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 National Geographic.
• Vox’s story about electrolytes’ role in hydration included insight from registered dietitian nutritionist Samantha Coogan.
• Yahoo Life shared ways to maximize the mental health benefits of a good workout with clinical sports psychologist Bradley Donohue.
• Infectious disease expert Brian Labus tells Yahoo Life if it’s safe to eat McDonald’s after its recent quarterpounder E. coli scare.
• LiveScience 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 Healthline.
• Daily Express US 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 Women’s Health and Yahoo readers toward the best running shoes for plantar fasciitis.
• Addictions expert Shane Kraus chatted with Cronkite News about the ability of sportsbooks to use AI to identify problem gamblers.

Culture

• Fodor’s Travel 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 Neue Deister-Zeitung. Soligo’s expertise was then called upon by the Las Vegas Sun to clear up why prices are so much lower for this year’s F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
• Bloomberg 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 Yahoo.
• Architecture professor Steffen Lehmann spoke of the steps Las Vegas resorts are taking to become more energy efficient with BBC. His comments were picked up by multiple outlets, including News Nation.
• Fashion historian Deirdre Clemente talked about the clothing styles of president-elect Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in Italian publication Il Giornale. HuffPost also interviewed Clemente about what clothing styles say about our own political views.
• Food & Wine Magazine 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 InsideHook 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: CDC Gaming, Las Vegas Sun, Las Vegas Review-Journal, NPR, Vegas PBS, and KTNV: ABC 13.
• Social worker Nicholas Barr said strides have been made in reducing the number of homeless veterans in Nevada with the Las Vegas Sun.
• Anthropologist William Jankowiak talked to The Guardian about the evolution of romantic kissing among humans.
• Travel Weekly 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 Plugged In.

Politics

• Immigration law attorney Michael Kagan provided reaction in USA Today (twice) 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 The New York Times.
• The Washington Post 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 LA Times.
• The Associated Press interviewed political science professor David Damore about the Nevada Senate race. 
• The Christian Science Monitor and Australian Broadcasting Corp. 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 Le Point 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 Salon.
• LiveNowFox 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 UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian. Lois was a powerhouse in Southern Nevada, making a name for herself in community service, politics, and education. Nevada Independent; Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Sun, KSNV: News 3, KVVU: Fox 5; KLAS: News 8; KTNV: ABC 13

UNLV celebrated its newly-minted partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, as the film giant further detailed plans to build a new studio in Las Vegas. KSNV: News 3, KVVU: Fox 5; Las Vegas Review-Journal; Las Vegas Sun; Las Vegas Review-Journal; Vegas 411

The Nevada governor’s office in Las Vegas is hosting a Holocaust exhibit, featuring artifacts and timelines chronicling Nazi oppression in Europe. UNLV history department grad students helped make the display a reality, as seen on KLAS: News 8 and KSNV: News 3.

Preserve Nevada — a statewide historical preservation organization based at UNLV and led by history department chair Michael Green — released its annual list of endangered cultural landmarks. Outlets including KSNV: ABC 13, City Cast Las Vegas, and the Las Vegas Sun reported on the group’s efforts.

UNLV’s Tourist Safety Institute collaborated with multiple law enforcement and nonprofit groups on an initiative to locate eight missing children in Las Vegas: KTNV: ABC 13, KLAS: 8 News Now, KSNV: News 3, KVVU: Fox 5   

Experts Roundup

• TODAY talked to psychologist Rachael Robnett about how and when feelings of nostalgia tend to increase. Movie Guide also picked up the story.
• Psychologist Brenna Renn provided her top advice for staying connected with your grand kids in an article from Brain HQ, which was picked up by AOL.
• MassLive 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 Yahoo Life via BobVila.com.
• Political scientist Austin Wang’s research going over the U.S. strategies in defending Taiwan was presented in Taipei-based The News Lens.
• The Times UK 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 NPR’s Marketplace podcast and the Las Vegas Sun.
• Bubb then explained why napping at certain times on a flight can cause ear pain in Islands, and how moving walkways in airports tend to cause terminal stores to lose money while simultaneously racking up facility maintenance costs with CNBC.
• History expert Teddy Uldricks commented on the possible intentions of Vladimir Putin in the recent escalation of tensions in Eastern Europe with Express U.S.
• 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 KSNV: News 3 and KVVU: Fox 5