It has been ridiculously warm across the eastern half of the country this month, with many spots likely to see their warmest December on record. New York City may reach as high as 72°F on Christmas Eve. Washington D.C. is forecast to reach the mid-70s, and Miami the mid-80s. One of the factors behind this decidedly un-Christmas-like weather is a feature that came to be associated with the brutally cold winters of the past few years: the infamous polar vortex.

During one of the Democratic primary debates this fall, Bernie Sanders spoke favorably of Scandinavia, as compared to the United States, when it comes to treating workers well. "We should look to countries like Denmark, like Sweden and Norway and learn from what they have accomplished for their working people," he said. Onstage, Hillary Clinton reminded him: "We are not Denmark." On the right, Sanders was pilloried even more: How could we possibly think to learn something from the frozen countries on the top of Europe?

In 1931 German physician, physiologist and biochemist Otto Heinrich Warburg won the Nobel Prize for his discovery that cancerous cells—unlike most healthy human cells, which produce energy using oxygen via respiration—favor the anaerobic process of fermentation, or the conversion of sugar into acids, gases or alcohol, even in the presence of oxygen. This has perplexed scientists ever since because fermentation is a far less efficient means of generating energy than aerobic metabolism, hence its pejorative tag as a “wasteful metabolism.”

The end of 2015 leaves many of the year's most significant issues still very much in flux, including the reform of U.S. gun control laws, the fates of thousands of Syrian refugees, and the legal status of massive startups like Uber and Airbnb. Here's our list of some of the most crucial topics facing the world in 2016:

Few doctors, scientists and engineers have an entrepreneurial mindset. Fewer are entrepreneurs and even fewer are innovators. Some just create or discover something new, declare victory, call it innovation and move on. 

There is a difference between an idea, an invention and innovation. 

If you want to be a digital nomad, first forget about the stereotypes. Like the one in the image above, lol. Your Clients are not going to wait for you while you are resting on the beach.

First, the reality of being a digital nomad. You need to be very good at planning and prioritizing, and you need to know very well how to motivate yourself. Each time you move from point A to B, you need to keep in mind time zones, potential delays, work deadlines, etc. Also, you really need to love what you do, because often the choice is between working or enjoying some time on the beach (like in the above-mentioned picture that you always see associated with digital nomads), out  with your friends, exploring new places, etc. There are no physical constraints which make you think "I am here anyway, I better work" if you are not motivated yourself.

The aerospace company SpaceX just made history by sending an orbital rocket into space and then landing it back on the ground. 

SpaceX This moment marks a critical milestone that SpaceX has been working toward for years and could pave the way for a new era of spaceflight that runs on reusable rockets, or rockets that can fly more than once.

The old adage that “Only 10 venture investments matter each year” has officially been debunked.

A new study by Cambridge Associates, the benchmark for VC performance data, found that the distribution of venture capital returns changed dramatically after the 1999 Internet bubble.

Freelance work is the fastest growing sector of the labor market, and by 2020, over 50% of Americans will be freelancing in some shape or form. The rise of freelancing use in major businesses, however, is a component of a larger phenomenon: The Uber-ification (so to speak) of the economy. It is typified by modes of capitalizing on small inefficiencies and opportunity for growth--empty rooms, empty spaces in your car, and, in the case of freelancing, proven experts willing to work for extra money on demand. As freelancing becomes increasingly common at every stage of business development, it is worth investigating the reasons why a business might choose freelancing over alternatives. Freelancing offers obvious benefits: it allows for flexibility, agility, and leveraging the talents of multiple experts for lower than the cost of one full-timer.

You'd think that spotting a panda in a crowd of snowmen would be the easiest thing in the world, but you'd be wrong.

THIS was the year of the great unraveling, with international orders and borders challenged or broken, with thousands of deaths, vast flows of migrants and terrorist attacks on some of the most cherished symbols of civilization, both Western and Muslim.

Palmyra and Paris (twice). Aleppo, Homs, Kobani and even San Bernardino, Calif. The Syrian war grinds on, half the prewar population displaced or gone, and the Islamic State fills a vacuum created by sectarian struggle and Western fatigue.

The most mind-blowing conversation I’ve ever experienced didn’t occur in a boardroom or corporate office. In fact, it happened at a coworking lunch where I got to talk about the Affordable Care Act with a lawyer, digital marketer, software developer, executive recruiter, and private equity investor. Hearing the perspectives from individuals of all different industries was refreshing; I can’t recall participating in a similar experience during my seven years in the corporate world.

2015 has seen the rise of vibrant tech hubs in places even we didn't expect them. The growth of the pan-African innovation ecosystem - and seeing proof that the whole continent is being included in the growth story - is exactly the sort of news we love. So, just in case you missed them, here are five African hubs you probably didn't know about.

“Starting a company is like eating glass and staring into the abyss. If you feel like you are up for that, then start a company.” Elon Musk

Entrepreneurs belong to part of a select club. In terms of difficulty, some would rank being an entrepreneur right up there next to lion tamers, cliff jumpers, and chainsaw jugglers.

The holidays are just around the corner, and that means it’s gift-giving season for friends and loved ones. 

If there’s an entrepreneur on your list, chances are they’re tough to buy for.

Florida State University on Friday announced a gift of $100 million for a new school of entrepreneurship. The university says the school will be the largest freestanding school of entrepreneurship in the country, and will offer programs available to all Florida State students. The gift is the largest in Florida State's history.

Disruption is all around us.

Mobile is overtaking desktop, social is beating search, on-demand is undercutting TV, messaging apps are challenging email, and everything around us is becoming connected. These shifts in trends can rattle our businesses, our portfolios, and even our lives. But they don’t have to…

Military experience builds the elusive character traits that companies sorely need in their leaders.

As long as reality falls short of our peace-loving ideals, there will be a pressing need to recruit bright talents into the military. When military leaders re-enter civilian life, however, they often find it difficult to convince employers that their experience applies to the business world. True, life on an army barracks bears little obvious resemblance to that of most corporate executives — but the differences may be more superficial than most realise.

Extinct species of Galapagos tortoise are hiding in the gene pools of their sister species, just waiting for conservationists to tease them out. At least that’s the concept behind a multiyear plan to bring back the Pinta and Floreana Island giant tortoise species using a combination of genetic analysis and careful breeding.

Next year, Boston-area startups will aim to disrupt industries, businesses and change people's lives in a big way. The list is endless, but we've chosen 10 local startups that are worth paying close attention to in 2016 based on a variety of factors: addressable market, business models, products, founders and how much investors are willing to bet on them.