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Black Holes

Learn about Black Holes
Open link on youtube.com

The general theory of relativity predicts the existence of wormholes, hypothetical structures allowing time travel via the curvature of spacetime. Massive objects bend spacetime with their gravitational pull; with a large enough object, the so-called fabric of spacetime could bend enough to connect two distinct spacetime regions. Watch as pop scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic Chuck Nice explore this wild idea in this entertaining video.

Open link on youtube.com

Could the universe actually be a hologram projected from a two-dimensional surface? The idea strikes us as absurd, but the math behind it has helped simplify many long-standing physics problems, including the black hole information paradox which asks how a universe in equilibrium can allow for matter-crushing black holes. Explore the ideas behind this mind-bending hypothesis with this complex, fascinating video lecture.

Open link on quantamagazine.org

Physical singularities are infinitely dense points with zero volume, and theoretically they shouldn't exist outside of a black hole. One that did would be referred to as a naked singularity, infinitely dense but without a black hole's event horizon concealing the singularity within. Observation of such a thing would be revelatory for physicists. Learn the debates around this frustrating and fascinating concept.

Ancient Egypt

Learn about Ancient Egypt

Smithsonian Institution

Whose face is on the Sphinx?

Open link on si.edu

Egypt's ancient marvel, the 66-foot tall, 4,500-year-old Great Sphinx, is believed to stand as a guard to the great Giza pyramids—or tombs—of pharaohs Khafre and Khufu. Archaeologists have long debated which of the two leaders' face is on the great monument, the father (Khufu) or the son (Khafre). Explore the arguments for one or the other with this short video.

Open link on news.artnet.com

The 1922 discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in Egypt revealed new secrets about the civilization to a fascinated world, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Harry Burton captured the discovery in 2,800 black-and-white glass negatives. Nearly a century later, a selection of the images were colorized by experts to show the excavation's original color. Peruse the historical images here.

Open link on egyptianmuseum.org

The major historical sites of ancient Egypt are spread out over 1,000 miles of the Nile River, from the Mediterranean Sea to modern-day Sudan, and constructed over three millennia. With this interactive map, you can quickly grasp when and where every major monument was built, from the Great Pyramid in the Nile river delta to the Greek temple of Isis near contemporary Aswan.

Alzheimer's

Learn about Alzheimer's
Open link on alz.org

The brain has three main parts—the cerebrum, brain stem, and cerebellum—each combining to control the entirety of the body’s operations. Alzheimer’s progressively deteriorates the circuitry in these structures, resulting in what we see as the symptoms of the disease. This rich visual guide illustrates the difference between a healthy brain and one afflicted by Alzheimer’s.

Open link on ted.com

A human deprived of sleep for a single night will see an immediate increase in amyloid beta proteins, the molecule behind plaques seen in Alzheimer’s. New studies reveal high-quality sleep is critical in preventing the buildup of the sticky protein that appears to play a role in the development and progression of the neurological disease.

Photo of two people talking with text overlay that reads, "Longing for Yesterday."
Open link on vimeo.com

This nine-minute short film attempts to answer the loaded question of what it feels like to fade into dementia, a degenerative neurological disease that causes memory, motor, and cognition issues. The focus of the Dutch film is Jos, a married father who previously worked in hospitality. It follows him as he sinks deeper into his dementia "during what feels like a single day. Or is it years?"

Business & Finance Spotlight

See all Business & Finance
Open link on bitcoinmagazine.com

Sometime around around 2008, a person known as Satoshi Nakamoto began working on the underlying bitcoin code and blockchain. Widely credited as inventing the currency, Nakamoto abruptly disappeared from the digital world—no one has confirmed his identity, or whether he was even a single individual. Take a look inside the turbulent days of bitcoin development after Nakamoto stepped back into the shadows.

Open link on tuitiontracker.org

The Hechinger Report

Play the Game of College

In this game about college affordability, play the role of a student as you navigate your way through college as debt-free as possible. This simulator lets you select different income levels, high school experience, race and ethnicity, and more. How does meeting with a counselor alter your trajectory? Should you emphasize extracurriculars or test scores? Take your own journey here.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell
Open link on money.usnews.com

Sixteen men and women have held the office of Fed chair since 1913 with varying results. From the Fed’s first leader Charles Hamlin to Jerome Powell, see how stocks fared for each chair within distinct macroeconomic conditions in a ranked list followed by a guide to the highlights of their terms.

401(k)

Learn about 401(k)
A bar graph showing average 401(k) contributions over five years.
Open link on hicapitalize.com

The average American contributed nearly $6,000 to a 401(k) account in 2023, an increase over the previous year and roughly 8% of their total income. Check out these and more numbers on America’s 401(k) saving habits with this survey across different financial companies’ plans to give a representative glimpse at retirement saving today.

Screen grab of the retirement savings calculator.
Open link on nerdwallet.com

When it comes to saving for retirement, they say the earlier you start, the better. So how do you figure out how much to contribute? This simple calculator takes your age, income, planned contributions, and expected retirement needs into account to give you a portrait of how your financial condition will look when it comes time to start withdrawals. Figure out your number here.

