SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Silence used to prevail in the forest of a private Caribbean islet until environmentalists transformed it into a love nest for the critically endangered Lesser Antillean iguana.

WOLFBERRY WHOOPING CRANE SANCTUARY, Texas (AP) – Carter Crouch has been fascinated by the whooping crane’s conservation story for as long as he can remember. The white bird, named for its “whooping” call, is one of the rarest in North America and was among the first to be protected by the Endangered Species Act.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday unveiled a series of regulatory actions designed to effectively ban gender-affirming care for minors, building on broader Trump administration restrictions on transgender Americans.

It’s been called an “epidemic” of loneliness and isolation. The “bowling alone” phenomenon. By any name, it refers to Americans’ growing social disconnection by many measures. Americans are less likely to join civic groups, unions and churches than in recent generations.

The Christmas holiday season is a time to step back from the busy pace of modern life and connect with our nearest and dearest instead of screens, apps and chatbots.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – European officials on Tuesday moved to ease their ban on sales of cars with internal combustion engines by 2035, responding to pressure from governments and automakers who argued that the industry needed more flexibility in finding ways to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and help achieve EU climate goals.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate on Wednesday confirmed billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator on Wednesday, placing him atop the agency after a monthslong saga where President Donald Trump revoked his nomination as part of a feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk.

A former manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue in Boston was sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing and selling body parts “as if they were baubles.”