This DIY Robot Kit Teaches Kids to Code

Stephanie Chon
Nov 18, 2014

Do you realize that we live in a world where kids “Tynker” around with coding through apps and “Play-I” around with toys that teach them about programming? Pretty cool, huh? When it comes to technology and its constant growth, it’s hard not to think about where the world will stand in the future. Imagine a world where kids no longer say YOLO and LOL and instead use the acronyms SKD and API on a daily basis. It seems like that’s where we’re headed, especially with constant innovations like Zuri, which give kids a hands-on experience with building models and programming.

Zuri is where DIY arts + crafts meets programming. The kit comes with the robot’s body, limbs, sensors and a Bluetooth module. The first step is to cut out the flat, cardboard body and limbs. Then after some folding and gluing, the skeleton of the bot is all ready to be inserted with the sensors and a Bluetooth. Zuri’s Bluetooth capability allows it to be controlled from a PC or smartphone wirelessly. Now comes the STEMulating part of the kit: coding.

Toggling around with the coding shows real-time effects that the codes make on Zuri. With more practice and experimentation, Zuri begins to walk, dance and crawl in circles with ease. Throughout the experimentation, the user is learning how to code. Currently, Zuri is just a prototype, but the designers and creators at Zoobotics are looking to get funded soon. Ultimately, Zoobotics is hoping to get Zuri in classrooms as a medium to teach kids about programming. And maybe kids = big kids too?!

Do you know of any young, aspiring programmers? Tell us all about it in the comments!

10 Women Scientists That History Shouldn't Forget

Although women are making steady inroads in STEM fields, the science and technology world remains dominated by men. According to the National Girls Collaborative Project, fewer than 30 percent of all science and engineering jobs are held by women. Though that figure is certainly better than it was in the past, we have a long way to go in lifting the barriers to science, tech, engineering, and math education that keep so many women out of those fields.

Throughout history, women have had to overcome obstacles to access education, yet many persisted in STEM nonetheless — despite the fact that their work may not always have gotten recognition (or was outright stolen) by their male colleagues. But it's never too late to give these brave, history-making women their due.

Here are 10 women in STEM who were forgotten by history — until now.

Mivela Maric:Albert Einstein is widely regarded as one of the greatest scientific minds in history, but there has been some recent discussion over the role that his first wife, Mivela Maric, played in his success.

People who debate Maric’s involvement in the development of theories attributed to Einstein tend to fall into two camps. On one side, there are those who argue that she was merely a sounding board for her husband’s ideas; on the other, that she was a direct collaborator in his research and even helped create some of what we now consider Einstein’s greatest theoretical works. What’s not up for debate is that Maric was a fierce intellectual whose input Einstein took seriously.

Based on correspondence between the couple, historians do agree that Maric can be credited with working alongside her husband. (Einstein talks of “our studies” and “our theory” in many of the letters.) Despite her intelligence, by virtue of being a woman in the earlier part of the 20th century, Maric’s work has never been fully evaluated, and her role (however ambiguous) in her husband’s work will never be fully understood. Maric died in 1948, and for years was overlooked as a physicist and merely noted for her relationship to Einstein. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

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Jocelyn Bell Burnell:The name of British astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell may not be familiar to you, but her 1967 discovery of pulsars changed astronomy forever.

While still a graduate student at the University of Cambridge, Bell Burnell's research into quasars (enormous celestial bodies that emit huge amounts of energy) led her to stumble onto large neutron stars that act almost as smaller-scale quasars — now known as pulsars.

With her male advisor, Antony Hewish, Bell Burnell co-authored a paper on the revelation that would go on to help scientists study many facets of the universe, including the possibility of alien communication. In 1974, Hewish and physicist Martin Ryle won the Nobel Prize in physics for work made possible by Bell Burnell's discovery. Her name wasn't even included in the award.

Since Bell Burnell's discovery, she has been a teacher and researcher and has headed the Royal Astronomical Society. She also served as the first female president of both the Institute of Physics and The Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 2018, she was awarded a $3 million dollar prize for her work on pulsars, over half a century after she discovered them.

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Chien-Shiung Wu: Born in China in 1912, Chien-Shiung Wu attended a school founded by her father in Jiangsu Province. As a child, she encountered a biography of chemist Marie Curie (the first woman to receive a Nobel prize, and the only woman to date to win it twice) that sparked her imagination and drive. Wu's grades in school were so impressive, she was invited to attend the National Central University in Nanjing without having to complete the school's usually mandatory entrance exams.

