The twinkling of lit-up trees and festive displays in store windows have come to mean two things: The holidays are upon us, and so is COVID. Since the pandemic began, the week between Christmas and New Year's has coincided with the dreaded 'winter wave.' During that dark period, cases have reliably surged after rising throughout the fall. The holiday season in 2020 and 2021 marked the two biggest COVID peaks to date, with major spikes in infections that also led to hospitalizations and deaths. But something weird is happening this year. From September through November, levels of the virus in wastewater, one of the most reliable metrics now that cases are no longer tracked, were unusually low. At various points over that span, hospitalizations and deaths also neared all-time lows. That's not to say we are in for a COVID-less Christmas. CDC data released over the past two weeks show a sharp increase of viral activity in wastewater. Whether this is the start of a winter wave still remains unclear, but even if so, the timing is all off. Last year, the winter wave was nearing its peak at Christmas. This time around, the wave'if there is one'is only just getting started. America is in for the most unpredictable COVID holiday season yet....

outbreaks of Oropouche virus have flared up in the Amazon for decades, but historically the pathogen has little troubled the rest of the world. But this seems to be changing. In 2024, the virus showed that it can travel. Most of this year's 11,000-plus cases occurred in Brazil and Peru, where the virus is an old acquaintance, but it has also been found in 2024 in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, and Cuba'the latter reporting 603 cases as well as in-country transmission for the first time. Infected travelers also transported the virus to North America and Europe: This year it was found twice in Canada and 94 times in the United States'with 90 cases reported in Florida'while 30 imported cases were found across Spain, Italy, and Germany. For those who study Oropouche and other arboviruses'the family of viruses transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks'the situation is worrying. Despite having clues about its transmission cycle, there's insufficient information to accurately predict Oropouche's future behavior. 'We have some pieces of the puzzle, but there is no total certainty as to what role each one plays,' says Juan Carlos Navarro, director of research at SEK International University, where he heads the emerging diseases and epidemiology group....

Widespread global uncertainty in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing wars, social uprisings, and rising inflation have led individuals to feel less of a sense of personal control. New research finds that this lack of control can drive employees to seek similarity in coworkers, forming homogenous teams that stifle diversity and innovation. Research involving over 90,000 participants across multiple studies revealed that individuals with reduced control gravitate toward those similar in race, religion, or values, reinforcing predictability but fostering segregation and limiting collaboration. Leaders can mitigate this effect by taking the following steps: 1) Foster psychological safety, 2) establish predictable work routines, 3) encourage cross-functional teams, 4) develop responsive feedback systems, and 5) cultivate individual autonomy....

Detroiters know. In November 2021, residents voted to create a reparations committee that would make recommendations for housing and economic development programs to address historical discrimination against Black residents. We are a team of University of Michigan-based scholars of political science and sociology specializing in public opinion and attitudes toward reparations. Our research provides important context for understanding the challenges Detroit's reparations committee faces. The 13-member task force wasn't officially announced until February 2023. The two-year time lapse resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and the unexpected passing in July 2022 of former City Council Member JoAnn Watson ' a pivotal advocate for reparations. As the October 2024 deadline approached, however, many residents voiced concerns that the task force was not progressing quickly enough or being as inclusive as expected. When the deadline extension was announced, task force co-chair Keith Williams issued his own report. This unilateral decision prompted the task force to release a statement letting Detroiters know that Williams' report is not representative of the final report that is still in development. The official report is now due in March 2025....