(bright upbeat music) - Coming up next our NewsDepth, As fake videos are unleashed online, can you tell what's real?

Even as they flee, Ukrainian teachers keep their students learning.

Groundbreaking technology helps one student find his voice.

And move over Einstein, we celebrate fearless female scientists.

NewsDepth is now.

(bright upbeat music) Ukraine's leader makes the case for US support in the fight against Russia.

Hello everybody, I'm Rick Jackson.

Thanks for joining us.

As Russia military continues to gain ground in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, delivered a passionate video address to the US Congress, last week.

In the speech, he compared the invasion of his country, to Japan's World War II attack on Pearl Harbor.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise air strike on a U-S naval base in Hawaii, December 7th of 1941.

It led the US to declare war on Japan, and formally join the fighting in World War II.

Now Zelenskyy pleaded for more support and military aid to end Russia's attacks on his country, calling the United States, a world leader.

- Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.

Peace in your country doesn't depend anymore only on you and your people.

It depends on those next to you, on those who are strong.

Strong doesn't mean weak.

Strong is brave and ready to fight for the life of his citizens and citizens of the world.

- Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected the 6th President of Ukraine in 2019, in a landslide victory.

Prior to his becoming president, he was already well-known in Ukraine as a comedian and actor.

As leader, he's won praise in his country and around the world, for choosing to remain in Ukraine, even as it's under attack and becoming increasingly dangerous.

Members of congress were moved by Zelenskyy's speech, offering long standing ovations.

US President Joe Biden responded by signing off on an additional $800 million in assistance to Ukraine.

But while Zelenskyy was urging Congress for help defending his country, another video of him surrendering to Russia was making the rounds online.

In this video, which was determined to be fake, Zelenskyy tells Ukrainians to put their weapons down in the war with Russia.

The video was manipulated using footage from an earlier speech Zelenskyy gave.

Can you tell the difference?

Pay close attention to the fake Zelenskyy's face, the way he blinks, and the way he barely moves his head.

In addition to the unnatural movements, native Ukrainian speakers pointed out that Zelenskyy's accent was off in the fake video.

Digital forensics experts quickly picked the video apart, catching a number of these visual and audio glitches.

Forensics is the use of science to solve crimes.

So, digital forensic experts use digital tools and a close examination of material, to help identify and solve digital crimes, like manipulated videos.

Videos like this, sometimes called deepfakes, are becoming more common and it's getting harder and harder to tell a real video, from a fake one.

This is why it's important to not take everything you see online at face value.

Ask questions like, "Would this person really say or do that?"

And, "Who posted this?"

Experts also suggest slowing the video down to help you spot inconsistencies.

Now, here's a video that's not only definitely real, but also totally heartwarming.

Two Ukrainian children being welcomed into a very excited school near Naples, Italy.

Now being the new kid can be hard, but not with a reception like this.

The two children, a girl aged 8 and a boy 10 years old, joined the school recently after fleeing their home near Lviv.

Their new classmates and teachers gave the brave kids a hero's welcome.

And while these students were lucky enough to settle into a new school, many of the one and a half million kids who have fled their homes in Ukraine are not so lucky.

But some Ukrainian teachers are going above and beyond, to keep a routine for their students despite the chaotic situation.

Ivan Watson speaks to two educators, how are continuing to teach their students, against all odds.

(Speaks in foreign language) - [Ivan] An all too familiar scene, for parents who lived through the COVID pandemic.

(Nadia speaks in foreign language) - Children fidgeting through a zoom class about the solar system.

The difference here, most of these Ukrainian schoolkids are refugees, reconnecting with their classmates and teacher online.

In the last two weeks, the students and their teacher, fled to different countries to escape Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

How old are you students?

- Seven, eight.

- From Poland, Nadia Pavlenko teaches her students online class, even though the school stopped paying her salary.

(Nadia speaks in foreign language) - None of us know what will happen next she says, but these classes with my children are like a bridge to my past life in Ukraine.

They help us feel connected.

War-time distance learning, there's a lot of this going on right now.

Do you think the online classes are helping these kids?

- Very much.

It is helping them and mentally helping to feel the routine.

