STEM

Researchers have weighed a planet orbiting a distant star by measuring the starlight passing through its atmosphere. The technique could accelerate the hunt for Earth-like worlds. Knowing the mass of an extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is an important step in determining whether it is rocky, and thus potentially home to life. To find that mass, Continue Reading →

It may only work on tiny amounts of water, but it should be the fastest transfer of energy to water on Earth. Scientists have figured out how to heat about one billionth of a liter of water 600 degrees Celsius in one trillionth of a second, according to a new paper. Their idea is to Continue Reading →

Pebble on Monday revealed a new project aimed at education in which it will donate over 4,000 smartwatches to higher ed schools including Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Stanford, Virginia Tech and many more. The donation is worth over $600,000, according to Pebble’s own estimates, but it’s clearly designed to make sure Pebble and the Pebble SDK Continue Reading →

Mars One, the project that aims to put a group of colonists on Mars in 2025, is poised to take its first big step forward. On Tuesday, the Mars One foundation announced partnerships with Lockheed Martin and satellite company SSTL for an exploratory mission in 2018, potentially sending the first private spacecraft to Mars. Instead Continue Reading →

In three months, technology entrepreneur Hadi Partovi raised $10 million from the likes of Bill Gates, Google and Mark Zuckerberg for Code.org, a non-profit aimed at expanding computer science education in the United States. Now it’s time to start spending it. On Monday, Code.org will kick off its most high-profile event to date, Hour of Continue Reading →

Microsoft on Monday flipped the switch on Student Advantage, a program, announced in October, that extends the availability of Office to students of educational institutions that pay for Office 365 for their staff and faculty. According to Microsoft, 35,000 educational institutions are eligible for Student Advantage, which provides access to the ProPlus SKU of Office Continue Reading →

Before students can write an essay or study for that mid-semester exam, they should prepare using two timeless methods: brainstorming and taking notes. Below are five of the best apps, plucked from the Education and Productivity categories in iTunes, that can instill effective note-taking practices and help your child form ideas at the middle and Continue Reading →

It’s become clear that the biggest risk to the future of the multibillion-dollar football industry is the high-impact sport’s propensity for giving its athletes concussions. There have already been 29 football-related deaths in 2013, 16 of them attributed to brain injuries. After being blamed for years of denial, the National Football League has agreed to Continue Reading →

By making the basic building blocks of batteries out of ink, Harvard materials scientist Jennifer Lewis is laying the groundwork for lithium-ion batteries and other high-performing electronics that can be produced with 3-D printers. Although the technology is still at an early stage, the ability to print batteries and other electronics could make it possible Continue Reading →

Six months after Google first announced the program in beta, Google Play for Education has officially been unveiled for tablets, as the Internet giant tackles Apple’s K-12 market share with cheap apps and tablets. Google Play for Education is a US-only initiative for now, but in its short beta tenure, Google claims that “thousands of Continue Reading →