Teenage newsfeeds are now shaped by algorithms and creators who hardly ever studied journalism, rather than editors. A game streamer may analyze legislative measures more interestingly than a TV anchor, and a cosmetics artist may provide updates on foreign policy in between product reviews. Many teenagers find this to be not only typical but also incredibly successful. In recent years, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have become the primary news sources for almost half of American teenagers—54%, to be exact. Convenience is not the only factor. It’s about visual resonance, tone, and accessibility. Sixty-four percent of teenagers claim that they learn…
Author: errica
Instead of a buzz of wings, some mornings now start with the hum of a machine. A robotic arm pulses air onto flowers on the border of a greenhouse, where tomato plants dance in filtered light. Like a skilled gardener, it moves with an odd elegance that is both mechanical and deliberate. This is a reimagining of pollination. What began to occur just outside the glass walls, however, was not anticipated. Native bees, tiny, ground-nesting species that are frequently disregarded, started to stealthily reappear. It was steady but not dramatic. After being almost completely gone for years, researchers observed Andrena…
Researchers in a Glasgow lab managed to slow down light without trapping it in glass, water, or any other traditional medium—a wonderfully subtle feat. They not only succeeded, but the effect unexpectedly persisted once the photon was once again free. The findings were both accurate and disturbing, particularly for people who had previously thought that the speed of light in a vacuum could not be touched. The purpose of the experiment was not to defy physics. It was designed to test subtlety, which depends more on geometry than on substance. In addition to delaying motion, researchers changed the way photons…
When I first read Einstein’s well-known caution about “spooky action at a distance,” I thought it sounded more like a ghost story than a legitimate scientific problem. Even Einstein was unable to overcome the profound unease that was captured in that casually unnerving statement. He was uneasy about things we might never be able to manage, not about things we didn’t know. Years later, physicists are not only confirming the existence of that phenomenon but also honing it into something incredibly effective and transparent. Experiments from CERN to Geneva now demonstrate that particles can affect one another without coming into…
Campuses and study lounges are undergoing a slight change. Once occupying notebooks with jumbled ideas and careful edits, students today use AI to produce polished outputs in a matter of minutes. It’s not whether it’s permitted, but rather whether it’s altering our way of thinking. In private, many students acknowledge that something has changed. They continue to prepare presentations, solve arithmetic puzzles, and turn in essays. However, they are beginning to doubt whether the knowledge is actually theirs. When 83% of students admit they’re concerned about losing their critical thinking skills, it’s no longer an isolated concern but rather a…
Memory has always been influenced by our priorities and has never just been about remembering information. These days, our digital behaviors are gradually but profoundly changing that system of priorities. According to recent brain scans, social media is actively changing how memory is formed and what is recalled, not only altering attention spans. This change is taking place during one of the most impressionable stages of neurological development, especially in teens. The prefrontal cortex, which is in charge of focus and decision-making, and the amygdala, which is known to process emotions, are both changing as a result of digital exposure.…
More energy than our sun emits in a day was carried through the sky in a blip that was shorter than the blink of an eye. Another quick radio burst had just struck the astronomers’ array, so they didn’t need to be informed twice. However, there was a startling surprise in this one. It was first discovered by the crew at CHIME, a very cutting-edge telescope located in British Columbia. They weren’t only perplexed by the burst’s intensity or the recurring pattern. It originated from a far-off galaxy that was so old and motionless that it had long since ceased…
The photo appeared strangely familiar at first glance, hazy at the edges, as if fading from memory, like a long-lost relative of European royalty. It was hanging at a gallery in New York, looking out serenely from a gilded frame without raising any red flags. Then viewers saw the signature—a mathematical formula instead of a name. The French art collective Obvious trained an AI to create the sculpture, which was named Edmond de Belamy. It shocked the art world when it was sold at Christie’s for $432,500 in 2018. Experts were astounded not only by the cost but also by…
In the past, degrees were associated with opportunities. However, many of those framed degrees come with monthly payments, burnout, and delayed independence for Generation Z. Disciplined, proficient in digital technology, and remarkably well-educated, this generation is into the workforce with credentials in hand and financial instability in tow. A 23-year-old recent graduate may have a business bachelor’s degree and a job that barely covers rent. Little is left over after deducting food, health insurance fees, and student loan payments. Many say they save hard, yet they still feel like they’re beginning from nothing. They are negotiating a maze that has…
Standing in the middle of red cedar woods and natural meadows outside St. Louis, the Living Learning Center exudes a certain peaceful assurance. Constructed in 2009, it functions independently by collecting rainfall, producing electricity from sunshine, and decomposing human waste. Over time, what once appeared to be an architectural experiment has evolved into a wonderfully successful template for structures that live simply and independently. Its south-facing roof is covered with solar panels that generate more than 100 kWh on a sunny day, which is sufficient to power a few average homes. Rainfall brings in all of the water utilized in…