Cowboy culture might seem uniquely American, but one Chinese immigrant says it feels surprisingly familiar. Bruce Wang is originally from Yunnan, a region of China with a long history of horse breeding among many ethnic groups, but became fascinated with the cowboy lifestyle after moving to Texas as an international student at 20 years old.
At first, he dressed like a cowboy, but looking the part wasn't enough — he wanted the real experience. So he joined the cattle industry, learning to ride horses and work with livestock. Maybe he even learned to appreciate the smell of cow manure — or at least not complain about it.
After more than a decade in the United States, cowboy culture has become an important part of his identity, and he says it will stay with him even if he returns to China one day. By sharing his story, Bruce hopes people in China and the United States will better understand one another despite ongoing political tensions. What a moooooooo-ving story.
If you see "A.B. Rowlands" twice on a Royal Navy roll call sheet, it's not a typo! For the first time in the Royal Navy's nearly 500-year history, a mother and son are in training together.
Michelle started as a part-time reservist before serving full-time and eventually transferring to the regular Royal Navy. She began part-time so she could pursue her dream of joining the Navy while keeping her regular job and raising her young children. At the time, she didn't think a full-time military career was possible. She sure showed… well, herself! Now, she’s working to qualify as a technician to maintain Navy aircrew survival equipment while her son, Thomas, is training to become an engineer in the submarine service when he turns 18.
Normally, recruits spend their training months far from home, making time with family hard to come by. But Michelle and Tom still squeeze in games of badminton, and Michelle shows no mercy when it comes to the state of Tom's uniforms. After all, some parts of being a mum don't stop just because you're both in the Navy!
Why did the chicken cross the road? They probably just wanted an excuse to hang out with crossing guard, Brenda!
A town recently bid farewell to a local legend of a crossing guard, Brenda, who retired after 40 years of service. She was known as a "lollipop lady," but that's because of the shape of the stop sign crossing guards carry — not because she handed out candy. Still, by all accounts, Brenda was plenty sweet!
Although Brenda made the same journey nearly every day for four decades, her final day held one big surprise. Community members gathered to applaud her years of service and presented her with a certificate in recognition of everything she'd done.
Over the years, Brenda has broken up fights and even stepped between children and moving cars, so she's not easily shaken. But she was overwhelmed by the love and support shown at her retirement. Among those celebrating were current students, adults she had safely guided across the street as children, and, of course, her own family.
The UK might be looking at 2027 with a lot less scrolling and far fewer TikTok dances, as Prime Minister (at the time) Kier Starmer announced plans to ban people under 16 from using social media, planned for spring.
Many of the ban's strongest supporters are parents who lost children in cases linked to online harms and have been campaigning for this for years. Though they’re happy about the announcement, there’s still some skepticism about how the ban will actually work, the logistics of how it will be enforced, and what sort of pushback there will be.
Even before taking effect, the proposal has sparked debate. Some people argue the ban is too strict and that better guidance, education, and parental controls would be more effective. Others point out that many teenagers use social media to stay in touch with friends and family. Some also worry the ban could give parents a false sense of security if they rely on it instead of staying involved in their children's online lives.
Tech companies argue the ban may not keep children as safe as supporters hope, as a ban on widely-used platforms might push some young people toward less-regulated online spaces that aren’t included in the ban or entice them to find a work-around for the age verification.
Shhh! We're going inside Amazon's super-secret chip design lab! But not the kind where they invent new potato chips. Amazon gave the BBC a rare look inside Annapurna Labs, where engineers design custom computer chips that power artificial intelligence.
Their teams oversee the entire process, from testing newly built silicon chips to making sure they're ready to be installed in massive data centers. These chips are the brains behind AI tools that millions of people use every day — from chatbots and translation apps to online shopping recommendations and voice assistants. Each chip can perform more than 1,000 trillion calculations every second. If you solved just one calculation every second without ever stopping, it would take about 80 million years to do the same amount of work!
