New York (CBS)  -- JOHN EDWARDS CHOOSES OBAMA OVER CLINTON

He didn't get enough votes to win the Democratic presidential nomination, but John Edwards says he knows who should and it's not Hillary Clinton.

Things change fast in the world of politics. One minute, the big story is Hillary Rodham Clinton's win in the West Virginia primary; the next, it's a big endorsement for rival Barack Obama....

"The Democratic voters in America have made their choice, and so have I," said Senator John Edwards.

Former Democratic presidential contender John Edwards was being wooed by both Obama and Clinton. But in the end, he decided the Senator from Illinois not the Senator from New York is the right person to lead the country.

"Join me in helping send Barack Obama to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," said Senator John Edwards.

It's considered an important endorsement for Obama because John Edwards could help bring him what he needs: the kind of voters, like those in West Virginia, who have been going for Hillary Clinton.

"I am grateful for his support.  But more importantly, I want to thank John for everything he has already done to make us one America," said Sen. Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois.

Reaction from the Clinton camp to Edwards' endorsement?

"We have six million eligible Democrats yet to vote in these upcoming 20 days six million! They're gonna determine who the nominee of the Democratic Party is and it's not going to be someone on television, telling them what to do.  We are in it, we're taking it to Denver, and we're taking it to the White House. Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States of America," said Terry McAuliffe, Clinton campaign chairman.

But Obama seems to be focusing now on the general election, even putting in a kind word for his rival who refuses to leave the field.

"Hillary Clinton believes in a different America.  The Democratic Party believes in a different America:  one America, where we rise and fall as one people," said Sen. Barack Obama

SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR'S PLEA TO SPEED ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH
 

She was famous as a Supreme Court Justice.  Sandra Day O'Connor might like to be more famous as someone who helped spur a cure for Alzheimer's.  Her husband has it.

Alzheimer's is an insidious disease.  It robs victims of their memories, their personalities.  Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor knows better than most.

"I'm here in a position of being caregiver.  My beloved husband John suffers from Alzheimer's.  He's had it for a long time now.  And he's not in very good shape at present," said Sandra Day O'Connor.

O'Connor came to Capitol Hill to ask for help.  Not so much for her family, but for all the Alzheimer's families.

"This is a really difficult disease, because it has no cure as yet," said Sandra Day O'Connor.

She says there are a few basic steps that should be taken right away.

"I think we have to expand the research efforts.  And we have to encourage the sharing of research data across the country with those who can help," said Sandra Day O'Connor.

More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease.  The number is expected to soar, with 16 million people forecast to have it by 2050 because our population is getting older.

"The doctors who take care of my husband tell me that one in two people over 80 are going to have Alzheimer's.  Now, I'm getting pretty close to 80, so that gets my attention," said Sandra Day O'Connor.

The usually very private Sandra Day O'Connor has joined a group of national leaders  to create what they call a "national strategy'' to battle Alzheimer's, emphasizing both research and improving help for caregivers...

"If you can just shave off by five years the onset of Alzheimer's, broadly speaking, think of the money you'd save nationally on health care," said Sandra Day O'Connor.

ARE SPACE ALIENS "GOD'S CREATURES," TOO?

The Bible says humans were created in the image of God.  But what about space aliens? 

The Vatican now has something to say about that.
 

"In the beginning..."

 
...Well, you know that story.  But maybe you wondered what it would mean for us humans if we weren't alone in the heaven and the Earth. What if there were "others" out there?

It's been the stuff of science fiction for years.  Now, it's the stuff of religious doctrine.

Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, is quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones...

In an interview with the Vatican newspaper, Funes says that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith", because aliens would still be God's creatures. 

He says ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom.

Funes says he still believes in God the Creator, it's just that in addition to Adam and Eve, it's possible God could have created Alphar and Eve Brzylflex on another planet far, far away.

Now, this is sure to spark some pretty interesting theological discussions, which I'm not qualified to lead. 

But it's interesting to see how far the Roman Catholic Church has come from the days when someone like the astronomer Galileo could be persecuted for advancing the then-zany notion that the Earth moved around the Sun. 

Now, we have the director of the Vatican Observatory suggesting E.T. may indeed be out there and he or she or it could be another of God's creatures.

That's something to "phone home" about.

A FEW SOUNDS WORTH SAVING FOR ALL TIME
 

You've heard of oral history, how about "aural" history?

The Library of Congress is out with its latest additions to the National Recording Registry, everyone from Kurt Waldheim to the music of Roy Orbison.

We radio people tend to think of sound as something fleeting. We say the words, you hear them, and then they're gone. 

But the Library of Congress considers sounds some of them, anywayto be eternal.

That's why 25 recorded sounds have been added to the Library's National Recording Registry, where they'll be preserved, in theory, forever.

The range is remarkable. 

Everything from an early opera recording to Michael Jackson's "Thriller".

From an episode of the classic radio show "Fibber McGee and Molly" to a speech by Ronald Reagan.

So how does a recording get to be immortal? 

Well, the Library chooses certain sounds for preservation that are considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and worth saving for all time. 

Registry recordings must be at least 10 years old.  Some are much older.

So it's nice to know that sometimes, some of what you hear on the radio isn't heard once and then disappears.

It could be with us as long as we're around to hear it.