In his review of “Middle Passages: African American Journeys to Africa, 1781-2005,” by Brown History Professor James Campbell, historian Raymond Arsenault of University of South Florida calls Campbell “a master storyteller who engages the reader in the human drama of American blacks confronting cultural realities that do not always square with the myths of an imagined native land.”

Professor of Neuroscience John Donoghue is among the five researchers profiled in “Robosapiens,” a program that examines the groundbreaking technology being harnessed to assist the disabled. The program is slated to premiere on the Discovery Science Channel at 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 18, with repeat performances through June 19.

A decision in Milton, Mass., to let older boys and girls play Little League baseball this season has renewed the debate in at least one local community about whether the game should be played with wood bats instead of the more potent and popular aluminum bats. The article cites information from a 2002 Brown University study that compared the average speed of a ball hit by metal and wooden bats.

Brown University senior Benjamin Fishbein, an American student who is studying at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, was kidnapped briefly around midnight Saturday, June 11, by gunmen while at a cafe in the Palestinian city of Nablus. He was released unharmed early Sunday, June 12. This article, and followup articles June 12, appeared in newspapers and on Web sites around the world.

Several Brown students and recent graduates are part of a 32-member of Bike and Build team riding bikes cross-country this summer to raise money for and focus attention on the need for affordable housing. The cyclists will help build houses at six sites between Providence and San Francisco. This article focused on their work with the Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Harrisburg Area.

Political Science Professor Darrell West offers remarks about the role independent political groups play in negative campaigning.

Professor of Pediatrics Penelope Dennehy, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' committee on infectious diseases, discusses rotavirus and a new vaccine for the disease. HealthDay is a wire service toffering health and medical news to media throughout North America. This article appeared on the Canadian Broadcast Company’s health news Web site.