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Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has a new math professor with an unusual background: He used to play in the National Football League (NFL). Former Baltimore Ravens guard John Urschel began teaching at MIT in the fall of 2023.

Urschel discovered his love for math as a kid, when he happily tackled the math and puzzle workbooks his mom gave him and, as an 8th grader, took a college math class. By the time he got to college, he was a talented football player but possibly even more gifted in math. After the NFL drafted him, in 2014, he decided to apply to MIT to get a high-level degree called a Ph.D. MIT admits very few applicants, but Urschel got in.

What do you do when you play for the NFL in Maryland and you’re admitted to school in Massachusetts? If you’re John Urschel, you find a way to make it work. For one year, Urschel continued to play pro football full time while taking his MIT classes online. And while he juggled both responsibilities, he was happiest when he was studying math. In 2017, at age 26, Urschel decided to retire from the NFL so that he could devote his time to what he loved the most. He earned his Ph.D. in 2021.

“[MIT] is my favorite place in the world,” Urschel told Sports Illustrated in 2017. “I love being here. I love every day I’m here. The happiest I’ve ever been in my life is when I’m at MIT. Ever in my life. EVER in my life! Happiest ever.”

Now an assistant professor, Urschel says he hopes to inspire young people to study math, science, and engineering. Sometimes he gives talks to kids and teens—and he knows he can serve as an example of what’s possible.

“I know I wouldn’t be where I am today as a mathematician if it wasn’t for a lot of specific people, a lot of different mathematicians deciding that I was worth their time,” Urschel told ESPN in 2020.

A commercial jetliner completed a flight from London, England, to New York City powered only by sustainable jet fuel. Instead of fossil fuels, the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 plane ran on a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) consisting mostly of cooking oil, animal fat, and synthetic kerosene made from corn. Other planes have crossed the Atlantic Ocean without fossil fuels, but this was the first time a commercial jet made the journey. 

“The world will always assume something can’t be done, until you do it,” Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, wrote on his Facebook page. Branson was on board the flight, dubbed “Flight100,” along with scientists, engineers, and journalists. There were no paying passengers.

It’s one of the most talked-about issues: Human-made pollution is changing Earth’s atmosphere and leading to rapid climate change. But how did the atmosphere change before humans began producing pollution, and what can that tell us about the future of the atmosphere? Scientists believe the key to finding out may be the study of ancient ice.

The Ice Core Archive in Copenhagen, Denmark, is a massive freezer full of ice that originated mostly in Greenland. The ice, which is compressed snow rather than frozen water, dates back as far as 120,000 years ago. It’s a snapshot of a time when the atmosphere was unaffected by human activity.

Air temperatures in Greenland were actually warmer 120,000 years ago than they are today—not because of human activity but because of natural atmospheric conditions. The ice cores can help scientists figure out what the atmosphere was like at that time and how it affected sea levels. Using this information, they hope to be able to figure out how much sea levels will rise due to today’s human activity, according to University of Copenhagen glaciology professor Jorgen Peder Steffensen, who manages the Ice Core Archive.

“With ice cores, we have mapped out how greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane vary over time,” Steffensen told Agence Presse-France. “And we can also see the impact of the burning of fossil fuels in modern times.”

A company in France has developed a houseplant that it claims can remove 30 times more pollution from indoor air than a typical houseplant. Called the Neo P1, the plant is genetically engineered to turn toxins into plant fuel.

Indoor air can be full of toxins from many sources, including paint, household cleaners, and insulation. Some of these toxins, called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), can’t be removed by air purifiers—and it’s not always possible to open a window to allow natural airflow to clean the environment. Experts say houseplants can remove VOCs by absorbing them into their roots and leaves. But studies show that having a few houseplants around won’t significantly improve air quality.

In developing the Neo P1, French company Neoplants took a type of plant called a golden pothos and made two key changes. First, they engineered it to ensure it absorbs more VOCs than regular houseplants. Second, they designed the plant to convert the VOCs it absorbs into substances like sugar and carbon dioxide, both of which help the plant to grow.

Neoplant sent their creation to air quality experts at Ecole Mines-Télécom at Lille University, who did tests comparing the Neo P1 with regular golden pothos plants. They found that the genetically engineered plant was about 30 times more effective at removing VOCs than the regular ones.

The plant costs about $179, which is about 10 times the cost of a regular golden pothos plant.