That the life is still going on.

That It's not the end of the world.

- Alexander Parcalab is a school-teacher who fled the Ukrainian city of Odessa to neighboring Moldova.

In the morning, he teaches students from his Ukrainian school online.

- Children ask me if I'm safe, where I am, with who I am?

They were asking me, before me asking them.

- In the afternoon he comes here, a makeshift school for Ukrainian children in the Moldovan capital.

- Parents ask me to make a place to feel very safe, and maybe emotionally for two three hours, or more - to escape.

- Yeah, to escape all that.

- [Ivan] Half of his online students fled across borders, the other half, are still in Ukraine.

- The first lesson in Zoom, I said that you should be the this first domino.

To help somebody, maybe your mother need help, maybe mother's friends need help, and this is, what can I do.

I cannot change the world.

But I can change me and change the mood of my mother and it will be like a domino.

- These girls say they're looking forward to starting online classes with, their Ukrainian classmates on Monday.

Lena says she wants to find out where her classmates traveled to and to make sure they're healthy right now.

Eight year old Timur Zhdanov and his father Artem, stayed behind in Ukraine.

Were you surprised when Timur's teacher said, "Hey we're gonna continue online learning?"

- Honestly yeah.

I think that they're feeling this strong connection with Ukraine and then want to support us, as much as they can and also a new generation of Ukrainian people.

- [Ivan] A new generation, that may grow up in exile relying on technology, to stay connected to their homeland.

- Thanks Ivan.

Now as you saw, technology has helped Ukrainian students, stay connected to their classroom while far apart, and many of you watching have likely experienced, that same reliance on technology, especially over the past couple of years.

But, when you hop online for a virtual lesson, do you ever think about the people who created video conferencing programs, like Zoom or FaceTime?

It takes a team to build these powerful tech platforms, and one important member of the team, is a computer programmer.

Computer programmers turn big ideas, into real live apps and programs for folks like us to use.

They create, modify, and test the code and scripts that allow computer applications to run.

You've probably heard of coding, right?

Well, coding is the language of computers, and computer programmers need to be fluent.

Through coding, they're able to make computers perform specific tasks.

Computer programmers frequently work on teams with other techy folks like software and web developers, so they need to be good listeners.

They also need top-notch problem solving skills, they have to check their coding and correct any errors so all their programs could then run smoothly.

Computer programmers usually earn a Bachelor's degree from a college or university, and in addition to having a love for computers, they need a background in math and science.

As the world becomes more and more reliant on technology, computer programmers will create the programs and applications keeping things up and running.

It's considered an in-demand career.

Now you probably have some computer games or social media platforms that you like to use, and there's no denying that in some ways, technology has made our lives better.

But for one student in California, one new piece of technology changed his life forever, it gave him a voice.

Up next, Rina Nakano tells us about a tech breakthrough, for non-verbal students.

- I had my son at 17.

I was told that he wasn't going to make it past 24 hours and he is now almost a teenager.

- [Rina] This is 12-year-old Athan, now.

She calls him her miracle baby.

Born with hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy, he's non-verbal.

For years, they tried to find ways for him to communicate.

- [Machine] Wanted.

- We've tried the IPad, we tried other devices.

- [Rina] Nothing worked, until the San Bernardino County Office of Education, got the funding this year to get the Tobii Dynavox eye gaze machine.

- [Machine] Liked.

- [Rina] By using just his eyes, Athen can select words on the screen, to communicate his thoughts.

- [Machine] No.

- Once he was able to actually get out what he wanted, I seen it in his face, and obviously everybody else's face, that, "Wait, he has a voice."

- [Rina] Three months ago, there was a breakthrough.

For the first time in his life, Athen used the machine to say to his mother, "I love you."

- Sorry, it was awesome for me to be able to know that my son has those emotions and he'll be able to not only tell me, but somebody else maybe in the future.

- Cleveland says the device has been a game changer.

She says she sees nothing but a promising future for her miracle son, defying all odds.

- Thank you Rina.

As you heard, Athan was born with a condition called hydrocephalus, which is the buildup of fluid within the brain, and cerebral palsy, a condition that affects movement and the ability to develop muscle, preventing him from speaking.

