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On December 7 we get the year’s earliest sunset, followed by the shortest day on December 21 and the darkest morning in early January. This timing doesn’t match the solstice because Earth’s tilt and elliptical orbit make our solar day slightly longer than 24 hours as we move fastest near early January. That small shift moves sunrise and sunset milestones off the solstice, meaning the darkest-feeling afternoon of winter arrives now.

Researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia have found that there are marine bacteria living in all the world’s oceans that are able to consume and digest plastic – in particular polyethylene terephthalate (or PET) plastic – the plastic found in soda bottles, clothing, and many other things.

In 1978, green sea turtles were placed on the endangered species list primarily due to human activities like bycatch in fisheries, habitat loss from coastal development, pollution, commercial hunting for their meat, and harvesting of their eggs. Other threats include entanglement in marine debris, being struck by boats, and climate change. For more than 40 years, they teetered on the brink of extinction around the world.

To understand climate change, we can look to Venus and Mars, both surrounded by carbon dioxide—the main greenhouse gas. On Venus, CO₂ traps enough heat to keep the surface at 850°F, while on Mars, a much thinner layer still warms the planet by about 40 degrees. Greenhouse gases work by trapping infrared energy: when the Sun heats Earth’s surface, most infrared escapes through simple gases like oxygen and nitrogen, but CO₂ and water vapor absorb and re-radiate it, sending some back toward the ground. This process keeps Earth warmer and explains why cloudy nights are warmer than clear ones—the same physics behind climate change.

(Airs 12/04/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with Michelle Hadden, Executive Director of The New York Council on Problem Gambling, about the definition of gambling addiction, the expansion of legalized gambling in the state, online gambling and its impact on youth, and much more.

Antarctica is warming roughly twice as fast as the rest of the planet, putting its vast ice sheets, surrounding oceans, and unique ecosystems at growing risk. A new study led by researchers from the Australian National University and the University of New South Wales warns that the continent may face sudden and potentially irreversible changes. Without sharp global reductions in carbon emissions, these shifts could reverberate far beyond Antarctica, affecting ocean currents, weather patterns, and coastal communities across Australia and around the world.

(Airs 12/11/25 @ 3 p.m.) WAMC’s David Guistina in conversation with New York Senator James Skoufis, a Democrat, about his new retail to retail bill, the situation with the Orange County IDA and an Amazon warehouse proposal, whether his relationship with Governor Hochul is strained, and much more.

On this week's 51%, we hear from author Brianne Brinker, assistant athletic director at Union College, about her experience coming out and transitioning as a transgender woman in 2019. Brinker says “skating out of the vault” has allowed her to be her most confident self, and she considers finding herself to be her greatest accomplishment.

In 2015, a report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated that the world was headed towards 3.7 to 4.8 degrees Celsius of warming if stronger actions were not taken to cut emissions. This level of increased temperature (as much as nearly 9 degrees Fahrenheit) was described as being incompatible with an organized, equitable, and civilized global community. In short, the consequences would be dire.

Michael Connelly has long been a master at mapping the evolving landscape of crime and justice in America, and in his latest, "The Proving Ground," he turns his attention to one of the defining questions of the moment: what happens when artificial intelligence crosses dangerous ethical lines—and real people pay the price?