On November 8, officials at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., loaded their three giant pandas—Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and their youngest offspring, Xiao Qi Ji—into crates and sent them to an airport, where they boarded a plane bound for China. Now, for the first time in 50 years, there are no pandas at the zoo.

China had lent male panda Tian Tian and female panda Mei Xiang to the zoo in 2000 as part of a panda breeding program. The pair of pandas were supposed to stay for a decade, but the agreement was extended to the end of 2023. The agreement also stated that any cubs the two pandas produced had to be returned to China by the age of 4. The zoo has already sent three of the pair’s cubs to China.

China, which is home to the world’s only wild giant pandas, started sending the black and white bears to the United States in 1972. Later, it sent additional pandas to other U.S. zoos. The program was called “panda diplomacy” because it wasn’t just about pandas. It was about strengthening ties between China and the United States, which have had a rocky relationship because of their political differences. At the peak of the program, there were 15 pandas in U.S. zoos. Now, there are only four—at Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia. Zoo Atlanta’s agreement with China expires in 2024. China continues to lend pandas to nations other than the United States.

Experts say the decline in the number of pandas lent to the U.S. coincides with growing problems between the United States and China. There are no solid plans to bring more pandas to the U.S., but zoo officials say they’re optimistic.

“We’re hopeful for the future, so we have submitted an application that’s being reviewed,” Bob Lee, director of animal care at the National Zoo, told CNN.

For more of the panda trio, check out the slideshow below.

In September 2023, Tigist Assefa, a runner from Ethiopia, broke a world running time record in the Berlin Marathon. Could the secret to her speed have been what she wore on her feet? Adidas, the company that made Assefa’s Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 running shoes, claims the footwear had something to do with it.

After the marathon, Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden posted a photo of himself and Assefa, holding one of the shoes.

“Tigist Assefa…we are so proud of you!” he wrote.

The new Adidas “supershoes” are designed for experienced long-distance runners like Assefa. The shoes contain foam and other materials that add up to a lighter weight, which usually translates to faster running speeds. Adidas made the shoes to compete with those made by other shoe companies, especially Nike. Nike’s Vaporfly shoes are also lightweight and designed to improve running times. Nike, which charges $250 for a pair of Vaporfly shoes, tested the Vaporfly for years and concluded that it helps improve running times by about 4 percent compared to regular running shoes.

A’ja Wilson is already a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) legend, and she’s just getting started. In 2023, the Las Vegas Aces forward led her team to its second consecutive championship. With her talent and drive, there’s no telling how far she can go.

The Aces clinched the WNBA title on October 18 with help from Wilson’s 24 points and 16 rebounds. Wilson, who has been in the league six seasons, was named Finals MVP, the latest addition to an impressive series of accolades.

Wilson wasn’t a born athlete, according to her dad, Roscoe Wilson, who played pro basketball in Europe and was A’ja’s first coach. She was tall for her age, but her skills needed to be developed. The only answer was hard work. A’ja practiced day after day and became a standout at her high school in South Carolina.

“We had to work on getting to the basket, hitting the 12-foot, 15-foot, 8-foot jumpers,” Roscoe told Sports Illustrated. “I would…tell her, ‘You are going to get this done,’ and that her college coach would be tougher on her than I am.”

That college coach turned out to be Dawn Staley at the University of South Carolina. It wasn’t easy for Wilson to adjust to college. She has a learning difference called dyslexia, which can make reading difficult. Staley not only helped Wilson in basketball but also gave her opportunities to practice and become more comfortable with reading. Today, Wilson says that Staley, along with her grandmother, were two huge influences that helped her become the person she is today.

“I was a tall, lanky, freckle-faced teenager trying to understand where I fit. My grandmother always had a way to make me feel good about myself: through talks, walks, and tough love,” Wilson wrote on her website. “Coach Staley and I bonded the first moment we met. She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself, and she was able to coax it out.”

Wilson became her college team’s all-time leading scorer. Several media organizations named her National Player of the Year in 2018, and she won numerous honors for her talents on the court. When she was selected by the Las Vegas Aces in 2018, she was the number one draft pick. In addition to the two WNBA titles, Wilson’s trophy case includes an Olympic gold medal, two World Cup gold medals, and two WNBA Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Wilson is still only 27 years old and likely has many more years left in her career. For now, she’s just enjoying her latest victory.