After graduating in 1934, Wu realized she needed to attend graduate school abroad if she wanted to advance in her field. She achieved her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1940 and went on to teach at Smith and Princeton.

Wu was also involved in the highly secretive Manhattan Project — the US government's scientific race to create atomic weapons ahead of its enemies during the Second World War. Although her work was instrumental in developing the atomic bombs the US used in the Pacific theater, Wu subsequently expressed regret at her role in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and shared her wish that atomic warheads never be used again.

After the war, Wu remained at Columbia University in New York, where her research on the decay of atoms brought her work to the attention of two colleagues; in 1954, those colleagues were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for work that could only be verified through Wu's expertise. Wu's research went uncredited.

Her work did, however, earn other awards and accolades over the years. Wu is credited with helping scientists understand blood molecule changes and sickle cell anemia, and she was the first woman to serve as president of the American Physical Society.

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Lise Meitner: Austrian physicist Lise Meitner is sometimes credited as “the mother of the atomic bomb," but the scientist actually refused to work on the Manhattan Project. She reportedly declared, "I will have nothing to do with a bomb!" But her work in nuclear science helped pave the way for future discoveries; much like other women scientists, her name was left off the major awards that resulted.

After achieving her doctorate in the early 1900s, Meitner began a 30-year working relationship with chemist Otto Hahn, in which the two collaboratively studied radioactivity using insights from their respective fields. When Nazi Germany annexed Austria, the Jewish Meitner was forced to flee to Sweden to continue her work; once there, she received no support from the Swedish scientific elite, who were hostile to the idea of a female colleague.

Meitner continued her research in spite of rejection from her peers. Along with Hahn, scientist Fritz Strassmann, and her nephew Otto Frisch, Meitner began new tests on uranium in Copenhagen. Eventually, they were able to develop and prove a theory of nuclear fission. But it was Hahn who, in 1945, was awarded the Nobel Prize for this work.

Although the three other scientists who'd worked with Hahn on the discovery were awarded a different award in 1966, the Nobel “mistake" was never formally clarified.

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Rosalind Franklin:Biologist James Watson and physicist Francis Crick solved the riddle of DNA in the 1950s, but they couldn't have done their work without the findings of other scientists; notably Rosalind Franklin. The daughter of English socialites, Franklin was given every educational opportunity. At every turn, she was faced with resistance from colleagues, employers, and even her own father — a would-be scientist, himself, who worried about a woman's place in scientific research.

After graduating from Cambridge, Franklin bounced around between jobs in European laboratories, learning cutting edge X-ray techniques. She eventually took a three-year research scholarship at King's College in London.

Utilizing the radiology techniques she'd learned, Franklin and her lab partner, Maurice Wilkins, took some of the first clear images of DNA structures. The story goes that the pair were having a disagreement when Wilkins, without permission, took his research partner's unpublished work to his friends, Watson and Crick. Franklin's images directly informed the two scientists' first models of DNA structure, yet she was completely uncredited in their published work.

It was only after Franklin's death at the age of 37, from ovarian cancer, that Watson admitted her work had been “crucial" to his and Crick's discovery.

Caroline Herschel:Astronomer Caroline Herschel moved to England from Germany in 1772 to join her brother, William, after the death of their father. While the Herschel patriarch had approved of an education for his daughter, the Herschels' mother insisted Caroline leave school to take up housework after her husband's death.

The brother and sister performed together as a musical duo in England, and it was during this period that William became obsessed with telescopes and astronomy. Caroline soon followed suit.

William discovered the planet Uranus in 1781. When William was appointed Royal Astronomer by King George III in 1782, he took his sister along with him.

Caroline worked alongside her brother, for which King George offered her an annual salary as an astronomer's assistant. She was the first woman to discover an unnamed comet and presented findings to the Royal Society that proved the existence of 560 stars omitted from the British Catalogue, along with a list of errors she found in the publication. Her work was so prolific and thorough that two of her astronomical catalogs are still in use today. (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Justine Siegemund:Midwifery is as old as human history, but until the mid-1600s, the tricks of the trade were passed down orally from midwife to midwife. Enter Justine Siegemund, a German woman who, after suffering excruciating pain from a midwife’s misdiagnosis, began to study the craft herself. Siegemund became so renowned for her expertise that she was eventually encouraged by Mary II of Orange to write a guide on the subject.

