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Google and Microsoft Bing are competing to be your favorite search engine. In February 2023, both Google and Microsoft unveiled the latest in search engine technology. It’s powered by artificial intelligence (AI). But is it any better than the search engines we’ve been using?

Tech companies say AI search engines are better than regular search engines because they can handle more complicated searches. If you ask a regular search engine, “What’s the first day of spring?” or “Who was the president of the United States in 1882?” it will tell you the answer. That’s because the answer is clear. But if you ask, “How do I make a cake without eggs?” it can only provide a list of websites that may be related to your question.

AI search engines are designed to be different. In a recent demonstration, Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s corporate vice president and consumer chief marketing officer, showed how the new AI-powered Bing search engine handles the cake question. The engine goes beyond providing the usual listing of websites, adding a list of tips and suggestions for how to make a cake without eggs. This was just one example Mehdi used to show how AI search engines can provide more useful information than search engines without AI.

Google’s AI search engine has similar capabilities.

“New generative AI features will help us organize complex information and multiple viewpoints right in search results,” said Google senior vice president Prabhakar Raghavan in a recent demonstration.

But critics say these search engines aren’t perfect. According to the Associated Press (AP), the technology sometimes produces answers that are inaccurate or just plain weird. AP reporters tested Bing by asking it to tell them the most important thing that had happened in sports in the previous 24 hours. The search engine responded with a summary of the 2023 Super Bowl, America’s biggest football game of the year. The problem was, the 2023 Super Bowl hadn’t happened yet!

So AI search engines appear to have some serious bugs that need to be worked out. Some people blame the glitches on the fact that companies are rushing to be the first to release the latest tech.

Despite the problems, Google and Microsoft both want users to trust their tech to give them the Internet’s best answers.

A robot that can turn from solid to liquid and back to solid again has scientists excited for the future. The technology used to create the shape-shifting robot could allow scientists to build devices that can get into hard-to-reach places.

Scientists in the United States and China built the robot using a metal called gallium, which they embedded with tiny magnetic particles. Gallium has a melting point of 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius), which is low compared to other metals. Scientists can melt the robot into liquid by exposing the embedded particles to an alternating magnetic field. This creates electricity, which heats the metal. Scientists can then cool the metal to make it solid again. The magnetic particles also allow scientists to move the robot by putting external magnets near it.

Scientists have built plenty of robots from either hard or soft materials. But hard robots can’t always get into tight spots, while soft robots can be difficult to control. A shape-shifting robot is flexible when liquid but sturdy when solid. 

Scientists did several tests to determine what the robot could do. A video of one test shows the robot escaping from behind “prison bars.” In the video, the robot melts down, gets through the bars, and returns to a solid on the other side. In another test, scientists put a ball in a model of a human stomach and used the robot to remove the ball. The solid robot reached the ball, melted down, and wrapped itself around the ball. Then it became solid again and carried the ball out of the stomach. This test suggests that robots like these might be useful for removing harmful objects from the human body.

The technology could be used in many ways, but scientists are especially enthusiastic about its potential in the medical field.

When Michael Platt was 6 years old, he heard about the March on Washington. The march, which took place in 1963, was the setting of the famous “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. Michael learned about how King dedicated his life to fighting poverty and inequality. Now 17 years old, Michael is on his own mission to fight inequality. He’s using his talents as a baker to do it.

For four years, Michael has had his own company—Michaels Desserts. For every dessert the company sells, it donates one dessert to a person who is homeless. (Michael says there’s no apostrophe in the company’s name because he bakes for others, not for himself.) Through his company, Michael also started P.L.L.A.T.E., an organization that works to increase access to food for people who otherwise might not be able to afford it.

“People who are small can solve big problems,” Michael said during a speech he gave in 2019. “People underestimate the power of kids in general. They certainly underestimate our power to do something about big problems.” 

In 2022, Michael expanded his reach by releasing a cookbook titled Michaels Desserts: Sweets for a Cause. The cookbook includes recipes for cakes, pies, tarts, and breads. There’s also a variety of cupcakes, each one named for an inspirational activist. Names include Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Malala Yousafzai.

In a recent interview at a Washington, D.C., public library, Michael expressed a hope that his cookbook would spur more people to help others.

“I hope that it inspires people to just use something that they’re interested in to give back to their community,” he said.