People with these disabilities, are just as valuable as anyone else, and they can live happy and fulfilling lives, but sometimes require the right tools, like the eye gaze device that Athan uses to communicate.

Luckily, technology is advancing faster than ever, and it's being used to improve people's lives.

But all this great new tech started with an idea.

And that brings us to this week's question.

We want to know, "What piece of technology or a tool, would you create to help people?"

Maybe you can start by thinking of a problem that you or someone else has, and come up with a tool that might help.

If you prefer to draw it out, feel free to send along your blueprints.

Now last week we also asked, "What are some things you do to help conserve energy?"

I can't wait to see what you had to say, Let's open up our Inbox.

(bright upbeat music) - Julianne from Bath Elementary School starts us off with a fun way to save energy.

She writes, it's biking season!

What I'd do to help conserve energy is to ride my bike more often.

I also make sure that every light in the house is turned off when I leave for school.

Kendall from Botkins Local School might have done a little research to figure out that dryers and air conditioners are two appliances that really gobble up energy, she writes, some things that I will do is to get off my electronics and go outside and play with my family and friends.

When it is nice outside I am going to put my clothes on my clothes line instead of using the dryer.

I could try to stay outside more, so me and my family would not need to have the air conditioning on all the time.

Maddie from Tallmadge Elementary is connected to small sacrifices she's making here at home, to the struggles happening in Ukraine.

I turn the lights off every time I leave a room, and I take shorter showers.

I am really trying to do everything I can for Ukraine.

I am really praying for them.

Than you Maddie, your compassion is inspiring.

For Kase from St. Ann Catholic School, saving energy is all about the little things.

I would conserve energy by not leaving the lights on when I leave the room, turning the faucet off when I am brushing my teeth, and playing outside more so I don't use my Xbox all day, or not as much.

Declan from Chapman Elementary School wants to save energy, but he also knows his limits, he writes, I will try to turn off lights, turn off fans, but I will NOT turn off video games.

Okay Declan, we get it.

Thank you all for thinking about ways that you can save energy.

Now lets try to stick to those ideas, shall we?

Okay, since we've been talking quite a bit in this episode about using technology to communicate, lets see if I can give you this next piece of news with the help of my phone here.

Are you picking up what I'm putting down?

No?

Ok, maybe I'm not fluent in emoji, so I'll just tell you the old fashioned way.

Apple added 123 new emoji options, which include, this covered face with an eye peeking out, for when you wanna look away but you just can't.

And this face holding back tears, which can express many emotions like pride, embarrassment, or sadness.

And this half face salute for when you're, "reporting to duty, sir."

Well, as more of our conversations are taking place in the digital world, emojis have become the go-to way of expressing emotion, and big tech companies are constantly refreshing them, to keep them relevant.

Users can submit requests for new emojis to the Unicode Consortium, that's a non-profit group that decides which emojis live, and which emojis go to emoji heaven, back there somewhere.

And now, for this week's poll, we're wondering, "Which new emoji do you think you'd use the most?"

We picked a few of our favorites for you to choose from, like, the face with an eye peeking from behind hands, the face holding back tears, the saluting half-face, or can choose, "Hey, I'm not into emojis!"

And while emojis might be fun to end a message with, when it comes to school, it's usually better to just stick with the good old written word to get your point across.

Unless the point you're trying to get across, happens to be that your face is melting, because there's a perfect new emoji for that.

And last week we asked, "Did you wear green on St. Patrick's Day?"

Sounds like there was a sea of green out there on March 17th.

A whooping 84% of you wore green, at least a little bit.

That leaves just 16% of you, chose not to dress up for St. Patrick's Day.

Now, earlier in the show, we told you about some technological and scientific breakthroughs.

Today, scientific advancements are made by diverse groups of people, both men and women.

But until fairly recently, science was considered men's work.

In honor of Women's History Month, Margaret introduces us to some fearless female scientists who had to break through gender stereotypes while making their specific scientific breakthroughs.

(bright upbeat music) Think of the most famous scientist you've learned about.

Is it Isaac Newton, or how about Albert Einstein?