Siegemund’s self-published midwifery book, The Court Midwife, became the first German medical text to be written by a woman. With the aid of illustrations by leading medical engravers, Siegemund shared wisdom on life-saving childbirth methods. She’s considered a pioneer in developing techniques to manually turn a breech baby during labor, and using a needle to break the amniotic sac to avoid hemorrhage in cases of placenta previa. (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

Emily Warren Roebling:If it weren't for Emily Warren Roebling, one of America's most iconic structures might not exist. When her husband, engineer Washington A. Roebling took ill during the building of the Brooklyn Bridge (probably from the bends, a disorder common in bridge-builders and deep-sea divers), Emily stepped in to ensure the bridge would be completed.

Though she was not an engineer by trade, Emily took over her husband's role as foreperson, project manager, and go-to during the bridge's treacherous building. Historians today are generally in agreement that without her involvement, the Brooklyn Bridge as we know it would likely never have been built. And she knew it, too.

“I have more brains, common sense and know-how generally than have any two engineers, civil or uncivil, and but for me the Brooklyn Bridge would never have had the name Roebling in any way connected with it!" Emily Warren Roebling wrote to her son in 1898.

After the bridge was complete, Emily Warren Roebling went on to attain a certificate in business law at a time when women were not typically allowed to enter law school and devoted her life to philanthropy. (Image via Charles Émile Auguste Carolus Duran/Brooklyn Museum for Wikimedia Commons)

Which STEM lady do you want to learn more about? Tell us @BritandCo!

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Ryan Gosling Supports Eva Mendes "In All The Ways," And It Makes Us Love Him Even More

There are two things I know for sure: Ken loves Barbie, and Ryan Gosling loves Eva Mendes. The couple met on the movie set for The Place Beyond the Pines in 2011, and have created such a beautiful life together! Eva's just as excited for the Christmas remix of "I'm Just Ken" as we are, and Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes' constant support of one another is making us think back on all their cutest moments.

A Full Timeline Of Ryan Gosling And Eva Mendes' Relationship

Images via Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

August 2011 — Ryan Gosling And Eva Mendes Meet During The Place Beyond The Pines

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes took a chance at romance after they played a couple in 2011's The Place Beyond The Pines. Once they were linked, they were seen walking around Disneyland "like a dating couple, [walking] very closely, holding hands and their arms touching side-by-side," according to a PEOPLE eyewitness.

Image via Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SXSW

November + December 2011 — Ryan Gosling And Eva Mendes Spend The Holidays Together

During Thanksgiving in 2011, Eva Mendes was filming Holly Motors in Paris, so Ryan Gosling took a trip to the City of Lights so they could spend the holiday together. They also ended up going on Funny or Die's Drunk History Christmas the next month to reenact a 21+ version of The Night Before Christmas *and* spent New Year's together!

Image via Sonia Recchia/Getty Images

September 7, 2012 — Ryan Gosling And Eva Mendes Attend The Toronto International Film Festival Together

To promote The Place Beyond the Pines, Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes spent a lot of time together on the TIFF red carpet. Years later in 2019, when Kelly Clarkson pulled up the picture, Eva couldn't help but gush over Ryan — especially since they hadn't announced they were dating at the time. “Oh my God, that’s so old," she says of the photo. "That’s literally me going, ‘I’m not in love with him. What? I’m not in love.’ ‘Cause we were trying to be very professional."

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

May 2014 — Ryan Gosling And Eva Mendes Work Together On Lost River

Ryan and Eva reunited on a film set again for Lost River, which was both Ryan's directorial debut and served as a semi-autobiographical story for him. "For me, it was crucial to work in this intimate, low-budget, small way, with people I had worked with before, because I feel like in my experience that’s where everyone was at their best," Ryan tells Sunday Style (via Mangalorean). "They know what is at stake for you personally, and all the work that’s gone into getting there."

Eva also told her Instagram followers in a since-deleted postthat Lost River is the project she's most proud of. "There was one film I'm extra proud to be a part of," she said. "A dark fairy tale. A magical fantasy. To all the struggling single mothers, to all of us in cities that feel like they're burning down or flooding around us, to everyone fighting for the ones they love, this was a good one."

