In February 2024, for the first time since 1972, a U.S. spacecraft landed on the surface of the moon. The craft’s name? Odysseus. Click here to learn more about the mission.
Tag Archives: Current Events
Stanley Cups are Tearing Apart Middle Schools
What are the downsides when something becomes extremely trendy? What if there isn’t enough to go around, or the price is too high for many to afford it? Stanley cups are showing the real world costs of being both a “have” and a “have-not.”
Billie Eilish & Finneas, Ludwig Göransson and More Record-Setters at 2024 Oscars
When the Academy Awards were held on March 10, 2024, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell set a record by becoming the youngest people ever to win two Academy Awards. That’s an impressive achievement, but it wasn’t the only record set that night. Read about other records in this article.
Looking Ahead to a Pivotal Year for Global Freedom
According to this article, 2024 is a critical year for democracy and human rights around the world, especially because many countries will be holding major elections this year.
A new device let a man sense temperature with his prosthetic hand
Researchers in Italy and Switzerland have developed a new device that makes it possible for a person with an amputation to sense temperature through their prosthetic hand. The technology is a major step toward prosthetic limbs that could restore a full range of senses, improving both the prosthesis’s usefulness and its acceptance by those who wear them.
Naming Apollo: Why NASA chooses Greek gods as names
In 2019, NASA announced that the agency’s efforts to return to the Moon would be named the Artemis program. The goddess Artemis was heavily associated with the moon, and she’s also the twin of Apollo, whose name graced NASA’s first lunar missions in the 1960s. But why does NASA choose mythological names in the first place?
Jamaican poet Jason Allen-Paisant’s Self-Portrait as Othello wins TS Eliot prize
The winner of this year’s TS Eliot prize explores how race, masculinity, and immigration influence his understanding of Othello, one of Shakespeare’s most iconic characters.
‘Sephora kids’ and the booming business of beauty products for children
There is currently a surging trend in young preteen girls buying expensive make-up and other beauty products. Some older shoppers are complaining that they are rude and messy while doing it. Others think kids that young should not be be so obsessed with beauty products to begin with. Regardless, it shows a changing trend in who the consumers for these products are. Talk in your class about the trend and politely debate why this is a good or bad thing.
Celebrating the human rights wins of 2023
Wondering if there is any good news from the front lines of the struggle for freedom? Check out this list of human rights wins of 2023 from Amnesty International.
The writers who reached out across the divide
How can sharing experiences reduce conflict? Read this article to find out how two writers reached out and made a connection despite deep cultural divisions.
BTS members RM and V start compulsory military service in South Korea. Band seeks to reunite in 2025
These international K-pop legends paused their music careers to serve their country.
People Are Increasingly Worried A.I. Will Make Daily Life Worse
Like it or not, artificial intelligence is here to stay–and it is making its way into every part of our lives. With self-driving cars using A.I. to make split-second steering decisions, A.I. helping to sort job and college applications, and companies using A.I, to sway customer behavior, a lot of people are growing fearful of the technology. People used to fear monsters in the darkness, but in modern times, some of our scariest monsters are lines of code in a machine.
These Chemists Cracked the Code to Long-Lasting Roman Concrete
Its formula long forgotten, the mystery of why Roman concrete remained strong over several millennia when more modern versions crumbled much faster has long baffled scientists and engineers. But now the secret of “self-healing” concrete has been rediscovered and it could lead to a construction revolution more than 2,000 years after it was first discovered.
Sinkholes: When the Earth Opens Up
Sometimes disasters strike in the strangest of ways. To get a sense of just how strange, take a look at the odd and impressive photographs that accompany this short article on sinkholes. Who’d have thought such a thing could happen—right outside our front doors?
Harnessing the Military Power of Animal Intelligence
In the 1990s, the U.S. Navy revealed that sea lions and dolphins were being used to find and retrieve valuable equipment from the sea floor. These animals are also being trained to help clear mines and to protect our harbors. Read to learn about the secret uses of marine mammals!
Activists turn backs on US officials as UN-backed human rights review of United States wraps up
Is the U.S. doing enough to protect human rights? Not according to a group of activists who held a silent protest at a recent United Nations hearing. Click here to learn more about the protest.
Hollywood Writers Reached an A.I. Deal That Will Rewrite History
The Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) went on strike for 148 days this summer, demanding that studios put guardrails around AI’s encroachment on their work. The effects of their new contract will echo in industries far beyond Hollywood.
Chandrayaan-3: India makes historic landing near Moon’s south pole
India recently made history by landing the Pragyaan rover on the surface of the moon. Learn more about the scientific and historical significance of this Moon mission.
‘Shrinkflation’ accelerates globally as manufacturers quietly shrink package sizes
It’s the inflation you’re not supposed to see.
From toilet paper to yogurt and coffee to corn chips, manufacturers are quietly shrinking their package sizes without lowering their prices. It’s dubbed “shrinkflation,” and it’s something that is accelerating worldwide.
Activists say the human rights movement is failing
International human rights activists at the 2023 Oslo Freedom Forum expressed concerns about losing ground to dictators and oppressive governments across the world.