Well, I'm here to tell you, don't forget about the fearless females who have made amazing scientific discoveries too.

Take Marie Curie, for example.

Curie is famous for her research of X-rays and radioactivity.

That's when rare elements give off energetic particles.

Curie was born in Poland in 1867, when girls there were not allowed to attend college.

But Curie was determined to go anyway, so she spent years working as a governess, and eventually saved up money to move to France and attend university.

At the Sorbonne, she met her husband, Pierre.

Together, the two discovered two new radioactive elements, radium and polonium.

In 1903, Curie and her husband, won the Nobel Prize for Physics, and then again in 1911, Curie won the prize for Chemistry.

She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win two.

Curie's work went beyond the lab, though.

She used her knowledge of radiation and X-rays, to help injured soldiers during World War I. Curie invented an ambulance that could transport X-ray machines to the front lines.

These helped doctors look at broken bones and figure out where soldiers had been shot.

Curie even drove the vehicles, nicknamed Little Curies, into battle herself.

From Marie Curie, how about another Marie, Marie Tharp.

Tharp is best known for her work, mapping out the ocean floor, a pretty big task.

Before her time, people used to think that the ocean floor was flat and featureless.

Her maps proved them wrong.

During World War II, Tharp earned a master's degree in Geology.

Usually women weren't allowed in the program, but because so many men were serving in the war, she snagged a spot.

Tharp partnered with Bruce Heezen to map out the ocean floor.

Once again, as a woman, she wasn't allowed to participate in ways that men could.

She was not allowed on the research boats that went out to measure how deep the ocean was.

Tharp was left on dry land to turn the measurements into a map.

She later wrote about it, "I had a blank canvas to fill with extraordinary possibilities, a fascinating jigsaw puzzle to piece together, mapping the world's vast hidden seafloor.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime, a once-in-the-history-of-the-world opportunity for anyone, but especially for a woman in the 1940s."

In 1977, she and Heezen released their map of the entire ocean floor, called the World Ocean Floor Panorama.

The map revealed that the ocean floor is full of features, canyons, mountains, and very important ridges.

Tharp noticed one ridge in particular, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, went all the way around the earth.

Here the earth's plates spread apart, causing continental drift.

But it wasn't until much later that others accepted what Tharp found to be true.

Now here's one more female scientist for you who wasn't monkeying around.

Have you heard of Jane Goodall?

She spent nearly 60 years studying chimpanzees.

In 1960, when she was just 26 years old, Goodall went to Western Tanzania to study primates.

Despite having no formal training, by living near the chimpanzees and watching them closely, she was able to make several big discoveries.

First off, she learned that chimpanzees eat meat.

Before, people thought they were vegetarians.

Then she discovered that they made and used tools.

Specifically, she saw chimpanzees using tools to fish for termites in holes.

For almost two years, Goodall was accepted by a group of chimpanzees into their troop.

She was able to observe their personalities and behaviors, as if she was part of the group.

After many years of research, Goodall switched courses.

Now she promotes awareness about habitat loss and animal rights.

Her Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research and Conservation is known around the world today for the work they do in these areas.

So, as you can see, from the ocean floor, to the treetops, female scientists have been pushing past people saying no, to make big discoveries with lasting impacts.

- The women Margaret mentioned were all rewarded with awards and praise during their lifetimes, but the world is only beginning to recognize another woman, whose contributions to medicine have led to breakthroughs in cancer, and to the development of vaccines.

Henrietta Lacks was a wife and mother from Maryland, who died of cancer in 1951 at just 31 years old.

But before she died, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital, took samples of her tissue, which turned out to be very special.

Unlike all other cells, the cells from Henrietta Lacks' tissue, could be kept alive and reproduced in a lab.

Doctors multiplied the cells trillions of times, creating a so-called "immortal cell line", known as HeLa cells.

HeLa cells, named from a short version of Henrietta Lacks, have been spread around the world, and doctors continue to use them to test medicines and vaccines.

But all of this was done without Henrietta or her family ever knowing, something that goes against the ethics of health professionals today.

Ethics is a system of moral principles that tell us how to act.

Today, doctors must tell patients when they take samples like this, so the patient can decide how it is used.

