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According to a new study, mountains around the world are warming faster than surrounding lowlands. The increased heat at higher elevations is melting glaciers and reducing snowfall. This threatens a vital source of fresh water for more than a billion people.

The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.On this episode, we’ll learn how an endangered antelope was born to a mother of a separate species.A new report from New York examines declining public-school enrollment.And lawmakers are celebrating the return of whole milk to the cafeteria.

Ten years ago, there were about 1,200 satellites in orbit around the earth. Now there are about 12,000 and the numbers are growing rapidly. Starlink alone has 9,000 satellites in its communications swarm and may in a few years have as many as 42,000. By 2040, there may be more than 100,000 active satellites circling Earth.

In his latest biography, “Mark Twain,” Ron Chernow brings to life the man known as the father of American literature, Mark Twain. Chernow peels back the layers of this complex figure, showing us the man behind classics like “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “The Innocents Abroad.”

Lemurs are small social primates with pointed snouts, large eyes, and a long tail. These charismatic creatures are a favorite of children. There are about 100 living species and all of them live on the large island of Madagascar. Lemurs’ ancestors are thought to have originated in Africa and crossed the Mozambique Channel to Madagascar over 60 million years ago. Over time, they evolved into a large number of species.

Each summer, vast quantities of Sargassum seaweed spread across the tropical Atlantic and foul the coasts of the Caribbean Islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and northern South America. The Sargassum is not only bad for tourism, it also disrupts ecosystems by providing massive amounts of food for many marine species, upsetting the balance of those systems.

Concrete is the most abundant manufactured material in the world. It is primarily composed of water, cement, and aggregate (sand and gravel.) Cement manufacturing is responsible for about 8% of the world’s total CO2 emissions, primarily a result of the chemical reaction of heating limestone and the combustion of fossil fuels used to provide the heat.

On this week's 51%, we look back on some of our favorite conversations from 2025: Dr. Heather Hirsch discusses the FDA’s decision to remove “black box” warning labels from hormonal therapies used to treat symptoms of menopause; Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson explains how President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” blocks Medicaid funding for its clinics; and former CIA intelligence officer Christina Hillsberg makes the case for why women make better spies.

(Airs 12/26/25 @ 3 p.m. & 12/28/25 @ 6 p.m.) The Media Project is an inside look at media coverage of current events with former Times Union Editor, current Upstate American, Substack columnist Rex Smith, Judy Patrick, former Editor of The Daily Gazette and former Vice President for Editorial Development for the New York Press Association, and Barbara Lombardo, Adjunct Professor at the University at Albany and former Editor of the Saratogian. On this week’s Media Project, Rex, Judy, and Barbara talk look at the future of journalism in the new year and beyond, and more.

(Airs 12/26/25 @ 10 p.m.) The Legislative Gazette is a weekly program about New York State Government and politics. On this week’s Gazette: Governor Hochul signs an A-I safeguard bill into law, we’ll speak with Paul Wolf, President Emeritus of the New York Coalition for Open Government, about why Governor Hochul ending up on this year’s naughty list, and Gold Star families are now able to apply for license plates in honor of the soldiers who died while serving.