Kids News - Current Events

After years of reluctance, educational institutions across the United States are finally embracing competitive video gaming, commonly referred to as esports. Since 2018, over 8,600 high schools and about 175 colleges and universities have added esports as an extracurricular activity. And the numbers keep growing....

A new species of ragworm, likened to a living magic carpet, has been discovered in the methane seeps 30 miles (48 km) off the coast of Costa Rica. The rose-colored Pectinereis strickrotti (P. strickrotti) is one of 450 species found in the area since 2009. Forty-eight of them are new to science....

The United Kingdom (UK) Antarctic Heritage Trust is looking to hire five people — a base leader, a shop manager, and three general assistants — to work at the "Penguin Post Office" in Port Lockroy, Antarctica. The five-month stint is open to UK residents over the age of 18. It will begin in early November 2024 and last until March 2025....

At around 1:30 a.m. ET on March 26, 2024, a massive container ship struck a crucial support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The impact of the 95,000-ton ship, called Dali, caused a large section of the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River, plunging several cars into the water. The collision also shut down one of the busiest ports in the United States....

In a world first, doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General) in Boston have successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a living person. The March 21, 2024, announcement came just months after the successful completion of similar transplants in deceased individuals. The historic four-hour surgery took place on March 16, 2024. The 15-member transplant team included experts who had spent their entire careers working on organ research....

On April 8, 2024, millions of people across Central and North America will be treated to a spectacular total solar eclipse. The celestial event comes seven years after the "Great American Eclipse" of August 21, 2017 — the first total solar eclipse visible from coast to coast since June 8, 1918. For those who miss the April 2024 show, the next chance to see the spectacle will be August 12, 2045....

In the summer of 2023, Lohit Y.T. and his team at the World Wildlife Fund-India traveled to the foothills of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, India. They hoped to research the area's amphibians and reptiles, which often emerge during the humid monsoon season. While documenting a cluster of about 40 Rao's intermediate golden-backed frogs near a small pond, the naturalists noticed something unusual. One of the amphibians had a mushroom sprouting from its side!...

For people who enjoy pranks, there is no better holiday than April Fools' Day. Celebrated annually on April 1, it is the only day of the year when light-hearted tricks are not frowned upon. The origin of this fun tradition is hazy. Some maintain that it started in 1582 when the world moved from the Julian calendar — which began the new year in April — to the current Gregorian calendar. Others think it was to celebrate the onset of spring....

In most democratic countries, voters go to the polls on a single, predetermined day. However, that is not true in India. The world's largest democracy, with about 970 million registered voters, conducts its elections in seven stages over six weeks. Held every five years, the elections will occur from April 9, 2024, to June 1, 2024. The results will be announced on June 4, 2024....