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To the discerning nostril, that scent wafting through the air isn’t a fresh batch of gingerbread cookies or a pine forest holiday fragrance oil – it’s cold, hard knowledge. And this month’s Newsmakers has it in droves.

How will the upcoming presidency’s policy decisions impact Nevada? Why are the prices for this year’s F1 race so much lower? What exactly causes us to long for, or lose ourselves in the past? Are movies such as Gladiator II too “thirsty”? And is there really a bad time to nap on a plane?

All of these stories come without ribbons; without tags; without packages, boxes, or bags. Newsmakers, perhaps, doesn’t come from a store. And it’s about to stuff your stocking with a month’s-worth of headlines – and quite likely many, many more.

Health & Science

• Physical therapist Kai-Yu Ho spoke of the importance of strengthening your tendons and joints in improving your workout in .
• ’s story about electrolytes’ role in hydration included insight from registered dietitian nutritionist Samantha Coogan.
• shared ways to maximize the mental health benefits of a good workout with clinical sports psychologist Bradley Donohue.
• Infectious disease expert Brian Labus tells if it’s safe to eat McDonald’s after its recent quarterpounder E. coli scare.
• asked astrophysicist Jason Steffen to explain why the length of the day doesn’t always make for the warmest or coldest temperatures.
• Community medicine expert David Weismiller discussed a decrease in both syphilis and gonorrhea cases with .
• called upon public policy expert Benjamin Leffel to comment on the potential for environmental agencies and incentives to be broken apart under the incoming presidential administration.
• Kinesiologist John Mercer helped point and readers toward the best running shoes for plantar fasciitis.
• Addictions expert Shane Kraus chatted with about the ability of sportsbooks to use AI to identify problem gamblers.

Culture

• released this year’s ‘No List’ of undesirable travel destinations, and included thoughts from hospitality professor Marta Soligo. The piece was also picked up by dozens of international outlets, including German publication . Soligo’s expertise was then called upon by the to clear up why prices are so much lower for this year’s F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
• interviewed gaming expert Brett Abarbanel in its story detailing the growth of online sports betting operators such as Draft Kings. 
• Screen acting expert Adam Paul commented on the level of sexuality on display from the likes of Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal in Gladiator II with .
• Architecture professor Steffen Lehmann spoke of the steps Las Vegas resorts are taking to become more energy efficient with . His comments were picked up by multiple outlets, including .
• Fashion historian Deirdre Clemente talked about the clothing styles of president-elect Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in Italian publication . also interviewed Clemente about what clothing styles say about our own political views.
• discussed the Trump administration’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ initiative and its prospects for success with nutrition policy expert Dawn Matusz. She also spoke to about the way politics impacts seemingly innocuous ways of life, including the foods we eat. 
• Economists Stephen Miller and Andrew Woods helped host the annual Center for Business and Economic Research forecast panel discussion, predicting a downturn in visitation and gambling revenues for Las Vegas in the coming years. The event was covered in a variety of publications, including: , , , , , and .
• Social worker Nicholas Barr said strides have been made in reducing the number of homeless veterans in Nevada with the .
• Anthropologist William Jankowiak talked to about the evolution of romantic kissing among humans.
• asked gaming expert Alan Feldman why so many places in Las Vegas now charge for parking. In a conversation about loot boxes in video games, Feldman also spoke of the consequences of youth gambling with .

Politics

• Immigration law attorney Michael Kagan provided reaction in () regarding the potential deportations promised from the upcoming presidency. 
• Criminal law expert William Sousa’s thoughts on how crime rates would influence the election for Nevada were printed in .
• pinged the expertise of tribal gaming policy expert Kathryn Rand in a story about Native interests in the gaming space as President Joe Biden eases restrictions.
• Political scientist David Fott provided a prognosis of the Las Vegas economy and its role in the election in the .
• interviewed political science professor David Damore about the Nevada Senate race. 
• and featured insight from political scientist John Tuman in a story about why Latino voters shifted toward the Republican party during the presidential election. Tuman also appeared in the French publication on the political climate of the Las Vegas Valley heading into the election.
• Law expert Francine Lipman explained president-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tax breaks on auto loan interest in .
• went over the election results for Nevada with political scientist Rebecca Gill.

University News

• The campus community reflected on the life of longtime educational advocate Lois Tarkanian, the wife of the late famed ������ basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian. Lois was a powerhouse in Southern Nevada, making a name for herself in community service, politics, and education. ; , , , ; ;
• ������ celebrated its newly-minted partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, as the film giant further detailed plans to build a new studio in Las Vegas. , ; ; ; ;
• The Nevada governor’s office in Las Vegas is hosting a Holocaust exhibit, featuring artifacts and timelines chronicling Nazi oppression in Europe. ������ history department grad students helped make the display a reality, as seen on and .
• Preserve Nevada — a statewide historical preservation organization based at ������ and led by history department chair Michael Green — released its annual list of endangered cultural landmarks. Outlets including , , and the reported on the group’s efforts.
• ������’s Tourist Safety Institute collaborated with multiple law enforcement and nonprofit groups on an initiative to locate eight missing children in Las Vegas: , , ,    

Experts Roundup

• talked to psychologist Rachael Robnett about how and when feelings of nostalgia tend to increase. also picked up the story.
• Psychologist Brenna Renn provided her top advice for staying connected with your grand kids in an article from , which was picked up by .
• spoke to immigration law expert Alissa Cooley Yonesawa about the use of the military for purposes of deportation.
• Life sciences professor Sean Neiswenter provided advice for staying safe from wild coyotes in via .
• Political scientist Austin Wang’s research going over the U.S. strategies in defending Taiwan was presented in Taipei-based .
• asked aviation historian Dan Bubb about a new subscription-based business model that an up-and-coming airliner is using in Europe. In light of the recent bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines, Bubb also helped provide background for pieces on the history of troubled airlines with and the .
• Bubb then explained why napping at certain times on a flight can cause ear pain in , and how moving walkways in airports tend to cause terminal stores to lose money while simultaneously racking up facility maintenance costs with .
• History expert Teddy Uldricks commented on the possible intentions of Vladimir Putin in the recent escalation of tensions in Eastern Europe with
• Traffic safety expert Erin Breen discussed the importance of taking time out to think of those we lost in driving incidents during the World Day of Remembrance with and