A light trio of stories: scientists turned plastic waste into edible cookies, California squirrels are flattening themselves to beat the heat, and parts of Hawaii are under a flood watch.

• Researchers broke down the plastic used in drink bottles into its basic molecules, fed it to engineered baker's yeast, added vanilla, and 3-D printed the result into cookies.
• In Southern California, lingering heat has squirrels "splooting" — lying flat on their bellies with legs spread out to cool off.
• Wildlife experts say to leave the animals alone, since putting out food or water makes them dependent on people and less able to survive on their own.
• A flood watch covers Niihau, Kauai and Oahu into this evening, with flash flooding still possible on Kauai and Oahu.
• Maui County and Hawaii Island stay dry.

Outlook: The flood risk for Kauai and Oahu should ease once the watch expires, while drier weather holds for Maui County and Hawaii Island.