Horvitz says the method might detect dangerous drug interactions earlier than the FDA's warning system.

Microbes may once have happily existed on the surface of Mars, according to chemical analysis of a sedimentary rock in the Red Planet's Gale crater. NASA geologist and exobiologist David Blake discusses evidence for an ancient freshwater lake in the crater, and describes the mineral-chomping microbes that may have thrived there.

The future of energy in Michigan – how it is used and produced – will be the focus of a forum in Kalamazoo on Monday, March 18th, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Western Michigan University’s Fetzer Center. It’s the fourth in a series of seven public meetings around the state sponsored by the Michigan Public Service Commission and the state’s Energy Office.

There's been a dramatic shift in the racial makeup of America's prison inmates, especially female inmates. To find out why, host Michel Martin talks with Sentencing Project Executive Director Marc Mauer, and author Patrice Gaines, who has worked with women in prison for more than 20 years. They say changes in drug crime enforcement, sentencing laws, and the economic downturn all played a role.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Coming up, you might've been following the long debate over whether this country locks up too many people for too little reason and for too long. It turns out something else interesting is happening that you might not heard about - the racial breakdown of the prison population is changing. More white people, especially more white women, are getting locked up. And we'll find out more about that in a few minutes.

Host Michel Martin checks in with the Barbershop guys for a fresh cut on the week's news, including the new pope and college basketball's March Madness. Martin is joined by culture critic Jimi Izrael, attorney Arsalan Iftikhar, sports writer Pablo Torre and Reverend Leo Patalinghug.

A new report predicts improved private-sector employment growth in West Michigan for 2013 and 2014. 

Western Michigan University will host the University of Michigan this weekend in a CCHA tournament series. The Broncos won the tournament last year. Mlive Kalamazoo Reporter David Drew joined WMUK's Gordon Evans to look at Western's chances in the CCHA tournament.