✨🌈🪐 Videos & News Today • December 10, 2025

VIDEOS & NEWS TODAY •  January 8, 2026

Daily knowledge and wonder. Share it with a kid.

In today's science news: Why do warm hugs feel so good? 🤗, a map of all the buildings on Earth 🗺️, and why scientists are studying 500-year-old clams 🦪. Plus, more headlines after today's videos 👇

Thanks for reading, and have a great day. If you enjoy our daily newsletter, please recommend it to a friend. –MC

✨🌈🪐 Today on TKSST

On this day in 1799 the metric system was adopted in France. Most of the world uses the metric system for measurements, but the United States still relies on feet, pounds, and Fahrenheit. This TED-Ed animation explains why standardized measurement systems matter for science, trade, and international collaboration—and how the metric system's base-10 structure makes calculations simpler across disciplines.

🪐🧬🧠 Things we learned today

🤗 Why do warm hugs feel so good? • Queen Mary University

🗺️ A freely accessible 3D map of all 2.75 billion buildings on Earth • ZME Science

🖼️ Restoration of a copy shows the Mona Lisa's original vibrant colors before centuries of aging • Open Culture

🦪 Scientists are studying 500-year-old clams to understand their extreme longevity • New Scientist

🤖 A robot lost under Antarctica for eight months resurfaces with unprecedented data on how warm water threatens glaciers • Gizmodo

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✨🌈🪐 From Etsy

Last minute gifting (12/03 - 12/25) – Original holiday pieces from small shops delivered on time or your money back • Shop Etsy

From Rion: Retevis' kid walkies are on every recommendation list I've reviewed so I bought this small pair for our friends' 2 kids under 6. They come in 9 different color options and have 22 channels, can run on rechargeable batteries, and even have a flashlight.

And here's the great thing about any walkie talkies you decide on: these are screen-free toys! And they teach kids how to communicate, work together, and take turns(!!) while they run around, imagine, and play. Highly recommended.

Buy at: Amazon

NEW FOR 2025 ⬆️ From Rion: If you've been watching music production videos with your teens (or dreaming of making music yourself), take a look at this compact powerhouse. The Akai Professional MPK Mini IV USB-C MIDI Keyboard Controller for beginners and producers lets you play melodies on 25 mini keys, tap out drum beats on 8 backlit pressure-sensitive pads, and twist knobs to adjust sounds in real-time... all from a keyboard small enough to toss in a backpack.

Connect it via USB-C to your computer, tablet, or phone and you're ready to create. Bend notes, add vibrato, create cascading patterns, and play full chords with single keys. It comes with 1,000+ sounds (drums, keys, synths, bass), Ableton Live Lite software, and a 30-day Melodics trial for keyboard and pad lessons. Perfect for curious teens ready to make music and anyone who doesn't have the space or budget for a full-sized setup.

Buy at: Amazon • Guitar Center

⭐️ AWARD-WINNER ⭐️ Rion says: Hidden in water droplets all around us are microscopic algae called diatoms—tiny glass-like organisms with extraordinary geometric patterns. This Mensa Select winner turns that hidden world into a clever pattern-making game based on a real Victorian art form where people arranged actual microscopic diatoms into mosaics under glass slides.

The puzzly gameplay builds spatial reasoning while sparking curiosity about the tiny life forms in every puddle and pond. Players collect and arrange colorful diatom tiles, scoring for symmetry, color matching, and shape variety. Attention, players, ages 8+ and 1-4 players who love art, science, strategy, and satisfying tile placement.

Buy at: 25th Century Games • Amazon

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