How a Nuclear Meltdown Works
Source: How Stuff Works
Nuclear meltdowns are very rare but dangerous. Read about how nuclear reactors work and what causes a meltdown.
Technology
Can Museums and Other Institutions Keep up With Digital Culture?
Source: Smithsonian
In a rapidly-changing digital world, traditional cultural institutions like symphonies and museums are struggling to remain relevant. Find out how some are trying to keep up.
Here’s What Teens Think It Takes To Work In Tech
Source: ReadWrite
For teens thinking about forging their own career paths, the technology sector can be both alluring and intimidating. At a recent conference in California, tech professionals and teens met to discuss some of the truths and misconceptions surrounding today’s tech careers.
A Cutting-Edge Second Look at the Battle of Gettysburg
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
Using modern-day technologies, a team of historians and mapmakers put together a new, interactive view of the Battle of Gettysburg. Explore the maps to get a better idea of what happened.
Philae lander makes historic touchdown on comet
Source: The Guardian
Watch a video of, and read about, the historic landing of the first ever robotic spacecraft on a comet.
Magnified photos expose the secret beauty of sand grains
Source: Mashable
Dr. Gary Greenberg uses high-quality microscopes to magnify and photograph grains of sand from beaches all over the world. Read this brief article to learn more. Make sure to click the link to view his spectacular images.
What’s next for the Internet of Things?
Source: TED
The Internet of Things is a movement to make the objects around us, from umbrellas to traffic lights, internet capable. Learn about the technology that already exists and what the future holds.
Activism Or Slacktivism? How Social Media Hurts And Helps Student Activism
Source: St. Louis Public Radio
Listen to the radio piece to learn about “slacktivism,” or supporting a cause simply by “liking” it on social media, and how experts suggest turning it into real activism.
Social Insects Inspire Design of Autonomous Robots
Source: ASME
Robotics may seem to owe little to nature and everything to technology. But engineers have used the actions of social insects to guide the movements of robots that are not directly controlled by humans. Read this article to discover what robots can learn from ants.
Eureka!
Source: Smithsonian
“One sometimes finds what one is not looking for,” said Alexander Fleming, whose chance observation of a contaminated experiment led to the the world’s first antibiotic. This Smithsonian article discusses inventions and discoveries that centered on a flash of insight in a mind prepared to see what it wasn’t looking for.