“I cried to my parents [when we won],” Wilson told Jennifer Hudson during an appearance on the Jennifer Hudson Show. “They sacrificed so much for me. So to have them on the court with me after we won, I cried like a baby, because it was just a wonderful moment.”

A team of three men and one woman have become the first to travel the entire Northwest Passage by kayak in a single season. The team achieved their goal in 83 days.

The Northwest Passage is a legendary sea route that begins at the Atlantic Ocean and cuts through the northernmost part of North America to reach the Pacific Ocean. Explorers attempted to travel the route for centuries, but expedition after expedition ended in failure or even disaster due to sea ice and the harsh northern climate. Finally, in 1906, a crew led by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen completed the journey.

Since then, melting ice due to climate change has made the Northwest Passage more accessible, but it’s still a harsh journey. Many people have traveled the entire route in different kinds of human-powered vehicles, but no one has been able to paddle it in a single season. Until now.

The successful expedition was years in the making. Its leader was U.S. explorer West Hansen. Hansen had already paddled down the entire length of both the Amazon River in South America and the Volga River in Europe. He started planning the Northwest Passage journey in 2018, but the trip was delayed due to COVID-19 and poor weather. His first attempt, in 2022, was thwarted by bad weather and other issues.

This year’s team included Hansen, Eileen Visser, Mark Agnew, and Jeff Wueste. They called themselves the Arctic Cowboys. The team started in July, but while that’s summer in the Arctic, the weather was wintry by most standards.

“The biggest challenge was the sea ice,” Agnew told the BBC. “We became trapped in the ice a lot. There was this one occasion in particular where we were trapped in the ice and two icebergs began to ram together with us in between.”

When a wildfire swept through the town of Lahaina, on the island of Maui, thousands of people lost their homes. William Fincher and his family were among them. But thanks to the kindness of a local builder, the Finchers will soon have a new place to live.

Just days after the fire, builder Juan Ricci was already ordering the materials to build two tiny homes—smaller than average homes—with enough space for Fincher, his wife, their two kids, and their two dogs. Ricci paid for the materials out of his own pocket, and he and his crew are donating their time and skills. Fincher is helping. He’s not a professional builder, so Ricci’s crew is guiding him along.

“I’m good with tools, but I don’t know how to frame or put roofs on or lay foundation, electrical, you know, none of this stuff,” Fincher told ABC News. “Juan does, and Juan has the [workers] that know how to do this stuff.”

As of October, the land affected by the fire was not yet fit for rebuilding—officials were still clearing it of debris. That means it will be a long time before the Finchers and other residents can rebuild on their own land. Instead, Ricci’s crew is building the Finchers’ tiny homes on land owned by a family friend. 

Construction isn’t cheap. So Ricci, who has his own bills to pay, set up a GoFundMe, a type of web page on which people can ask for donations. As of October, the page had raised nearly $19,000 out of a $100,000 goal.

“That’s the idea, to raise some money and keep going and start paying the guys that have been working, helping the people,” Ricci told Good Morning America. He’s hoping to use some of the funds to build homes for other Lahaina families as well.

“Everybody’s trying to help out right now,” Ricci said.

American Indians, or Native Americans, make up 1.3 percent of the U.S. population. But a new report says that they are rarely represented in movies.

The report shows the results of a study done by the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The study looked at the presence of American Indians in the 1,600 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2022. (The top-grossing films are the ones that made the most money.) It found that less than 0.25 percent (one-quarter of 1 percent) of speaking roles in these films went to American Indians, and only one of the films featured an American Indian lead actor. Only about one-third of the roles played by American Indian actors were important to the plot of the movie.

When American Indians did appear on screen, only 23 percent of them were female.

“Audiences would have to watch thousands of movies to see even one Native woman on screen, and very likely in a minor role,” said Annenberg Associate Professor of Communication Stacy L. Smith, the report’s main author. “This is a failure of imagination on the part of writers, directors, and casting directors.”

Smith said American Indians are nearly invisible in movies. She added that it would be difficult for American Indian actors to earn a living because there are very few roles for them.

The report says there are many ways to improve American Indian representation in Hollywood. It suggests supporting the work of American Indian filmmakers and actors. One way to do this is for movie studios to fund (pay for) movies that feature American Indian actors or those made by American Indian filmmakers.