While Henrietta was never informed or recognized, a Maryland congressman is pushing lawmakers to posthumously award Henrietta Lacks, one of the highest civilian awards in the United States, for her contributions to medicine.

Lisa Robinson tells us more.

- I think it's awesome for him to be passing a bill, to try to get a gold medal for our beloved Henrietta.

- [Lisa] Victoria Baptiste is Henrietta Lacks' great-granddaughter.

She says her family is thankful for congressman Kweisi Mfume, who introduced a bill to recognize Lacks with the Congressional Gold Medal.

It is a rare award only given by the United States Congress.

- I believe that Henrietta Lacks, is deserving of the Congressional Gold Medal, simply because she is a miracle and her cells continue to live, long after she left us in October of 1951.

- [Lisa] At just 31 years old, lacks was diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

On the day she died, researchers held a press conference announcing to the world they had discovered the first human immortal cell line.

These miracle cells are now known as HeLa cells, after Lacks.

- This is a way for them to say, look at this great woman during Women's History Month, the great efforts she was able to do in bio-science, even without her being here with us, and it's also a way that our family is reclaiming our story and trying to get more people to be aware.

- Those cells have been responsible for remarkable research, leading to the cure of Polio, research in Parkinson's, in hemophilia, in leukemia, in HIV.

- [Lisa] But Lacks never gave consent to have her cells used in research.

Her family was not informed or compensated.

- The part that makes me the proudest, is how many people she's been able to help and heal all over the world.

The way that, the advancements we have in science today because of my great grandmother and as a nurse, seeing a lot of those things be implemented, just makes me feel proud every day.

- Thanks Lisa.

Now, when I was in school, math is what I'd consider an achilles heel.

That means it was a weakness of mine, something that I needed a little bit of extra help with.

Mohammad Zoraiz, an 11th grader at Mayfield High School, created AchillesMath, its an app that can offer that extra help for those who struggle with math.

For that, he is this week's A+ Award winner.

Mohammad, who told us that he loves to read the news, started to see a lot of articles, describing decline in math scores across the state of Ohio, because of the pandemic.

That decline in math scores inspired him to use his coding skills to build an app.

He wanted to help students who were struggling with learning.

He used his experience as a tutor to develop practice problems that would help students in areas where he knew they struggle.

He says, "I hoped to create an app that would use artificial intelligence to support students with what they needed."

Artificial intelligence is the ability of a computer or a robot controlled by a computer, to do tasks that are usually done by humans.

His app can actually create a lesson for an individual student based on what they need help with.

Mohammad started to learn how to code in eighth grade, he's taken AP courses in computer science, he's taken what he's learned, and used it to develop Achilles Math.

He told us that along the way, he's also learned a few new coding skills to create a functional app.

He plans to keep testing the app this Spring and hopes to have it ready for use by the end of the Summer.

We asked Mohammad what advice he would give to all of you and he said, "Never forget to read, read everything."

"Try to read two nonfiction books for every fiction book, because you can really learn about yourself and what is happening in the world."

Mohammad that's great advice.

This week's A+ Award goes to Mohammad at Mayfield High School, for developing the Achilles Math app to help students learn.

Nice going.

Well from mathematics, we turn to meow-thematics.

That's what NewsCat studied before she turned to journalism.

Let's see what our resident cuteness expert has for us in this week's Petting Zoo!

(drums beats) (cat meows) Oh no, I was afraid of this.

With all the nice weather we've been having, NewsCat's thinking of hanging up her tie and becoming an outdoor cat.

NewsCat get inside, you're not retired just yet.

But until she retires, NewsCat says she's going to live vicariously through these motorcycle mutts, who are living their best life on board a Harley Davidson.

To find out how these dogs have become a viral sensation, click the Petting Zoo button on our website!

And thank you NewsCat.

Now we wanna hear from you, and there are plenty of ways to stay in touch.

Send a letter, we're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, that's in Cleveland, Ohio.

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If you wanna go faster email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org, or you can Tweet us.

Our handle is @NewsDepthOhio.

In the meantime, thanks for joining us.

I'm Rick Jackson, we'll see you right back here next week.

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