Image via Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

September 12, 2014 — Eva Mendes Gives Birth To Their First Child

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes welcomed Esmerelda Amada Gosling into the world in September of 2014. Eva later said that she didn't even want kids until she got together with Ryan. "I was lucky enough to work my bum off for 20 years," she tells Nova 96.9's Fitzy & Wippa (via PEOPLE). "I never wanted babies before until I fell in love with Ryan, and it kind of worked out to where I was 40 and having my first baby. I think I was 42 for the second one, so it worked out in that way that I had a career and then I change my focus to my family."

Ryan also went on to tell GQ in 2023 that he was in a similar place before meeting Eva. "I wasn’t thinking about kids before I met her, but after I met Eva, I realized that I just didn’t want to have kids without her," he says. "And there were moments on The Place Beyond the Pines where we were pretending to be a family, and I didn’t really want it to be pretend anymore." I could cry!!

Image via Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

December 7, 2015 — Ryan Gosling Gives A Rare Interview About His Relationship

While Ryan and Eva have kept their relationship very private, he told Hello! that "I know that I'm with the person I'm supposed to be with" and that literally the only quality he looks for in a woman is "That she's Eva Mendes. There's nothing else I'm looking for." Swoon!

Image via Brad Barket/Getty Images

April 29, 2016 — Ryan Gosling And Eva Mendes Have Their Second Child

Eva Mendes gave birth to her and Ryan's second baby, a daughter named Amada Lee Gosling, in April 2016 — after keeping the pregnancy a secret until it was almost time to deliver! Amada is named after Eva's grandma.

Image via Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

January 8, 2017 — Ryan Gosling Dedicates His La La Land Golden Globe To Eva Mendes' Brother

While accepting his Golden Globe for Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Ryan Gosling made sure to let the world know just how much of a role Eva had played in the process. “I would like to try and thank one person properly, and say that while I was singing and dancing and playing piano,” he says in his speech, “my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second and trying to help her brother with his battle with cancer.”

Eva's brother, Juan Carlos Mendes, had passed away the previous April and Ryan took the opportunity to dedicate the award to him.

Image via Dominique Charriau/Getty Images

February 12, 2020 — Eva Mendes Reveals Ryan Gosling Is A Great Cook

When an Instagram account asked what Eva and Ryan liked to cook, Eva revealed just how amazing Ryan is with food. "Ryan is an amazing chef AND baker," she says in her reply. "For reals. Incredible. No joke. I'm not sure that what I do is cooking. It's more like steaming veggies and juicing and making rice. He really cooks. I survive." Can I get Ryan Gosling to make me a meal sometime?

Image via Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

January 1, 2022 — Ryan Gosling Shares About Their Quarantine Life

“Time, in general, is something I think about a lot now. My kids are growing up so fast I need to keep an eye on the clock in a way I never used to,” Ryan Gosling tells GQ. “I feel like I need more time to process [how much the pandemic played into that]. But [Eva and I] have two kids, so we spend a lot of our time trying to keep them entertained.”

While they enjoyed their time together, Ryan's also candid about the effect of lockdown on their children: “Our kids were at a difficult age not to be able to see other kids and interact with people, even though Eva and I did our best.”

Image via Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. Pictures.

June 2022 — Eva Mendes Embraces The Kenergy

When the world went crazy for every bit of Barbie news, so did Eva Mendes. "So. F. Funny," she says in an Instagram caption sharing the first look at Ryan Gosling's Ken. "So. F. Good. So F excited for you to see this…#Thatsmyken."

"It's a funny photo and he's trying to be funny, so it worked on all levels," she goes on to say on The Talk. "But when I saw it, when he sent it to me from work, I was like, 'Can I please have that underwear? Please, I never ask for anything'...So, anyway, I do have it. I'm wearing it right now."

Via Eva Mendes/Instagram

November 2022 — Eva Mendes Begins Dropping Hints She Married Ryan Gosling

When Eva showed off a new tattoo on her wrist in November of 2022 on Instagram, fans immediately began dissecting its meaning. The tattoo, which reads "de Gosling" (which is similar to Mrs. Gosling) could mean that Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes are actually married! She went on to tell Today in Australia (via DailyMail) that "Everyone is so welcoming here and my husband Ryan is here, and we are having the best time." 👀

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August 9, 2023 — Ryan Gosling And Eva Mendes Love Family Time

In the midst of crazy release schedules and commitments (not to mention the actors' strike), Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes always prioritize their family life. "When they are not working, they are all about their girls," a source tells People. "Ryan is such a fun dad. He is goofy and his girls love it." The source continues by saying the family loves to go to the beach or the desert (same TBH).

