L.A. Fires Show Limits of America’s Efforts to Cope With Climate Change

L.A. Fires Show Limits of America’s Efforts to Cope With Climate Change

This week’s fires around Los Angeles present a puzzle: Why is California, the state best equipped to deal with wildfires, seemingly unable to prevent blazes from consuming entire chunks of the country’s second-largest city? California’s building code for wildfires is among the most protective in the nation. Its local fire departments are backed up by … Read more

Mauro Morandi, Italy’s Robinson Crusoe, Dies at 85

Mauro Morandi, Italy’s Robinson Crusoe, Dies at 85

Mauro Morandi, whose 32-year sojourn on an uninhabited Mediterranean island led to his being known as Italy’s Robinson Crusoe, died on Jan. 3 in Modena, Italy. He was 85. The cause was a brain hemorrhage, said Antonio Rinaldis, who wrote a 2023 book with Mr. Morandi about his life on the island. Unlike Daniel Defoe’s … Read more

You May Be Able to Have Grapefruit Again Someday

You May Be Able to Have Grapefruit Again Someday

You may be among the millions of people who have seen a surprisingly specific warning like this on the labels of drugs you take: Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while using this medication. Such warnings are issued for dozens of substances, including docetaxel, a cancer drug; erythromycin, an antibiotic; and some statins, the … Read more

Constellation Energy to Buy Power Producer Calpine

Constellation Energy to Buy Power Producer Calpine

Constellation Energy, the nation’s largest nuclear power plant operator, has agreed to buy another electricity producer, Calpine, for $16.4 billion. The deal reflects the key role that natural gas is likely to play in meeting fast-rising U.S. electricity demand. The cash-and-stock deal, announced Friday, ranks among the power sector’s biggest. It would broaden Constellation’s portfolio … Read more