There are companies that specialize in making chips, but Amazon designs its own to help make AI systems faster, more energy-efficient, and less expensive to operate. As AI becomes more powerful and more common, Amazon is competing with companies like Google, Microsoft, and Nvidia to build the chips that will power the next generation of AI.
Some high school students recently swapped their smartphones for basic "brick" phones — the kind with no social media or apps, just texting, calling, and the classic game Snake.
The three-week experiment offered a preview of what life might look like once the UK's proposed ban on social media for under-16s takes effect next year. Calls to limit young people's social media use have been building for years, as critics argue some app features are designed to keep users scrolling. Some young people spend up to 20 hours a day on screens, which can affect sleep and time for schoolwork. Many students — along with their parents or carers — say they're struggling to manage screen time.
Feedback from the students was mixed. Some missed chatting with friends online and keeping up with trends. Others found they spent more time outdoors or with family and friends in person. Many said they didn't end up missing screen time as much as they expected.
Journey beyond the Solar System to explore exoplanets, distant stars, and the search for new worlds. From planets orbiting faraway suns to potentially habitable worlds light-years from Earth, discover how astronomers are uncovering new corners of the universe.
This Kahoot explores the science of exoplanet discovery, space exploration, and the technologies that allow us to detect and study worlds we cannot directly see while revealing how each new discovery expands our understanding of the cosmos.
Watch the related videos linked below, then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about the incredible worlds waiting to be discovered beyond our Solar System.
Explore the search for life beyond Earth in this Kahoot about Mars, scientific discovery, and one of humanity's biggest questions. From evidence of ancient water to clues hidden in the planet's surface, discover why scientists believe Mars may once have had the conditions needed to support life.
This Kahoot explores Martian geology, the role of water in sustaining life, and the tools scientists use to investigate distant worlds while uncovering what researchers look for when searching for signs of life beyond Earth.
Watch the videos about Mars linked below, then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about the Red Planet and the ongoing search for life in our Solar System.
Explore the most powerful weather in the solar system in this Kahoot about planetary storms, extreme environments, and the forces that shape other worlds. From Jupiter's Great Red Spot to planet-wide dust storms on Mars, discover how weather behaves in places far different from Earth.
This Kahoot explores winds, clouds, atmospheres, and storms across the solar system while revealing some of the largest and longest-lasting weather events ever observed.
Watch the Planets of Our Solar System playlist and related videos linked below, then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about the extreme weather in our cosmic neighborhood.
Take a journey through our cosmic neighborhood in this Kahoot about the planets, moons, and fascinating features that make up the Solar System. From the rocky worlds closest to the Sun to the icy giants at its outer reaches, discover what makes each planet unique.
This Kahoot explores planetary traits, orbits, and the vast scale of the Solar System while uncovering the forces that keep an incredible collection of worlds moving through space.
Watch the Planets of Our Solar System playlist and the related videos linked below, then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about the planets, moons, and other wonders of our Solar System.
Explore one of the solar system's greatest mysteries in this Kahoot about Saturn's iconic rings and the discoveries that are changing what scientists thought they knew. From clues about their origins to evidence that they may be much younger than expected, discover why Saturn's rings continue to fascinate scientists.
This Kahoot explores planetary science, space exploration, and the evidence researchers use to uncover the history of distant worlds while revealing surprising facts about one of the most recognizable features in our solar system.
Watch the BBC videos about Saturn's rings (below), then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about Saturn's spectacular and ever-changing rings.
Meet the extreme survivors. Penguins, giraffes, golden snub-nosed monkeys, Namaqua chameleons — these animals have evolved remarkable ways to endure some of the harshest conditions on Earth. We've put together a collection of BBC video clips all about extreme survivors (see Related Resources below). Watch them, then take the Kahoot to see what stuck.
The adaptations are wide-ranging: penguins withstand sub-zero temperatures, giraffes manage naturally high blood pressure, snub-nosed monkeys huddle together to survive freezing nights, and Namaqua chameleons shift skin color to beat the heat of the day. Explore how these animals have adapted, body and behavior, to survive against the odds.
