Tag Archives: Current Events

Why Lego Isn’t (Just) a Toy Company

Twenty-five years ago, Lego was losing $300-million annually and nearly went bankrupt. Plagued by a history of rigid, inflexible control, Lego refused to do partnerships, tried to stop fan creators, had a toy line consumers felt was stale and out-of-date, and was facing unprecedented competition for the attention of their users due to more modern toys—like home video game systems.
It wouldn’t stay that way.
Watch this video to learn how Lego finally learned to listen to its fans, signed its first partnerships, won over adults, innovated its products, and expanded its empire into TV, movies, video games, comic books, theme parks, and more—allowing it to rapidly become the biggest-selling, most profitable toy company on the entire planet.

This Impossible New Color Is So Rare That Only Five People Have Seen It

Have you ever seen the color “olo?” Unless you are one of only five people on the planet who have, the answer is ‘no.’
Recently, researchers achieved the unusual feat of stimulating the eye in such a way as to allow it to see a color outside the range of normal human vision. This work is brand new, but scientists hope that it will lead to new vision treatments and help us to better understand how animals see the world.

School of Law alumni make a difference through community service

These lawyers may not wear capes, but they became real-life superheroes in their communities by donating school supplies, mentoring families in need, and using their skills to make a big difference.

Loch Ness “Monster” Sighted for the First Time in May of 1933, Igniting a Modern Legend

On May 2, 1933, the newspaper Inverness Courier ran the first story of a couple who claimed to have seen “an enormous animal” splashing around in the local lake. Over the subsequent 92 years, the legend has only grown. What about you? Do you think there is something in Loch Ness? What convinced you?

Nearly 100% of Cancer Identified by New AI, Easily Outperforming Doctors

In what’s expected to soon be commonplace, artificial intelligence is being harnessed to pick up signs of cancer more accurately than the trained human eye. This latest AI model has a near 100% success rate and serves as a clear sign of things to come.

5 Takeaways From An AI In Shopper Experience Study

In 2024, a study of nearly 10,000 random consumers in 8 countries—including the United States, Canada, France, and the UK among others—asked about the impacts of artificial intelligence on their shopping habits. Read about five key findings from the survey in this article and compare them to how you would answer the same questions.

From Fruit Fly to This Guy: a Map of One Tiny Brain May Show How Larger Ones Work

A fruit fly’s brain is only the size of a single poppy seed, but it contains a whopping 50 million connections between its neurons. With the assistance of AI, scientists have recently mapped these connections for the first time—the first time for any insect’s brain. It teaches us a lot about how a fruit fly’s brain works, but more importantly, this achievement has already begun to reveal lessons about how all brains work, including yours and mine.

Incarcerated firefighters are helping fight LA wildfires

During California’s wildfire seasons, thousands of brave individuals put their lives on the line to fight the flames—some of which are former inmates learning skills in firefighting.

What is Inflation?

From groceries to travel and from video games to shoes, it seems that just about everything is getting more expensive these days. That increase in prices is called inflation. Watch this short video to learn more about what inflation is, and more importantly, why it occurs.

New treatment for Type 1 Diabetics Gives Hope to University of Chicago Patients

Before insulin was first used in the 1920s (barely 100 years ago), a patient with Type 1 Diabetes was expected to live less than 2 years after being diagnosed. After insulin, diabetics began living longer and longer. Type 1 diabetics today can expect to live into their late 60s or early 70s—but doing so requires a lot of medicine, devices, and thoughtful care. However, a new treatment option is currently being tested that may make care easier and help patients live even longer.

BSU Names Multicultural Center in Honor of Civil Rights Icons Vivian Conley and Hurley Goodall

These two activists dedicated their lives to education, equity, and service, paving the way for inclusion and empowerment. Their legacies remind students everywhere of the power of advocacy and determination to transform communities.

30 New Year’s Superstitions to Bring You Good Luck in 2025

If you’re looking for a few extra ways to cultivate good fortune for 2025, check out this list of New Year’s Eve superstitions that includes customs from across the globe. Make like the Danes and jump off a chair, wake to see the run rise like they do in Japan, or eat twelve grapes (no more, no less) at midnight, just as they do in Spain. This list will give you many good ideas for your celebrations!

A promising test for pancreatic cancer . . . from a teenager

If someone said you could change the world, would you believe it? If you had an idea that could save countless lives, would anyone listen? Watch this talk by Jack Andraka, a teen who discovered a revolutionary way to detect certain cancers. Discover what he did, how he did it, and what it took to get people to listen.

The Power Of The Black Vote: Shaping America’s Future

The author of this article urges Black Americans to exercise their hard-won right to vote this year.

Teen is one of the first ever to get his genes edited. Why he says the process is ‘cool and freaky’

Johnny Lubin, one of the first in the world to try a new kind of medicine that uses a gene-editing tool called CRISPR to offer a potential cure for sickle cell disease.

Germany’s hottest Halloween party at Frankenstein Castle

Did you know that Frankenstein’s castle is a real place? Not only that, but it throws Germany’s biggest Halloween party every year!
Thousands of people from all over come to tour the castle, dance, eat, compare costumes, and spend the spookiest night of the year in one of Europe’s spookiest locations!

‘The Latest Shopping Trend? Not Shopping

Influencers sometimes push a lifestyle of constantly buying new clothing, high-tech gadgets, or the hottest new cosmetic products. But a growing number of people are becoming disillusioned with what they perceive as pressure to constantly purchase new things. Their solution? Buying less.

The 10 Most Intriguing Science Breakthroughs of 2023

It’s too early to know what the greatest scientific discoveries and achievements of 2024 will be, but now that we’ve had some time to reflect on last year, here is one site’s opinion on what the Top 10 most intriguing advancements of 2023 were. Which ones do you agree with? Are there any you think should have made the list?

‘The chilling effect’: behind GOP-led states’ efforts to purge some voters from the rolls

Some state governments are removing people from voter rolls in an effort to make sure non-citizens don’t vote illegally. Voting rights activists are concerned–not only that these states may remove some eligible voters in this process, but that these actions will discourage some citizens from voting.

Ryan Coogler talks Afrofuturism in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

Hear the creative artists behind the Black Panther movies, including director and writer Ryan Coogler, discuss Afrofuturism and how it influenced their superhero films to create a world unlike anything seen on the big screen before—and how those films would go on to shatter box office records and start a discussion about an art movement many had never heard of before then.