The speaker of the video smiling next to the words "The Best 401K Advice"
Open link on youtube.com

There’s a lot of standard advice around how or whether to use a 401(k) as part of your retirement plans, but it can be mired in disclaimers and legalese. Come prepared to your financial advisor or accountant by watching this informative take on how to properly use a 401(k), from consolidating plans to some of the most common errors.

College Tuition

Learn about College Tuition
Open link on studentaid.gov

The federal government offers billions in student aid each year in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and more. The very first—and necessary—step is to fill out a federal application to get your information into the system. Known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, this key form must be completed by Oct. 1 for the following academic year. Start a new FAFSA, or resume an existing one, here.

The Hechinger Report

Play the Game of College

Open link on tuitiontracker.org

In this game about college affordability, play the role of a student as you navigate your way through college as debt-free as possible. This simulator lets you select different income levels, high school experience, race and ethnicity, and more. How does meeting with a counselor alter your trajectory? Should you emphasize extracurriculars or test scores? Take your own journey here.

Open link on collegecost.ed.gov

From the US Department of Education, this portal provides everything you need to evaluate colleges. The college scorecard provides handy data on every school, from graduation rates to annual average earnings out of school, while the net cost calculator directs you to each school’s calculator that allows you to estimate the cost of college based on your unique circumstances.

Health & Medicine Spotlight

See all Health & Medicine
Open link on health.harvard.edu

Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, an umbrella term that refers to a collection of symptoms, including memory loss, cognitive impairment, behavior changes, and more. Broadly caused by the death of brain cells, the disease generally (but not always) emerges in older age, strikes women more often (two-thirds of cases), and currently has no cure.

Photo of a person rubbing their face.
Open link on quantamagazine.org

Fruit flies genetically engineered to be awake for as long as they live tend to live half as long as their well-rested brethren. Analysis shows these modified flies suffer from a buildup of DNA-destroying reactive oxygen species in their guts. When enabled to sleep or provided with antioxidants that neutralize the electron-thieving molecules, the sleepless flies live as long as their counterparts, suggesting sleep loss accumulates in the gut.

Digital art of two-toned pill with sad and happy face on either end sits below text that reads, "How do antidepressants work?"
Open link on youtube.com

Many antidepressants approach the mental health condition from the chemical imbalance theory, which proposes that symptoms are caused by an insufficient amount of monoamines or neurotransmitters. Correcting this "imbalance" meant increasing the availability of those monoamines, typically serotonin, which influences mood and sleep. This led to the development of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. This five-minute video explains how the science of antidepressants still isn't fully understood.

Alzheimer's

Learn about Alzheimer's
Open link on alz.org

The brain has three main parts—the cerebrum, brain stem, and cerebellum—each combining to control the entirety of the body’s operations. Alzheimer’s progressively deteriorates the circuitry in these structures, resulting in what we see as the symptoms of the disease. This rich visual guide illustrates the difference between a healthy brain and one afflicted by Alzheimer’s.

Open link on ted.com

A human deprived of sleep for a single night will see an immediate increase in amyloid beta proteins, the molecule behind plaques seen in Alzheimer’s. New studies reveal high-quality sleep is critical in preventing the buildup of the sticky protein that appears to play a role in the development and progression of the neurological disease.

Photo of two people talking with text overlay that reads, "Longing for Yesterday."
Open link on vimeo.com

This nine-minute short film attempts to answer the loaded question of what it feels like to fade into dementia, a degenerative neurological disease that causes memory, motor, and cognition issues. The focus of the Dutch film is Jos, a married father who previously worked in hospitality. It follows him as he sinks deeper into his dementia "during what feels like a single day. Or is it years?"

Diabetes

Learn about Diabetes
Open link on youtube.com

Insulin is a hormone released by islets of beta cells in the pancreas in response to rising blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels increase after a meal when the body starts the process of turning food into usable fuel—meaning sugars, proteins, and other nutrient building blocks—that are then absorbed into the bloodstream via the intestines. Once blood sugar levels hit a certain point, as determined by the pancreas, insulin is released, enabling the sugar in the blood to be absorbed into hungry cells and dropping overall blood sugar levels.

Photo of a person being loaded into an ambulance during a medical emergency.
Open link on reuters.com

Type 2 diabetics in the US are at risk of dying from low blood sugar, an epidemic traced to a decades-old, multi-million-dollar drug industry campaign encouraging an average blood sugar level below 7%. At the time, research correlated such levels with reduced risk of eye, nerve, and kidney damage and increased hypoglycemia risk. The campaign—supported by the American Diabetes Association, whose treatment guidelines are considered a gold standard—led to increased prescription dosages to meet the new treatment goal pushed by corporations, some of which remain major ADA donors.

Photo of stacked cubes of non-artificial sugar.
Open link on washingtonpost.com

Non-nutritive sweeteners such as stevia, sucralose, and others are increasingly replacing sugar in foods ranging from bread to canned soup. Research has revealed such sugar alternatives detrimentally impact the composition of user gut microbiomes and worsen the body's ability to regulate blood sugar. These "high-intensity" sweeteners are hundreds of times sweeter than table sugar, and some escape being labeled as artificial due to their "natural," plant-based origins.