Image via Warner Bros Pictures.

December 18, 2023 — Eva Mendes Can't Wait For The "I'm Just Ken" Christmas Remix

If the original version of "I'm Just Ken" wasn't good enough, Ryan Gosling is blessing us with a Christmas remix — and Eva Mendes is just as excited as we are. "Ken not wait for this," she says in an Instagram caption.

Image via Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Warner Bros.

January 13, 2024 — Ryan Gosling Mentions His Family During His Acceptance Speech

At the 2024 Santa Barbra International Film Festival, Ryan Gosling won the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film — and he totally deserves it! With a career that includes iconic films like La La Land and Barbie, as well as The Notebook, Blade Runner 2049, and Crazy Stupid Love, all kinds of film lovers have gotten to see Ryan's work onscreen. During his acceptance speech, Ryan got choked up talking about how acting allowed him to meet "the girl of [his] dreams."

"I dreamed of one day making movies and now movies have made my life a dream," he says in his speech. "So the way I see it, there's no way I have contributed half as much to cinema as cinema's contributed to me."

Image via Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. Entertainment

January 24, 2024 — Eva Mendes Celebrates Ryan Gosling's Oscar Nomination

After the Oscar nominations were announced January 23, Eva Mendes took to Instagram to celebrate Ryan Gosling's nomination for Best Supporting Actor. "So proud of my man. So much hate when he took on this role," she says alongside screenshots of the first (very negative) reviews of his casting. "So many people trying to shame him for doing it. Despite all the #Notmyken ridicule and articles written about him, he created this completely original, hilarious, heartbreaking, now iconic character and took it all the way to Oscars. So beyond proud to be this Ken’s Barbie."

Image via Caroline McCredie/Getty Image

February 22, 2014 - Eva Mendes Announces Upcoming Children's Book

Yesterday Eva Mendes shared with People that she's penned a children's book named Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries that'll debut September 17. It's all about a little girl who's always worried that her scary brain is the real monster she's afraid of at night. Through gentle reminders, Desi's mom helps her understand that being afraid is normal and teaches her how not to let scary thoughts control her.

Eva Mendes told People the books is like "a love letter to my kids and yours" because "...Learning how to train our brain to work for us and not against us is easier said than done!" Since we know racing thoughts doesn't just affect adults, we love that Eva is finding a way to share some of her parenting tips with other parents.

Pre-Order Eva Mendes' Children's Book:

Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worriesby Eva Mendes

Image via Eva Mendes/Instagram

March 10, 2024 — Eva Mendes Celebrates Ryan Gosling's Oscars Performance

Eva Mendes celebrated the Oscars on March 10 with a post highlighting Ryan Gosling's performance, and his entire run as Ken! "You took Ken all the way to the Oscar’s, RG," she says on Instagram. "Now come home, we need to put the kids to bed."

We love the way this couple can have fun with each other — and highlight how much teamwork parenthood requires!

Image via Kevin Winter/Getty Images

March 13, 2024 — Ryan Gosling Details How Eva Mendes And Their Daughters Helped Him Prepare For His Oscars Performance

Leave it to Ryan Gosling not to take credit for his amazing Oscars performance. He gushed to People about how Eva Mendes and their daughters helped him make sure his Kenergy truly shined bright. "They are such a huge part of this for me...it was my girl's interest in Barbie and disinterest in Ken that got me into this in the first place. It was beautiful to have them there at the end," he said.

As we all saw, the unmistakable Kenergy was in full force and effect during the Oscars.

Image via Eva Mendes/Instagram

March 26, 2024 — Eva Mendes Says It Was A "No Brainer" To Stay Home With Her Kids

Deciding how to maintain a work-home balance when you have kids is something every parent thinks about, and it turns out that extends to celebs, too! After starring with Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond The Pines, Eva Mendes decided it was a "no brainer" to stay home with their family since acting can take you all over the world, which the actress revealed in a recent episode of The Today Show. “It was almost just like a non-verbal agreement that it was like, ‘Ok, he’s going to work and I’m going to work, I’m just going to work here,'” she says. She also says she's “so lucky” to “have this time with [their] children.”

