The school year is winding down, but learning doesn't have to.
IXL is an online platform helping millions of students ace their academics.
Seventy -five scientific studies back up the boost they'll get in math, science, reading, and social studies.
And spring is the perfect time to give it a try.
Kids get instant feedback and explanations.
Parents get reports showing what's working and where more help is needed.
It's a win -win. And for a limited time, KidNews listeners can get 20 % off when they sign up at ixl .com slash KID News.
Check out the monthly and annual memberships at ixl .com slash KID News.
Good morning and welcome to Kid News.
I'm Kim, today is Wednesday, April 9th, 2025.
We begin with a 13 year old, topping Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking without even trying.
Seventh grader Sophia Cott Arcuri of Kent, England scored 162 on a Mensa society IQ test, higher than Einstein or Hawking and the max score possible for her age.
Even more remarkable, she didn't have time to prepare when the test was offered, so she didn't.
She took it cold. Mensa is the largest, oldest, and most famous of high IQ societies.
According to its website, it has 150 ,000 members worldwide and organizations on every continent except Antarctica.
Back to Sofia, she's a top -notch coder but she's no bookworm.
Mom says she also loves ballet, musical theater, and hanging out with her friends.
Over the years we've told you about a company called Colossal BioSciences and its goal to bring back to life long -extinct animals like the wooly mammoth.
Well, it just delivered!
Colossal CEO announced yesterday that his team used DNA from a 13 ,000 year old tooth and a 72 ,000 -year -old skull to make three healthy dire wolf puppies!
Their names Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi.
All three puppies now live on a super -secret 2 ,000 acre preserve with 10 staff and round -the -clock care.
As one of the researchers told the New York Times, they are essentially living the Ritz lifestyle.
They can't get a splinter without us knowing about it.
Your parents may know these white wolves from the hit HBO show Game of Thrones, but they've also appeared in World of Warcraft and Dungeons & Dragons.
And while many believe they're mythical, the Dire Wolf was a real life Ice Age predator that was six feet long, stood about three and a half feet tall, and weighed up to 150 pounds.
It was a heart -stopping championship game that went down to the wire and the cherry on top was an epic show of good sportsmanship.
Monday night, the Florida Gators came from behind to narrowly beat the Houston Cougars for the NCAA men's title.
It's Florida's third championship but would have been Houston's first, and no one felt worse than the player left holding the ball at the end of the game.
Emmanuel Sharp was distraught, head in hands, surrounded by his teammates, but that's when CBS cameras caught support coming from an unlikely source.
Florida Gators star Walter Clayton Jr. delayed his own victory celebration to put his arm around sharp, say a few words and try to console him.
The classy gesture and picture of it are making the rounds.
Florida, by the way, is now the only school in the US with three national championships in both basketball and football.
The hits just keep on coming for Snow White.
After three weeks in theaters, Disney's live -action remake has only brought in $168 million worldwide, less than half what it costs to make it.
At this pace, analysts believe it could lose a staggering $115 million.
In fact, the movie is bombing so badly there's word that Disney has canceled the live action adaptation of Tangled.
The road to the Olympics has never looked rosier for the U .S. figure skating team.
For the first time in history, Americans took all three golds at Worlds about a week ago.
19 -year -old Alyssa Liu came out of retirement to take the title for the women.
The dance team of Chalk and Bates also won.
And then there was the invincible Ilia Malinin from Virginia who landed a ridiculous six quadruple jumps to blow out the competition.
All three are favorites to win again at the Winter Games in just ten months.
Ilia, for one, won't be resting on his laurels.
He says his goal is to light up Olympic ice with seven quads, something that's never been done before.
Still to come, if extraterrestrials pay a visit to earth, which U .S. state is best prepared to deal with them?
Researchers think they have the answer, but first, today's kid news quiz.
How old is the British schoolgirl who topped Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking on an IQ test?
Sophia Khodarkuri is 13.
In a genetic first, a biosciences company has brought what Ice Age animal back to life?
The Dire Wolf with Three Healthy Puppies.
Who won Men's March Madness?
The Florida Gators for their third title.
Figure skater Ilya Molinin hopes to land how many quadruple jumps in the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Seven, in today's kid news kicker, if little green men and women from outer space invade the U .S., which state has the best odds of surviving it?
Believe it or not, there's a study for that highly hypothetical scenario and the winner is Virginia.
Researchers from the online calculator website Giga Calculator, considered factors like terrain.
Does the state have forests and caves to hide out in, also considered the population per square mile, and how many residents are active duty military, law enforcement, and engineers, because they'd be called upon to help.
Based on those metrics, Virginia took the top spot, followed by Alabama and Massachusetts.
Interestingly, Nevada, home of mysterious Area 51, is least likely to make it through an invasion.
The website Mental Floss says that's because 75 % of the state is considered desert.
It's shout out time for our terrific teachers.
Mr. McSweeney and his Phoenix at East Somerville Community School in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Mrs. Robertson and her Wildcats at Holton in Holton, Kansas.
Mrs. Lay's Mustangs at Huntingdon Middle School in Huntingdon, Tennessee.
And Mrs. Boysen and her Trojans at Moroah Foresythe in Foresythe, Illinois.
Thanks for listening.
A reminder that KidNews is a nonprofit that survives and thrives on your generosity.
Please consider making a tax -deductible donation on our website at kidnews .org.
Have a great day and we'll see you back here for more KidNews tomorrow morning.
