Washington, DC - During this annual holiday season of giving, while we're thinking of all the people in our lives and trying to find the perfect gift for each and every one of them, it can be easy to forget about ourselves. With this in mind, I encourage you to give yourself a gift this holiday season.

Los Angeles, California - Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have identified a new way to make a semiconductor laser that operates at terahertz frequencies. The breakthrough could lead to development of a new class of high-quality, powerful lasers for use in space exploration, military and law enforcement efforts and other applications.

Los Angeles, California - An analysis of fossil corals and mollusk shells from the Pacific Ocean reveals there is no link between the strength of seasonal differences and El Niño, a complex but irregular climate pattern with large impacts on weather, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and air quality worldwide.

Cambridge, Massachusetts - Microelectromechanical systems - or MEMS - were a $12 billion business in 2014. But that market is dominated by just a handful of devices, such as the accelerometers that reorient the screens of most smartphones.

Washington, DC - The U.S.-Canada partnership is vital to shaping global and regional issues and our regular high-level dialogue between senior leaders from both governments advances our common goals. To continue our close cooperation on global issues, Counselor Thomas Shannon and Assistant Deputy Minister for International Security and Political Affairs Mark Gwozdecky co-chaired the seventh U.S.-Canada High-Level Policy Review Group today.

Cambridge, Massachusetts - It may sound unusual, but it’s true: In recent years a growing number of people have been hooking their heads up to electrodes, in an attempt to stimulate their brains using a direct electrical current. Some of them do this via homemade devices; others may be using a new direct-to-consumer kit that just hit the market.