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Today’s Pulse rundown
Japan Plastic Shortage
Transcript: What if your favorite bakery suddenly ran out of bags? In Japan, supermarkets and food shops are running out of plastic bags and trays. The country uses eight million tonnes of plastic a year, but production of some plastics dropped by sixty-two percent in March! Plastic bags are running out because of a shortage of naphtha from the Middle East, which is a key ingredient used to make them. To help out, a shop in Kofu City is even rewarding customers who bring their own containers. Next time you carry groceries, think about where the bag came from!
Google Mosquitoes
Transcript: Imagine releasing millions of bugs on purpose! The company Google wants to release up to thirty-two million mosquitoes in California and Florida. They are asking the Environmental Protection Agency for permission to test their Debug program. Mosquito numbers drop because the released males have Wolbachia bacteria that stops eggs from hatching. When they mate with wild females, no new mosquitoes are born! The released males do not bite, so they just help lower the population of disease-carrying insects over time. Would you volunteer to let scientists test helpful bugs in your town?
New Diabetes Pill
Transcript: What if a simple pill could help your muscles burn fat? Scientists at the Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University developed a new experimental pill. They recently tested it on forty-eight healthy volunteers and twenty-five people with type two diabetes. The pill helps burn fat by activating metabolism inside skeletal muscle. Instead of changing hunger signals in the brain, it tells your muscles to use more energy! This lowers blood sugar while keeping the muscle strong, which is very important for a long and healthy life. How do you think medicines will change in the future?
Aerospike Rocket Nozzle
Transcript: Could you build a rocket engine for a school project? Three seventeen-year-olds from a school in Manassas, Virginia, did exactly that! They brought their invention to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, competing against one thousand seven hundred twenty-five students. The spike stays cooler because the design mimics human skin pores to bleed propellant and wick away heat. They used a computer algorithm to test shapes inspired by nature, reducing temperatures by up to forty percent! They even three-D printed models to test with a heat gun. If you could redesign a spaceship part, what would you change?
Nvidia Humanoid Robot
Transcript: What if your next robot friend had a brain made in America and a body from China? The technology company Nvidia just announced a blueprint for a new humanoid robot. It combines a six-foot, one hundred fifty-pound body from Unitree with a powerful Thor chip. The robot can make sense of its environment because it uses the Thor chip to run artificial intelligence models. This allows the machine to control its movements and use a highly advanced hand to do tricky tasks like peeling an apple! What chore would you want a humanoid robot to do for you?
Earth Elements
Transcript: How did our planet get the ingredients for life? A new study in Science Advances looked at ancient meteorites to find out. Scientists at Rice University discovered that Earth got its life-essential elements primarily from the inner solar system. Inner solar system objects kept a higher ratio of elements because Jupiter grew large and blocked material from moving outward. As the giant gas planet formed, its massive gravity trapped important chemicals like phosphorus and nitrogen closer to the Sun, leaving them right where Earth was forming! Do you think other solar systems have giant planets acting like shields?
SpaceX IPO
Transcript: How much do you think a space company is worth? SpaceX announced that it intends to make its stock market debut next week. The company hopes to sell five hundred fifty-five million shares at one hundred thirty-five dollars each! This means regular people will soon be able to buy a tiny piece of the rocket business. If the plan works, SpaceX will reach a value of one point seven seven trillion dollars, making it the seventh-largest publicly traded company in the entire world! If you could buy a share in any company, which one would you pick?
Muppets Coaster
Transcript: Are you ready to ride a roller coaster with the Muppets? Disney World in Orlando just opened a brand new version of its famous Rock and Roller Coaster. They replaced the band Aerosmith with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem! This means riders will blast through the dark track while listening to the Muppets cover classic rock songs. One of the cars even plays a version of the song Song Two, which first came out in nineteen ninety-seven! Other cars feature artists like Kelly Clarkson and Questlove. Which famous song would you want to hear on a fast roller coaster?
Earth, Wind & Fire Doc
Transcript: Have you ever heard a song that makes you want to dance instantly? A new documentary about the legendary band Earth, Wind and Fire just opened the Tribeca Festival tonight. Directed by Questlove, the movie celebrates the group that sold one hundred million albums! This means fans get a behind-the-scenes look at Maurice White, the band's leader who was born in Memphis in nineteen forty-one. The film shows how he mixed funk, soul, and pop to create sixteen Top Forty singles and win six Grammys! What is your favorite song to listen to when you want to dance?
NATO Nuclear
Transcript: How do countries work together to keep each other safe? Poland and Lithuania are participating in early discussions about playing a bigger role in NATO defense plans. The alliance currently keeps weapons in six countries, including Belgium, Germany, and Italy. This means leaders are talking about how to share responsibilities to protect Europe. Poland clarified that it does not plan to host weapons itself, but wants to help create better conditions for security across the continent. Working together helps ensure that no single nation has to stand alone. Why do you think it is important for neighboring countries to form alliances?
How NATO Became the World's Biggest Alliance
Today’s deeper dive follows a story from this episode.