“I have never experienced anything like [working with Ryan Gosling]. The way he works, his commitment to his craft, how he wants to make everything as best as it can be, and that means making his co-stars as best as they can be,” she continues. “But unfortunately — or fortunately — there is only one Ryan!"

Image via Eva Mendes/Instagram

April 1, 2024 — Eva Mendes Says Her Daughters Make Everything Better

After losing her brother in 2016, Eva Mendes says she has a "complicated relationship" with the month of April — but that her daughters make it infinitely more bearable. "[April 2] would have been my brother’s birthday," she says on Instagram. "In a couple of weeks from now is the day we lost him…but then, the end of April we got the biggest blessing of all, my little girl was born 8 years ago. I hate you April. But I love you more."

Image via Will Heath/NBC

April 13, 2024 — Ryan Gosling Hosts SNL

During his latest stint hosting SNL, Ryan Gosling did a hilarious sketch about a man who picks up a Cuban accent after getting married to a Cuban woman. Eva Mendes was all over it! "Coño! My Cuban Papi made this Cuban Mami so happy with this!!" Eva wrote on Instagram. "Years of hanging out with my Dad paid off."

Image via Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

May 1, 2024 — Ryan Gosling Is The Ultimate Support System For Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes is not here for the mom-shamers. She told People (in honor of its 2024 Beautiful Issue) that staying home to focus on Ryan Gosling and her kids was the "easiest decision I've ever made" because she wanted to be there for their formative childhood years.

"When I was 40, it was a big deal for people when I was pregnant, and it wasn't for me," she says. "And then I was 42 and I was pregnant with my second one and people were like, 'Oh my God, you're going to be so tired. That's why people have kids in their 20s.' I was like, that's the most sorry, asinine thing I've ever heard."

"[Ryan supports me] in all the ways I need to be supported," she continues. "He's got me in all the ways."

Check back here for the latest news on Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes, and don't forget to read up on Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce's Relationship and Tom Holland and Zendaya. :)

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Katie Bouman Is a STEM Hero — But Not for the Reason We Thought

A few hours after the world (by way of the internet) laid eyes on the very first photographic image of a black hole, the name “Katie Bouman” began trending. According to a tweet from the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, the 29-year-old MIT postdoctoral student had “led the creation of a new algorithm” that made the black hole image possible. After the pic went public on Wednesday, it wasn’t long before another photo began making the rounds: one of the fresh-faced scientist posed in front of a computer screen that displayed the groundbreaking image she’d helped create, with her hands clasped over her mouth in proud disbelief.

In an instant, Bouman became a stand-in for generations of women scientists whose contributions to technological breakthroughs were buried under the names of their male colleagues. Celebrities tweeted in appreciation. Others listed the names of female scientists that time, and sexism, had allowed us to forget. The moment felt triumphant: a chance for women in STEM to get their long-deserved moment in the spotlight. But there was also some pushback against this simple, feel-good version of events — namely, from Katie Bouman herself.

“I’m so excited that we finally get to share what we have been working on for the past year!” she wrote on Facebook. “The image shown today is the combination of images produced by multiple methods. No one algorithm or person made this image, it required the amazing talent of a team of scientists from around the globe and years of hard work to develop the instrument, data processing, imaging methods, and analysis techniques that were necessary to pull off this seemingly impossible feat. It has been truly an honor, and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with you all.”

In fact, Bouman was one of more than 200 scientists from 60 different research institutions, in 18 countries across six continents, to contribute to the project. Approximately 40 women (including Bouman) were involved.

While many media outlets (including us) mistakenly reported that Bouman had led the creation of the algorithm used to visualize the previously unphotographable image, a Harvard astronomer named Shep Doeleman was actually in charge of the project.

Bouman’s contributions were important to this process, and while it’s true that she led a team in developing an algorithm intended to create an image of a black hole, the New York Times reported Thursday that Bouman’s algorithm was not the one ultimately used to make the photo we saw on Wednesday. (On Friday afternoon, the MIT CSAIL Twitter account issued a series of posts to clear up earlier confusion.)

“There are women involved in every single step of this amazing project,” said Sara Issaoun, a 24-year-old graduate student at Radboud University in the Netherlands, in an interview with the Times. Issaoun was one of the researchers involved.