Cowboy culture might seem uniquely American, but one Chinese immigrant says it feels surprisingly familiar. Bruce Wang is originally from Yunnan, a region of China with a long history of horse breeding among many ethnic groups, but became fascinated with the cowboy lifestyle after moving to Texas as an international student at 20 years old.
At first, he dressed like a cowboy, but looking the part wasn't enough — he wanted the real experience. So he joined the cattle industry, learning to ride horses and work with livestock. Maybe he even learned to appreciate the smell of cow manure — or at least not complain about it.
After more than a decade in the United States, cowboy culture has become an important part of his identity, and he says it will stay with him even if he returns to China one day. By sharing his story, Bruce hopes people in China and the United States will better understand one another despite ongoing political tensions. What a moooooooo-ving story.
If you see "A.B. Rowlands" twice on a Royal Navy roll call sheet, it's not a typo! For the first time in the Royal Navy's nearly 500-year history, a mother and son are in training together.
Michelle started as a part-time reservist before serving full-time and eventually transferring to the regular Royal Navy. She began part-time so she could pursue her dream of joining the Navy while keeping her regular job and raising her young children. At the time, she didn't think a full-time military career was possible. She sure showed… well, herself! Now, she’s working to qualify as a technician to maintain Navy aircrew survival equipment while her son, Thomas, is training to become an engineer in the submarine service when he turns 18.
Normally, recruits spend their training months far from home, making time with family hard to come by. But Michelle and Tom still squeeze in games of badminton, and Michelle shows no mercy when it comes to the state of Tom's uniforms. After all, some parts of being a mum don't stop just because you're both in the Navy!
Why did the chicken cross the road? They probably just wanted an excuse to hang out with crossing guard, Brenda!
A town recently bid farewell to a local legend of a crossing guard, Brenda, who retired after 40 years of service. She was known as a "lollipop lady," but that's because of the shape of the stop sign crossing guards carry — not because she handed out candy. Still, by all accounts, Brenda was plenty sweet!
Although Brenda made the same journey nearly every day for four decades, her final day held one big surprise. Community members gathered to applaud her years of service and presented her with a certificate in recognition of everything she'd done.
Over the years, Brenda has broken up fights and even stepped between children and moving cars, so she's not easily shaken. But she was overwhelmed by the love and support shown at her retirement. Among those celebrating were current students, adults she had safely guided across the street as children, and, of course, her own family.
The UK might be looking at 2027 with a lot less scrolling and far fewer TikTok dances, as Prime Minister (at the time) Kier Starmer announced plans to ban people under 16 from using social media, planned for spring.
Many of the ban's strongest supporters are parents who lost children in cases linked to online harms and have been campaigning for this for years. Though they’re happy about the announcement, there’s still some skepticism about how the ban will actually work, the logistics of how it will be enforced, and what sort of pushback there will be.
Even before taking effect, the proposal has sparked debate. Some people argue the ban is too strict and that better guidance, education, and parental controls would be more effective. Others point out that many teenagers use social media to stay in touch with friends and family. Some also worry the ban could give parents a false sense of security if they rely on it instead of staying involved in their children's online lives.
Tech companies argue the ban may not keep children as safe as supporters hope, as a ban on widely-used platforms might push some young people toward less-regulated online spaces that aren’t included in the ban or entice them to find a work-around for the age verification.
Shhh! We're going inside Amazon's super-secret chip design lab! But not the kind where they invent new potato chips. Amazon gave the BBC a rare look inside Annapurna Labs, where engineers design custom computer chips that power artificial intelligence.
Their teams oversee the entire process, from testing newly built silicon chips to making sure they're ready to be installed in massive data centers. These chips are the brains behind AI tools that millions of people use every day — from chatbots and translation apps to online shopping recommendations and voice assistants. Each chip can perform more than 1,000 trillion calculations every second. If you solved just one calculation every second without ever stopping, it would take about 80 million years to do the same amount of work!
