The Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Google
When you open your phone or computer to search online, most likely you use Google Search. Many people even use the word google as a verb meaning “search for.” Google is the default, or automatic, search engine available on most cell phones and many web browsers, and the U.S. Justice Department says that is a […]
India’s Landmark Lunar Success
India now has a place in lunar history with its August 23, 2023, landing of a spacecraft on the Moon. This was the country’s second attempt to make a landing as a part of its Chandrayaan program. The word Chandrayaan comes from Sanskrit, the sacred language of Hinduism. In Sanskrit Chandra means moon and yāna […]
NASA Holds Panel on UFOs
Do you believe in UFOs? For decades, the U.S. government claimed that flying saucers were the stuff of science fiction. But on June 2, 2023, for the first time ever, NASA held a public meeting on the subject of UFOs, which it calls UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomena). According to NASA, there have been about eight […]
Eli Lilly Lowers Cost of Insulin to $35 Monthly
In January 1922, 14-year-old Leonard Thompson lay dying in a Canadian hospital. Thompson had diabetes and his body did not produce insulin. For thousands of years, there was no medicine for diabetes. Adults or children in Thompson’s condition would live for only weeks, months, or maybe a few years. Then, a Canadian surgeon named Frederick […]
ICARDA Helps Farmers Worldwide Keep Crops Growing
Wheat farmers in the United States can have their entire crop wiped out by a pest. In Morocco, drought conditions have made growing food difficult. Extreme weather in Ethiopia has resulted in challenges meeting the food demands of the country’s population. The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, or ICARDA for short, […]
Powerful NASA Telescope Discovers New Exoplanet
Is there life outside of Earth? That question has fascinated people for thousands of years. Books, movies, television shows, and radio programs have theorized and fantasized about the existence of life on other planets and in other galaxies. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists hope that the powerful James Webb Space Telescope gets them […]
Rebuilding Notre Dame
A team of designers is turning to their history books to figure out the best way to rebuild the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. The building caught fire in 2019. A French group called Carpenters Without Borders has argued that the medieval cathedral should be repaired and restored using medieval materials and […]
Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars
After travelling 470 million kilometers and spending nearly seven months in space, NASA’s Perseverance rover finally landed on Mars on February 18. This is the first NASA mission sent specifically to search for signs of past microbial life on the “Red Planet” since the 1970s. Here, btw takes a closer look at the specifics of […]
Finding Your Way(band)
Running a marathon is extremely difficult, even under the best of circumstances. But runners with disabilities may face a whole host of additional challenges. Here, btw takes a look at the unique story of a runner named Simon Wheatcroft, and how new technology helped make it possible for him to run the New York City […]
Smartphones: The Future of Voting?
Last week, btw took a closer look at the new use of smartphones in the Iowa caucus: for the first time ever, Iowans will be able to vote for their favorite candidate in the Democratic primary election from the comfort of their own homes, using an app on their phones. But Iowa isn’t the only […]