Barbie’s New Body Shapes

For the first time in her 57-year history, Barbie will be given three new body shapes—petite, tall and curvy. Mattel, Barbie’s parent company, has updated the famous doll’s image to more realistically reflect the world of the doll’s young owners. “Yes, some people will say we are late to the game,” admits Evelyn Marzocco, the head of the Barbie brand. “But changes at a huge …

The Unexpected Force Keeping NASA’s Mars Rover Alive

12 years go, NASA landed the rover Opportunity on the surface of Mars, with the intent of exploring the Red Planet for 90 days before the vehicle’s solar panels became covered with dust. Fast forward to today, and Opportunity is still going strong, thanks to the unforeseen “dirt devils” present on Mars. These swirling gusts of wind periodically blow dust off the rover’s panels, which—combined …

Eight Ways to Encourage Girls to Code

Many people understand there are a lot fewer women in computer science, but don’t know what to do about it—or, worse yet, just fall into acceptance. For those who wish to help but aren’t sure where to start, Mashable has published a simple list of steps to encourage girls to take up coding and other engineering subjects at an early age—like leading a coding club …