A sword that has been in storage at a museum for about 100 years and thought to be a replica (copy) of an ancient weapon is actually the real thing. Experts at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, say the sword dates back 3,000 years to the Bronze Age.

The Field Museum purchased the 3-foot (0.9 meter) sword from the Hungarian National Museum in the 1920s. The sword had been discovered in the Danube River in Hungary in 1920. In that part of the world, at the time the sword was used, weapons and armor were often thrown into rivers. According to William Parkinson, curator of anthropology at the Field Museum, this was most likely done after a battle to symbolize that the two sides had made a peace agreement.

The sword was made during the Bronze Age, which lasted from before 3000 BCE to about 1000 BCE in that region. (The start and end dates of the Bronze Age were different in different parts of the world.) The Bronze Age is when humans figured out how to make metal tools. Before the Bronze Age, tools had been made of stone. 

Despite the sword’s importance, the Field Museum believed it was a fake until recently. The mistake wasn’t discovered until the museum started preparing for a new exhibit called “First Kings of Europe.” Hungarian archaeologists who were visiting to help with the preparations asked to see the sword and then decided to verify whether it truly was a replica. Along with a chemist who works at the museum, the archaeologists looked at the chemical makeup of the sword and compared it to other Bronze Age swords. There was very little difference. Archaeologists concluded that the sword is real.

Cats can be cuddly, but generally, they’re pretty independent. Unlike dogs, who seem to watch their humans’ every move, cats often do their own thing. Researchers wondered whether cats listen when humans speak. The answer, according to a 2022 study, seems to be yes and no.

Researchers in France studied 16 cats to see how they responded to two types of speech. The first was cat-directed speech (CDS), which describes how humans talk to their cats. The second was adult-directed speech (ADS), which describes how human adults talk to each other.

In the study, researchers played recordings of the cats’ owners and of strangers. In some of the recordings, the person was using CDS, which is sort of like a high-pitched, sweet tone that people often use when talking to pets. In other recordings, the person used ADS, which is deeper in tone. The cats reacted much more strongly when they heard their owners’ voices, as opposed to strangers’ voices, particularly if they heard their name. The cats also responded strongly when they heard CDS. Cats didn’t react strongly when they heard ADS.

Researchers say this suggests that cats do recognize their owners’ voices—and they pay attention when their human family members are talking to them. But when human family members talk to each other, cats don’t really listen. 

More than 20 billion text messages are sent each day. Billions of texters can’t be wrong—or can they? A small number of people say they prefer a different form of communication: Morse Code. 

You could say that Morse Code is the ancestor of texting. Invented in the 1830s by Samuel Morse, the code was used to send short messages across distances through a telegraph machine. In Morse Code, each letter, number, and punctuation mark is represented by a combination of dots and dashes. These codes are sent through the machine as electrical pulses that sound like long and short beeps.

Morse Code existed before the telephone, at a time when the only other way to send a message was to have an actual messenger (like a postal worker) deliver it—and that could take days or weeks. But as exciting as Morse Code probably was when it was first invented, it was eventually replaced by faster forms of communication, like texting. 

Still, Morse Code remains a favorite for a handful of amateur radio operators (known as hams) who use their radios to transmit messages to one another as a hobby. Many hams say that sending Morse Code is like returning to a simpler time. Tapping out a message in Morse Code is much slower than texting, which can be a relief to people who wade through a ton of texts every day. And using Morse Code requires a bit of brain power. It is an actual code, after all—all those dots and dashes need to be translated!

You don’t need a radio or a telegraph machine to use Morse Code. If the recipient can see or hear the sender, messages can be sent by tapping a finger against a table or blinking the eyes.

Morse Code isn’t likely to replace texting anytime soon. But for some people, it’s a nice break from it.

February is Black History Month in the United States. The roots of this celebration date back to the early 20th century and one man’s efforts to highlight the achievements of Black Americans. 

Carter G. Woodson was born in 1875 to parents who had once been enslaved. After earning a Ph.D. from Harvard University, he became a historian and college professor. Woodson devoted much of his career to studying Black history. During his career, he authored several books on the subject.

At the time, most scholars ignored or distorted the history of Black Americans. With few people writing about Black history, the experiences and achievements of Black Americans might have been forgotten. Woodson wanted to find a way to prevent this from happening. In 1915, he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). He also started a type of academic publication called a journal that was devoted to Black history.

