Summer brings warm evenings dotted by the light of fireflies. The apparently serene scene is full of murder, deception, and secret trysts as the fireflies communicate with each other and try to mate. Joining The Takeaway with more on the passionate life of the firefly is science writer Carl Zimmer. You can read Zimmer's New York Times article on fireflies in today's Science Times, "Blink Twice if You Like Me".

On Oct. 5 at an observatory on Mount Lemmon in Arizona an astronomer noticed a comet headed this way. He sent the coordinates to the Minor Planet Center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and, Timothy B. Spahr, director of the Minor Planet Center, swung into action. The asteroid was being affected by Earth's gravity and looked as if it was being pulled directly into Earth. A few calculations later and, sure enough, the asteroid was going to hit Earth. Luckily It was small enough to disintegrated in the atmosphere and sure enough it ended up raining down rocks on Sudan.

This morning, we talk with Dr. Spahr about the asteroid tracking system and a new article in Nature that reports on the composition of the asteroid, which landed in Sudan.

Want more? Of course you do! Here's a clip from the BBC's Averting Armageddon and some tips on avoiding asteroids:

President Obama may have ordered that the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba be closed by the end of the year and the detainees either tried or freed. But for some inmates being set free does not mean being able to go home. One population in particular is stuck in limbo. Seventeen ethnic Chinese Uighurs can not be sent back to China for fears they would face persecution by their home government. But China doesn’t want them to go anywhere else, either. The Takeaway talks to George Clarke, lawyer with Miller & Chevalier, who is representing two of the 17 Chinese Uighurs in custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

When the Mars rovers were deployed to the red planet in 2003, they were only expected to last three months. But here we are, five years later celebrating Spirit and Opportunity's anniversary. During their adventure, what have the Rovers discovered? How much longer can we expect Spirit and Opportunity to be with us? Ray Arvidson, Deputy Principal Investigator on the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, joins us as we look back at the last five years and forward into the next.

Charlie Winters is only the second man to be pardoned posthumously. After he arranged for B-17 bombers to be sent to Israel (and even flew one himself across the Atlantic). He was hailed as a hero by Israel but convicted of violating the 1939 Neutrality Act. Eric Lichtblau from The New York Times discusses the details.

With a fixed amount of water on earth, a growing population means the competition for water is increasing.

Traditionally Christmas is a time for family, food, and friends. But unlike Thanksgiving, Christmas doesn't have a set menu of turkey and all the fixings. Every family has its own unique rituals that span the globe and reflect family history, roots, and experience. Chef Rocco DiSpirito and his mother, Nicolina, joined The Takeaway to share their family's holiday traditions.

ROCCO'S RECIPE

Struffoli
My Aunt Margaret gave me her recipe, which we love to eat at the holidays.

Ingredients:

• 9 eggs
• Approximately 3/4 cup olive oil
• 5 1/2 cups of flour, or more
• Vegetable oil for frying

To decorate:

• 1/4 cup of honey
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• Confetti sprinkles
• Sliced almonds

Instructions:

1. Beat together the eggs and oil.
2. Add flour into bowl, then knead for 20 minutes or longer, until soft. (it should be like a ball).
3. Break off a small piece of dough and covering the remaining dough. Roll the piece into a long narrow strip, and then cut the dough into pieces less than a half inch long. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Using a heavy-bottomed frying pan, fill halfway up the sides with vegetable oil. Place dough pieces inside pan, without letting them touch. (Do not overcrowd, put in a only a handful in at a time; you may have to work in batches.) If oil starts to foam, the oil is too cool; raise the temperature. Cook until lightly golden brown.
5. To decorate, combine approximately 1/4 cup honey and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a 12 inch frying pan. Cook on high heat until it boils. Add cooked pieces of strufoli, mixing until they are covered with the honey-sugar mixture.
6. Remove from frying pan and immediately mold strufoli into desired shape, traditionally a wreath. Keep cool water nearby for when hands become too warm.
7. Decorate with confetti sprinkles and almond slices.

View more recipes by Rocco DiSpirito »

President-elect Barack Obama intends to nominate Steven Chu as Energy Secretary. For insight into what the pick illustrates about the Obama administration, The Takeaway talks to New York Times reporter Matt Wald.

A striking one in ten Americans use food stamps, but many who are eligible aren't getting help.

We were all taught to "Just Say No," but when it comes to performance enhancers, is it okay to say yes?

The Treasury Department is reportedly in talks with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac seeking ways to help drive down mortgage rates. But it is unclear how much the plan might help—and whom it might help. We’re joined by Cristian deRitis, director of Credit Analytics Group at Moody’s Economy.com

Taking on an issue like gun regulation in the US can mean political suicide for even the savviest of politicians. Nate Persily, law professor and political scientist at Columbia, joins the Takeaway to talk about what President-elect Barack Obama needs to know about gun policy during his first term in office.

Wind turbines are the coolest thing around. The only problem is, with so many wind turbines, qualified recruits are hard to find. Vestas, and other wind power companies, are hiring anyone who can climb a tower.

Guest: Mark Duvall, the program manager for The Electric Power Research Institute. He's in San Jose, Calif., for Plug-In 2008, a conference for advances in technology and policy for hybrid-electric vehicles.