There are companies that specialize in making chips, but Amazon designs its own to help make AI systems faster, more energy-efficient, and less expensive to operate. As AI becomes more powerful and more common, Amazon is competing with companies like Google, Microsoft, and Nvidia to build the chips that will power the next generation of AI.
Some high school students recently swapped their smartphones for basic "brick" phones — the kind with no social media or apps, just texting, calling, and the classic game Snake.
The three-week experiment offered a preview of what life might look like once the UK's proposed ban on social media for under-16s takes effect next year. Calls to limit young people's social media use have been building for years, as critics argue some app features are designed to keep users scrolling. Some young people spend up to 20 hours a day on screens, which can affect sleep and time for schoolwork. Many students — along with their parents or carers — say they're struggling to manage screen time.
Feedback from the students was mixed. Some missed chatting with friends online and keeping up with trends. Others found they spent more time outdoors or with family and friends in person. Many said they didn't end up missing screen time as much as they expected.
Journey beyond the Solar System to explore exoplanets, distant stars, and the search for new worlds. From planets orbiting faraway suns to potentially habitable worlds light-years from Earth, discover how astronomers are uncovering new corners of the universe.
This Kahoot explores the science of exoplanet discovery, space exploration, and the technologies that allow us to detect and study worlds we cannot directly see while revealing how each new discovery expands our understanding of the cosmos.
Watch the related videos linked below, then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about the incredible worlds waiting to be discovered beyond our Solar System.
Explore the search for life beyond Earth in this Kahoot about Mars, scientific discovery, and one of humanity's biggest questions. From evidence of ancient water to clues hidden in the planet's surface, discover why scientists believe Mars may once have had the conditions needed to support life.
This Kahoot explores Martian geology, the role of water in sustaining life, and the tools scientists use to investigate distant worlds while uncovering what researchers look for when searching for signs of life beyond Earth.
Watch the videos about Mars linked below, then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about the Red Planet and the ongoing search for life in our Solar System.
Explore the most powerful weather in the solar system in this Kahoot about planetary storms, extreme environments, and the forces that shape other worlds. From Jupiter's Great Red Spot to planet-wide dust storms on Mars, discover how weather behaves in places far different from Earth.
This Kahoot explores winds, clouds, atmospheres, and storms across the solar system while revealing some of the largest and longest-lasting weather events ever observed.
Watch the Planets of Our Solar System playlist and related videos linked below, then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about the extreme weather in our cosmic neighborhood.
Take a journey through our cosmic neighborhood in this Kahoot about the planets, moons, and fascinating features that make up the Solar System. From the rocky worlds closest to the Sun to the icy giants at its outer reaches, discover what makes each planet unique.
This Kahoot explores planetary traits, orbits, and the vast scale of the Solar System while uncovering the forces that keep an incredible collection of worlds moving through space.
Watch the Planets of Our Solar System playlist and the related videos linked below, then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about the planets, moons, and other wonders of our Solar System.
Explore one of the solar system's greatest mysteries in this Kahoot about Saturn's iconic rings and the discoveries that are changing what scientists thought they knew. From clues about their origins to evidence that they may be much younger than expected, discover why Saturn's rings continue to fascinate scientists.
This Kahoot explores planetary science, space exploration, and the evidence researchers use to uncover the history of distant worlds while revealing surprising facts about one of the most recognizable features in our solar system.
Watch the BBC videos about Saturn's rings (below), then take the Kahoot and see how much you know about Saturn's spectacular and ever-changing rings.
Meet the extreme survivors. Penguins, giraffes, golden snub-nosed monkeys, Namaqua chameleons — these animals have evolved remarkable ways to endure some of the harshest conditions on Earth. We've put together a collection of BBC video clips all about extreme survivors (see Related Resources below). Watch them, then take the Kahoot to see what stuck.
The adaptations are wide-ranging: penguins withstand sub-zero temperatures, giraffes manage naturally high blood pressure, snub-nosed monkeys huddle together to survive freezing nights, and Namaqua chameleons shift skin color to beat the heat of the day. Explore how these animals have adapted, body and behavior, to survive against the odds.