So, it appears that many of us got the details of this story a bit wrong, and the reasons why are pretty straightforward. Obviously, it’s easy to jump to less-than-accurate conclusions from information that’s shared on social media, especially in celebration of a young woman for a breakthrough in STEM, a field in which women are so notoriously underrepresented.

The Bouman story was also the product of our tendency to credit individual thought-leaders or “pioneers” for making change happen. We like being able to point to a single person who made a difference in the world, because it inspires us to try to do the same. But the truth is that no one person alone is responsible for making big things happen.

Collaboration is a superpower. As Katie Bouman wants us to remember, it’s when we work together that the impossible comes within reach — or, in the case of black holes, that the unphotographable becomes photographed. The Bouman story is one of teamwork and triumph, and by upholding that spirit, more of us will be able to shine. It may not be the story we wanted, but it’s the one with the most to offer.

RELATED: The Black Hole Photo Everyone’s Freaking Out About Was Made Possible by This Female Grad Student

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A "Verity" Movie Is Officially On Its Way

Thanks to Challengers and The Watchers, I can already tell 2024 is going to be a year of shocking movies (and shockingly good movies), and that trend is going to continue thanks to Verity & Colleen Hoover. While It Ends With Us might be the most popular Colleen Hoover book, Verity is arguably the craziest, and The Hollywood Reporter just confirmed that a movie is officially in development! While we wait for more news, browse the Colleen Hoover merch you can wear to opening night ;).

Is there a movie about the book Verity?

Image via Amazon

Yes, a movie based on Colleen Hoover's Verity is officially on the way! The movie's in development at Amazon MGM Studios (the studio behind Florence Pugh's A Good Person and Zendaya's Challengers). Hillary Seitz is currently writing the script for the film, and Eat the Cat's Nick Antosca and Alex Hedlund are producing.

What is Verity about?

Image via Vlada Karpovich/Pexels

In Verity by Colleen Hoover, Lowen Ashleigh is a writer struggling to make ends meet. That is, until she's offered the job of a lifetime by Jeremy, husband to the ultimate it-girl author, Verity Crawford. The thriller writer is no longer able to finish the remaining books in her series, and Jeremy wants Lowen to pick up where she left off. While Lowen is over the moon to step in (both into the job and their huge family estate), a secret manuscript and family secrets lead Lowen to realize Verity's hiding a lot more than she's letting on. B+C editor Haley Sprankle says this is one of the craziest books she's ever read, and I know this is definitely going to be one of the craziest movies we've seen!

Who's in the Verity cast?

Image via Mike Coppola/Jon Kopaloff/Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Since the movie is just now in development, we don't have an official Verity cast list yet. But considering It Ends With Us is starring beloved actors like Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and Jenny Slate, I'm confident the cast of Verity will feature some incredible names.

Popular fancasts for Verity include You's Victoria Pedretti or The White Lotus' Alexandra Diddario as Lowen, Rosamund Pike or Margot Robbie as Verity, and Shia LaBeouf or Theo James as Jeremy. Without a doubt, the cast of Verity needs to be warm and welcoming at first glance, but also have an unexpected edge that reveals itself as we move through the story.

One Reddit user points out that the characters need to offer "just toxicity but also feigned innocence," and each of these actors do exactly that, which makes them incredible picks for the movie. If Blake wasn't already in It Ends With Us, I know she'd do a great job because she proved her thriller acting chops in A Simple Favor!

When did Verity come out?

Image via Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for TIME

Colleen Hoover self-published Verity in 2018, and in 2021, the book was acquired by Grand Central Publishing. It sold more than one million copies in 2023, and has more than 340 thousand Amazon ratings and over two million Goodreads ratings. Talk about a hit!

What movie is similar to the book Verity?

Image via Lionsgate

If you love thriller books like Verity, then I'd recommend checking out other relationship-centric thrillers like Gone Girl, Rebecca, and A Simple Favor. For period drama fans, I cannot recommend Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton's Why Didn't They Ask Evans enough!

Follow us on TikTok and YouTube for the latest entertainment updates, and check back here for new info on Verity & Colleen Hoover's other books!

Lead image via Amazon.

