• Southern California is extremely dry, and that’s fueling fires − maps show just how dry

  Ming Pan, University of California, San Diego

  The state is seeing a sharp water divide this year, with lots of rain in the north while the south has stayed dry. A hydrologist explains what’s happening.

• 2024’s extreme ocean heat breaks records again, leaving 2 mysteries to solve

  Annalisa Bracco, Georgia Institute of Technology

  The oceans have been much warmer than average for the past two years, and the planet just set another global heat record. What’s going on?

• How the EPA administrator protects public health, air, water and the environment

  Stan Meiburg, Wake Forest University

  Enforcing environmental laws isn’t a job that makes people popular. But polls show that Americans generally want more environmental protection, not less.

• Trump may receive an ‘unconditional discharge’ in hush money conviction − a constitutional law expert explains what that means

  Wayne Unger, Quinnipiac University

  A New York state court judge is due to sentence Donald Trump in his hush money case to ‘unconditional discharge.’ What does that mean?

• Even 1 drink a day elevates your cancer risk – an expert on how alcohol affects the body breaks down a new government report

  Nikki Crowley, Penn State

  The government linked alcohol with seven types of cancers, prompting the US surgeon general to call for warning labels on beer, wine and liquor.

• With more Americans able to access legalized marijuana, fewer are picking up prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications – new research

  Ashley Bradford, Georgia Institute of Technology

  The study offers insight into how marijuana access may alter treatment patterns for patients with anxiety.

• From anecdotes to AI tools, how doctors make medical decisions is evolving with technology

  Aaron J. Masino, Clemson University

  Doctors have an overwhelming amount of individual patient data and medical research at their disposal to make diagnoses and treatment plans.

• Many ‘impact investors’ aren’t fully tracking whether their investments are good for society or the environment − new research

  Lauren Kaufmann, University of Virginia; Helet Botha, University of Michigan-Dearborn

  Some investors are more open than others to considering the risk that their money might not have the impact they’re seeking.

• Funding public schools based on enrollment in the previous year may help keep their budgets more stable, research shows

  Angie Nga Le, Rutgers University; Phuong Nguyen-Hoang, University of Iowa

  How states fund their schools may matter more in the coming years as the Trump administration prepares to change the federal government’s role in education spending.

• Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality

• Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young forests against climate change

• Nuclear fusion could one day be a viable clean energy source – but big engineering challenges stand in the way

President-elect Donald Trump has recently suggested that the U.S. government should acquire what, by force if necessary?

• • 1. A. The Mona Lisa
    2. B. The British crown jewels
    3. C. Greenland
    4. D. Graceland

Test your knowledge