Kidd News: A Roundup of March 19, 2025

1. A Historic Debut in NWSL

Fourteen-year-old athlete MacKenna Whitham has officially made history, becoming the youngest player to ever appear in a regular-season game in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Playing for Gotham FC, Whitham entered the game against Seattle with a 1-1 tie. Her journey to the professional stage has been rapid; she previously made headlines by signing a contract through 2028 and, at age 13, becoming the youngest athlete to ink a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Nike. Her coach’s advice to "just be you" clearly resonated as she stepped into the sports spotlight.

2. Astronauts Return and Future Landing Changes

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have returned to Earth after an extended stay in space, splashing down in a SpaceX Dragon capsule off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida. While their mission lasted 286 days instead of the planned eight, they returned safely. Notably, this marks the last time a SpaceX vehicle with astronauts will land on the East Coast. Future missions will target the Pacific Ocean off California to mitigate the risk of the "trunk"—a piece that separates during re-entry—falling on land. This debris has previously been recovered in locations as diverse as North Carolina, Australia, and Saskatchewan, Canada.

3. March Madness and the Odds of Perfection

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is officially underway with the "first four play-in games." As the bracket challenge begins, the NCAA notes that the odds of picking every winner correctly are an astronomical "1 in 9.2 quintillion." Despite these impossible odds, billionaire Warren Buffett is incentivizing employees to try. Recognizing the difficulty, he has adjusted his annual challenge: instead of needing a perfect bracket, employees who correctly predict at least 30 of the 32 first-round games will now receive a million-dollar prize.

4. The "Harvard House" Controversy

A real estate listing in Palo Alto, California, recently sparked intense backlash for claiming that a home’s "extraordinary energy" helped ensure that "every owner's children have gone to Harvard or Stanford." Despite a hefty $5 million price tag, the house went pending in under 24 hours. However, after the claims were mocked on platforms like Reddit and X for putting undue pressure on children, all references to the home’s supposed academic success were deleted. Critics pointed out that the rebuild only occurred in 2017, casting doubt on the historical validity of the claim.

5. A Retirement Oasis for Aging Penguins

The New England Aquarium in Boston has unveiled a specialized "retirement home" for its aging African penguins. As these birds reach their 30s—a significant age given their 10-15 year lifespan in the wild—they often face age-related issues like "arthritis, cataracts, and balance" problems. Penguin Curator Kristen McMahon describes the new facility as a "country club for older animals," where penguins like 32-year-old Lambert can rest, receive acupuncture for pain, and live in a calmer environment separated from younger, more active penguins by a mesh gate. Conservationists emphasize the importance of these efforts, as the African penguin is a "critically endangered species" that could face extinction by 2035.

6. Scientific Discovery: Iguanas at Sea

Scientists have uncovered the secret behind how iguanas reached the remote islands of Fiji. Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that millions of years ago, these reptiles embarked on a "record-setting ocean voyage" across 5,000 miles of water. By hopping onto a "barge of floating vegetation," such as fallen trees, they rode ocean currents to their destination. The genetic link between Fijian iguanas and those in North America confirms this as the furthest journey any land-dwelling vertebrate has ever taken on the ocean.