Companies with strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) track records performed better than their peers after being required to adopt more rigorous auditing standards. This is according to a new study from researchers at Nagoya University in Japan, which is the first to examine the connection between the implementation of “key audit matters” (KAMs) and firms’ sustainability practices.

Indoor dust, air and everyday products are exposing people to a growing mix of “new contaminants” inside homes, schools and workplaces, according to a new perspective published in the journal New Contaminants. The authors warn that these emerging chemicals may quietly increase the risk of heart disease, cancer and developmental problems while remaining largely unregulated and poorly monitored indoors.

A new commentary in Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes proposes a practical pathway for countries to meet the global goal of protecting 30 percent of land and sea by 2030, known as the 30 × 30 target, by rethinking how existing ecological policies are counted and governed. Focusing on China, the authors argue that the country’s Ecological Protection Redline policy offers a ready model for turning ambitious maps into real conservation outcomes while balancing development needs.

University Hospitals CEO, Cliff Megerian, MD, FACS, was honored to receive the Sam Miller Goodness Award by the Values-in-Action Foundation on Dec. 8, joining an inspiring lineup of honorees who shine their light throughout Northeast Ohio and contribute to making the community a better place to live. Each year, the Values-in-Action Foundation honors individuals who represent goodness, caring and respect beyond the norm.

Researchers from the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies noted in their 2025 Global RIghts Project (GRIP) report that there are continued troubling trends in inhumane treatment across the globe. Governments in some countries use surveillance or legal pressure to discourage journalists and citizens from criticizing top officials. Also, the number of atrocities committed in countries—people killed by state officials—reached all-time highs in 2022.

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), in collaboration with the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE), an entity under the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Administration through the Secretariat of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure, have promoted the development of a new probabilistic metric designed to more accurately measure the level of privacy and protection that users have in different databases.