In 1926, the ASNLH set aside the second week in February as Negro History Week. The organization chose this time of year to mark the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln. Around the nation, schools and towns organized events to celebrate Negro History Week.  

In the 1960s, the civil rights movement highlighted the importance of recognizing and learning about Black history. Many colleges began designating the entire month of February as Black History Month. 

In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month. President Ford wrote, “In celebrating Black History Month…we can seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Archaeologists trying to solve a 175-year-old mystery may have uncovered some tantalizing clues. They’re hoping a journal found among the remains of a ship called the HMS Erebus will help reveal what happened to the ship’s crew.

The story of the Erebus began in 1845. The Erebus was one of two ships that set sail from England that May on a mission to find the Northwest Passage, which was thought to be a route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Led by Sir John Franklin, the voyage took the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror through icy Arctic waters. The ships were not up to the task. By 1846 both the Erebus and the Terror, along with Franklin and 129 crewmembers, were trapped in ice.

According to a note that was later found on an Arctic island, some of the crew abandoned the ship and searched for help. Local Inuit (Indigenous) people later reported seeing some Europeans around this time as well. But despite the efforts of the crew, they did not make it, and the final chapter of their story was lost. 

Thanks to Inuit oral histories and modern technology, archaeologists were able to locate the Erebus in 2014 and the Terror in 2016. Since that time, divers have recovered hundreds of artifacts from both wrecks. The objects include a hairbrush with strands of hair, kitchen items, and a wax seal with a fingerprint. Many of them are well preserved because they have been protected from decay by the freezing water.

Researchers plan to study all the objects, but they’re particularly interested in the leather journal they found on the wreck of the Erebus. The book still has its pages, and there’s even a writing utensil.

“We came across a folio—a leather book cover, beautifully embossed—with pages inside. It actually has the feather quill pen still tucked inside the cover like a journal that you might write in and put on your bedside table before turning in,” Ryan Harris, chief underwater archaeologist, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Divers found the journal in a pantry, suggesting it might only contain a record of the ship’s food supply. But there’s a chance it will help them learn the fate of Franklin and his crew.

Scientists have come closer than ever to identifying another Earth. In January 2023, scientists announced the discovery of an exoplanet, or planet that orbits another star, which seems to be a lot like Earth. The planet, which has been named TOI 700 e, has many of the characteristics that are necessary to support life. 

The planet was found in the TOI 700 solar system, which is 100 light years away from Earth. (One light-year is 5.88 trillion miles, or 9.46 trillion kilometers.) The system also includes previously discovered planets TOI 700 b, c, and d. All these planets orbit around a star called TOI 700, but only d and e are in the “habitable zone.” Planets within habitable zones are at the right distance from their star to have a livable temperature and, possibly, liquid water.

If LeBron James quit basketball tomorrow, he would already be considered one of the best ever. James has been a force in every game since he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. Now playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, he hasn’t shown signs of slowing down—even after two decades. In the 2022–2023 season alone, James has averaged 29.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game, as of mid-January. Pay attention to that scoring average. It’s high. So high that James is close to becoming the highest scorer in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Experts say that if James maintains his current scoring average, he will take the scoring crown during the February 9 game against the Milwaukee Bucks. And if it doesn’t happen then, there will still be plenty of time. Laker games are scheduled for February 11 and February 13. Any of those dates could end up in the record books. 

“I’m excited to see it happen,” former Los Angeles Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told CBS Sports. “I don’t see records as personal accomplishments, but more as human achievements. If one person can do something that’s never been done, that means we all have a shot at doing it. It’s a source of hope and inspiration.”

Abdul-Jabbar should know. He’s the current record holder, with 38,387 career points. Abdul-Jabbar set the record in 1984. So far, no one has been able to top it. 

But while James looks set to overtake Abdul-Jabbar, he says he never set out to be top scorer. For all his singular abilities, James is known as a team player—someone who would rather pass the ball to a teammate who has a shot at scoring than try to be the star of the show.

“The scoring record was never ever even thought of in my head because I’ve always been a pass-first guy,” James told ESPN. “I’ve always loved the excitement of seeing the success of my teammates.”

James may not be concerned with breaking the record, but his fans are watching closely to see if—or when—it will happen.