Short answers, pulled from the story.
The National Academy of Sciences, the founding body of the National Academies, was established on the 3rd of March 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Act of Incorporation. The National Academy of Engineering was added in 1964, and the National Academy of Medicine, originally the Institute of Medicine, joined in 1970 and was rechartered under its current name in 2015.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine produces around 200 reports each year. These reports are published by the National Academies Press, which has offered free PDF downloads of all its publications since 2011.
About 70 percent of the National Academies budget comes from federal funds, with the remainder from private donations and its own endowment. In fiscal year 2018 the grand total revenue was just under $264 million, with the Department of Transportation as the largest single federal contributor at more than $81 million.
The three academies collectively have more than 6,300 members, all scientists, engineers, or health professionals. New members are elected annually by existing members based on distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, and all members serve pro bono as advisers to the nation.
The 2025 NASEM consensus study report Review of Evidence on Alcohol and Health found with moderate certainty that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower all-cause mortality and lower cardiovascular mortality compared to never drinking. The same report found with moderate certainty that moderate intake is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in females.
The National Research Council, now formally called the program units of NASEM, is the operating arm of the three academies responsible for producing objective policy advice and reports. It was created in 1916 at the request of President Woodrow Wilson and formalized in 1918 under Executive Order 2859; its Articles of Organization have been amended only three times, in 1956, January 1993, and July 2015.