Dino Names, Tractor Fixes & Rainbow Math Magic! (9.13.26)

0:00Pouring in curiosity, activating podcasts, let's ignite the experiment. You're Reacock! Happy Sunday, it's September 13th, 2026, and we've got a great show for you today. The European Space Agency's Harris spacecraft has a dino mascot that needs a name. A little dinosaur rides in an air balloon and they're asking people to help name it. Ian Carnelly, Harris' mission manager, says the dino's featured in all their animations and LEGO models. Plus, there's a version hidden aboard the spacecraft that will be revealed when Hera reaches the binary asteroid didemos this November. The mascot reminds us that while dinosaurs went extinct after an asteroid hit Earth, humans now have a space agency to study asteroids and protect our planet. On a different note, satellite data shows a huge spike in air pollution near the Tennessee Mississippi border and researchers think it's from gas turbines powering SpaceX AI's Colossus

1:032 data center. These turbines, which don't have proper filters, started operating in late 2025, causing nitrogen oxide emissions to peak at 1180 kg per hour in August 2026. But here's the update. SpaceX-Eye's agreed to remove all 69 turbines following pushback from environmental groups and local authorities, so changes are happening to tackle this pollution issue. Moving on, scientists in Japan figured out how to add a key light directing component to computer chips without frying the electronics. Researchers at Tohooku University and Kyosera used a laser to heat one tiny spot on a silicon chip to over 600 degrees Celsius while keeping the rest cool. The breakthrough lets them build optical isolators right onto chips, which stop light from bouncing backward and messing up data transmission in data centers that are trying to use light instead of electricity. It's a big deal because these isolators couldn't be added before without damaging the chip's

2:04electronics. Time to test your memory. Think back to what we just talked about. And will the Harris spacecraft reach the binary asteroid Didamose? Option A, December this year. Option B, next summer. Option C, this November. Or Option D, right after the dinosaurs finish their space training program, take 5 seconds and lock in your answer. Turning data. Observing results. The correct answer is C, this November. Didamose is actually two asteroids orbiting each other, which is why scientists call it a binary asteroid system. Nice job if you got that one. Still more to talk about. Switching to tech. Farmers can now repair their own jaundere tractors without restrictions after a legal settlement

3:09with the Federal Trade Commission. This is a huge shift because for years, farmers criticized jaundere for locking its equipment with digital restrictions. Jaundere's self-repair software lets tractor owners fix their machines using a laptop. But here's the real news. It's not just about the software being helpful. What's changed is that farmers finally have the freedom to fix their own gear. And they don't face the limitations they used to deal with. Next up, scientists in Spain's Basque region figured out why one side of a mountain range has risen 255 meters higher than the other side over millions of years. Here's what's happening. Rivers on the Atlantic side of the range wore away more rock than rivers on the Mediterranean side. And when all that weight disappeared, the ground underneath slowly floated upward, kind of like how a boat rises when you unload cargo from it. Here's another one. Mathematicians have posted a new proof of the four-color theorem online, and it's

4:09pretty exciting. The proof came out in March 2026, and it's said to be presented at the Foundations of Computer Science Conference this November. This theorem asks if any map can be colored using just four colors without neighboring regions matching. It was originally proven in the 1970s with computer help, but some mathematicians weren't satisfied with that approach. So this new proof is exciting because it gives deeper insights into why the theorem actually works. Alright, another question for you from those last few stories. How much higher has one side of the Basque cantabrian range risen compared to the other side? Is it a 155 meters? Maybe b, 355 meters? How about c, 255 meters? Or d, as high as a tower made of stacked tortilla espagnola? You have five seconds to think about your answer.

5:12Analyzing data. Observing results. Let's see, the answer is c, 255 meters. That's about the same height as a 70 story skyscraper. If you got it, nice. Here's today's what do you think? Would you rather name a space missions mascot or design with the mascot looks like? There's no wrong answer. Just talk about it. Big shout out to Peterson Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois. Want a shout out for your school? Leave a review with your school name and we'll give you one. Here's your word of the day. Today's word is unprecedented, never done or known before. Here it is in a sentence. Scientists discovered an unprecedented species of glowing jellyfish that creates its own rainbow

6:13light show in the deep ocean. Try using unprecedented in a sentence today. Time for a fun fact. Sound travels four times faster in water than it does through air. That's pretty wild. Wow. Before we go, here's one to make you laugh. What do you call a fish that needs help with his or her vocals? Auto tuna. You're welcome. Today we covered naming a dinosaur mascot for a space mission, air pollution from a data center, a new way to build computer chips, farmers getting the right to repair their tractors, why mountains rise unevenly and a brand new math proof. That's the show. Catch you tomorrow on Science Kids News Flash. Science is happening all around us every single day. And there's always something new to discover. Keep being curious and we'll see you tomorrow with more mind-blowing science. Thanks for joining us on Science Kids News Flash.

7:14This podcast was brought to you by Kids News Flash Universe. Be sure to check out our other podcasts. Kids Ask History, Space Kids News Flash, Animal Battle Royale, AI Kids News Flash, and The Daily Catcast. Experiment concluded. Curie Offers You Preserved. Until our next discovery.