Explore Fresh Resources

Stock photo of person working at laptop
Open link on cnbc.com

While one might assume that older women face the most unfair treatment due to age in the workplace, some research from McKinsey & Co. suggests otherwise. The consulting firm found that while ageism impacts older women and men at similar rates, women in their 20s and 30s report much higher instances of ageism than both older women and their young, male colleagues. Learn more from the research here.

Composite illustration, mutual funds video title page
Open link on youtu.be

1440 Daily Digest

How mutual funds work

Did you know that investing in mutual funds can give you access to a wide range of securities, such as stocks and bonds, with just a single investment? Mutual funds are one of today's most common investment options. There are different types of mutual funds, such as stock, bond, money market, and target-date funds. Learn the differences between each type, plus more about mutual funds at large, by watching this video.

Oktoberfest video thumbnail
Open link on youtube.com

The first Oktoberfest was held in 1810, to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. It was the surprising prototype of what would become every beer fan's favorite festival. Held in late September and early October, Oktoberfest (called "Wiesn" in German) is the largest folk festival in the world: In 2023, 7.2 million visitors drank close to 2 million gallons of beer, making it the most-attended Oktoberfest ever. Learn more with our video explainer here.

Inside a reconstructed building in Pompeii
Open link on planetpompeii.com

If you’re planning a trip to Pompeii (or just dreaming of visiting) this interactive map is full of detailed information on more than 60 points of interest, from the Villa of Mysteries to the House of the Tragic Poet. It even suggests thematic walking routes based on how much time you have to spend at the site. The mobile app comes complete with virtual building reconstructions and an audioguide.

Thumbnail of video with text Surviving Pompeii
Open link on youtube.com

Because only several hundred bodies have been found at Pompeii, researchers think most of its residents escaped with their lives—but how? Once the ash started to fall, some chose to hunker down in their homes and wait it out, while others fled—some by land, some by sea. This short animation from TED-Ed explains how three hypothetical Pompeiians fared depending on which survival strategy they chose.

Scuba divers near the surface of an underwater volcano in Italy
Open link on bbc.com

Vesuvius gets all the press, but there’s an even more dangerous magma monster lying in wait nearby: the Campi Flegrei supervolcano. More than half a million people live in its danger zone. This short documentary from the BBC details how geologists monitor Campania's volcanos, and explores the sublime beauty of living in their shadow.

1440's video thumbnail titled Sports Betting Explained
Open link on youtube.com

Since a 2018 Supreme Court decision overturning the Bradley Act spurred a state-by-state legalization of online gambling, sports betting has become a rapidly growing, multibillion-dollar industry. Americans spent more than $120B in sports-related bets in 2023, placing bets ranging from who would win the World Series to what color clothes famous celebrities would wear to the Super Bowl. The District of Columbia and 38 states where gambling is legal reported a combined $11B in revenue in 2023, a nearly 50% increase year-over-year. Five more states have pending legislation or active ballot initiatives. Learn more with our explainer video.

1440's thumbnail image for 1440 Solar Power Explained with solar panels in background
Open link on youtube.com

One of the most common renewable energy sources, solar power technologies capture radiative energy from sunlight and convert it into electricity or thermal heat. Solar is part of an emerging class of renewable energy that can diversify a region’s or nation’s power generation portfolio while reducing the use of fossil fuels. In 2023, renewables accounted for 23% of generated electricity in the US, with 5.1% coming from solar. Solar power is the country’s fastest-growing source of electricity.

Evan Ratliff
Open link on radiolab.org

Journalist Evan Ratliff became the object of his own story: He opted to clone his voice, feed it into an AI chatbot, and have it do the talking. What could seem like a fun experiment ended up revealing just how far the capacity of artificial intelligence can go in imitating our identities. Hear the ins and outs of how Ratliff achieved this in this fun and thought-provoking episode.

A man in a spacesuit.
Open link on airandspace.si.edu

Smithsonian Institution

The evolution of spacesuit design

Spacesuits have come a long way since cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's orange jumpsuit used in the world's first entry into space in 1960. The iconic outfit is a crucial feature of all space exploration, ensuring humans are protected during launch, spacewalks, re-entry, and more. From innovations in thermal wear to the incremental changes to space helmets, dive into spacesuit history here.

A photo of a large portrait of the US founding fathers.
Open link on apnews.com

To become a naturalized US citizen, you must answer 10 questions out of a pool of 100, with at least six being correct in order to pass. It's commonly said that many natural-born American citizens would likely not do so well on the test. To get a sense of the questions asked, challenge yourself with 10 civics questions with this fun quiz from the AP to see how you'd do on the all-important naturalization test.

A view of the interactive map showing many bird migrations in North America.
Open link on explorer.audubon.org

The birds we see throughout the year are long distance fliers, often traveling over thousands of miles to reach optimal nesting grounds, better feeding, and more. This thorough interactive map tracks over 450 types of bird on their annual migrations, depicting both their route as well as some of the conservation hurdles each species faces. Fly along with your favorite bird here.

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