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Your Perfect Pair Of New Balance Sneakers, Based On Your Vibes

Personal style is personal for a reason. Whatever you wear is a complete reflection of who you are, and this is especially true for what shoes you slip into every day. Everyone’s got their go-to sandals, but sneakers are an entirely different game, I tell ya.

If your fave footwear brand is New Balance and you just so happen to be in the market for some squeaky-clean sneaks, I’ve basically done all the research for you to help you find your perfect pair. This list of the most popular New Balance sneakers details not only each style’s practicality, but their personality, too.

Ahead, find your perfect New Balance sneakers – based on your vibes!

New Balance 9060: The ‘Fit Flexer

If you just can’t resist dressing to the nines every single day, the New Balance 9060s will fit right into your fashionista flair.

These “proudly futuristic” New Balance sneakers deliver on Y2K aesthetics beyond compare. The wider base is reminiscent of Nike Shox – very tech-y and otherworldly. The upper part is made from mesh and suede, supplying a super elevated vibe.

The white and cream white coloration is so easy to pair with most every ‘fit. They’ll match with cargo pants, vintage jeans, or even mini skirts and denim shorts.

Reviewers of the New Balance 9060 are glad they invested in this $150 shoe because it's so versatile.

One reviewer toted the 9060’s for fitting into “all aspects” of their lifestyle. Another said that the arch supports “unreal,” so though they’re more fashion-forward than other New Balance kicks, they’re still uber-comfortable for a range of activities.

New Balance 990: The Thrift Shopper

The New Balance 990s are straight-up dad sneakers to the core, so if you gravitate towards the thrift store (or all things vintage-y), you’ll find that they go swimmingly with most outfits and will stand up to long thrift trips.

While they were originally manufactured for running (and they still are), the 990s scream streetwear to me. They appear more elevated than your average athletic running shoe, thanks to the smooth pigskin and fine mesh.

The inside is fitted with a bouncy FuelCell midsole cushioning, and the shoe is available in 4 different widths. The range!

The New Balance 990s are very similar to the New Balance 993s, which is less performance-based.

New Balance 574 Core: The Weekend Warrior

Whether you're hitting the club or the farmer’s market on the weekends, you want to be comfortable (I mean, who doesn't?). The New Balance 574 Cores are made for the weekend warriors.

New Balance describes this signature shoe as “uncomplicated, rugged, durable, and comfortable.”

Though the 574s are pretty basic, they’re earned themselves icon status. You’re sure to see at least one pair when you go out.

The outer layer is made from suede and mesh materials dotted with 100% recycled polyester details.

New Balance 550: The Sneakerhead

These New Balance sneakers aren’t just black and white. They’re “sea salt” with “gray matter” and “magnet.” So yeah, if you consider yourself overly particular about your sneakers, the New Balance 550s are the shoe for you.

These were revived from the late 80’s and early 90’s then re-released full-time in 2021, and they’ve been a modern fan-favorite ever since.

The flatter soles on these sneaks mean they’re not as practical for running or walking long distances, but since they have a history with basketball, you might be able to rock ‘em on the court. More than anything, they definitely give basketball vibes, which is perfect for any streetwear ensemble.

The mixed materials and chunky approach to the classic New Balance logo give these an unmistakable air.

According to New Balance, these best fit people with an average arch height. The thick sole and cushy ankle padding work the hardest to support your feet, rather than an arched insole.

New Balance 530: The Gym-Goer

The New Balance 530s are giving Erewhon baddie. They’re giving I drink smoothies for breakfast. They’re giving I live and breathe pilates.

The stark white colorway of these sneakers reminds me of the clean girl aesthetic, and they’re so pretty, you may have a hard time getting them dirty.

Though very stylish on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that counts with the New Balance 530s. They’re fitted with an ample midsole section that cushions and compresses your step.

New Balance Fresh Foam: The 10K Steps A Day-er

For the more athletic among us (hello, hot girl walks!), the New Balance Fresh Foam sneakers are the way to go. They’re designed especially for walking and running, so you can count on them to be comfy.

They have an extra-soft cushioning for a cozy step, and every aspect of the footbed is intended to stabilize the foot.

This shoe especially supports walkers or runners with the tendency to step heel first, a bonus co-signed by the American Podiatric Medical Association – this pair received their Seal of Acceptance.

The upper part of the shoe is made of mesh, so it’s highly breathable, even on hot days. They’re great for high arches, too!

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Images via New Balance.
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