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MetaMeta Platforms Inc. is a $1.7T conglomerate operating a suite of apps and digital services used by billions, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook's standalone Messenger app. Founded and majority-controlled by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, Meta has pioneered and shaped the popular uses of social media and its monetization for about two decades, ranking among the world's highest-valued companies. In 2004, Facebook launched as a platform to connect student profiles at Harvard University. Innovations like the News Feed—one of the earliest algorithm-based curation approaches—boosted the app's growth exponentially, while the ability to allow advertisers to buy targeted ads based on user location and preferences ballooned revenue. After going public in 2012, Facebook surpassed 1 billion users, or about 14% of the world's population. Facebook acquired Instagram, WhatsApp, and VR headset manufacturer Oculus before rebranding as Meta in 2021. Although successful in leading the mobile photo-sharing market and owning a dominant messaging app, Meta has faced backlash for its limited moderation of hate speech and misinformation.Explore Meta
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Metamorphosis evolved over millions of years as species that hatched as smaller versions of adults started exhibiting genetic mutations that differentiated juvenile and adult bodies. Live ScienceAn overview of the metals obtainable through deep-sea mining of nodules and crustsPolymetallic nodules are a source of manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, molybdenum, and platinum, which are used in batteries, fuel cells, and metal alloys of electric vehicles. Seamount crusts contain rare-earth elements deemed essential to US national and economic security, including neodymium and dysprosium used to make permanent magnets. Carbon BriefThe adaptations of metallophiles and how they can be harnessed for bioremediationThese extremophiles have adapted to biomes with very high concentrations of metals and toxic chemicals by developing mechanisms to isolate these substances within cellular compartments and break them down into less harmful forms with specialized proteins. They have the potential to support the decontamination of metal-rich wastewater and soil, as well as the extraction of rare-earth metals. ASM.orgTech giants like SpaceX and Meta are increasingly behaving like sovereign powersCompanies now make unilateral decisions once reserved for nation-states, such as controlling satellite internet access in active war zones and influencing global information flows. Lawmakers and the international order are struggling to keep up with technological developments, let alone regulate them. Why it MattersView the five most expensive metals used to make batteriesBefore 2021, when lithium carbonate became the most expensive metal for use in electric vehicle cathodes, cobalt was the most costly battery metal. Of the top five, copper is the only metal not used in cathodes, arguably the most important part of the battery, which determines performance, longevity, and range. Visual CapitalistMeta's former chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, is a highly influential female business leaderSandberg joined Facebook as the chief operating officer in 2008, after previously serving as former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers' chief of staff under the Clinton Administration and the vice president of global sales and operations at Google. She built a personal brand for herself as a feminist business leader through becoming Facebook's first female board leader in 2012 and her 2013 book "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead." InvestopediaRandi Zuckerberg, Mark's sister, was Meta's first marketing directorRandi is two years older than Mark and also attended Harvard before working in advertising. Before joining Facebook, Randi worked in digital advertising at Ogilvy & Mather. In 2018, Randi attracted criticism for saying Holocaust deniers shouldn't be banned on Facebook. She's also previously been criticized for her own seemingly contradictory sentiments on Facebook's privacy rules. Meta's acquisition strategy for Instagram and WhatsApp led to a 5-year-long antitrust lawsuitIn 2020, the Federal Trade Commission sued Meta as part of the agency's efforts to rein in big tech companies. The FTC alleged that Meta overpaid for Instagram and WhatsApp in a "buy or bury" strategy to gain access to those companies' talent and diminish competition. In 2025, a federal judge sided with Meta, citing intense change in the social media landscape. NPRMeta disclosed Mark Zuckerberg's interest in martial arts as an investment riskDuring the pandemic, Zuckerberg began practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu and even won gold and silver medals at his first tournament in 2023. His interest in martial arts and water sports, like wakesurfing and hydrofoiling, prompted the company to disclose those hobbies as risks for potential investors, given they pose a threat to Zuckerberg's health and he retains a significant amount of control over Meta. CNBCThe majority of Meta's revenue comes from advertisingSince introducing Facebook Ads in 2007, ads have become the main way Meta makes money and keeps the social media platforms free for users. Meta's targeted ad program allows businesses to set a maximum advertising budget and be charged only for the actual number of impressions an ad receives. In 2025, $196.175B of Meta's $200.966B annual revenue came from advertising. InvestopediaMark Zuckerberg views Meta as a technology company—not a social media companyDespite Meta's core products being social media apps, Zuckerberg is adamant that Meta is a technology company that has built social media apps, but can build and is comfortable building other technologies—like AI-integrated glasses and virtual reality labs. AcquiredThe movement of molten metal around Earth's inner core creates the planet's magnetic field, whose north and south poles do not align with the planet's geographic poles. The Rest Is ScienceMeta has reported WhatsApp users send over 100 billion messages dailyAcross 180 countries and 60 languages, approximately billion users use the messaging app every day, with about 400 million in India, WhatsApp's biggest market. In some countries, the app has gone beyond messaging, enabling users to schedule doctor's appointments, conduct real estate deals, and provide direct-to-consumer sales. Long ReadsTargeting cholesterol metabolism may help address macular degeneration. Washington University in St. Louis MedicineExperiments suggest nuking a metal-rich asteroid may strengthen itScientists exposed meteorite samples to proton irradiation at CERN to mimic the effects of a nuclear detonation. The material exhibited greater resistance to breaking after the exposure, suggesting nuclear weapons may better serve to deflect asteroids, not break them. IFLScienceWatch how metals are extracted from rechargeable devices during recyclingRecyclable batteries found in cars, phones, power tools, and other electronics contain lithium, cobalt, nickel, and other precious metals, whose reuse generates 70% fewer emissions than during their initial mining. Upon shredding these devices, a filter press squeezes the pieces through a proprietary fluid, which separates them for future reuse. JerryRigEverythingHeavy metal legends Black Sabbath touched on existentialist themesAlthough they’re primarily known for Ozzy Osbourne’s distinctive singing and Tony Iommi’s singular riffs, the metal icons Black Sabbath also have a body of work that explores existentialist questions about mankind’s purpose. Philosophy professor William Irwin unpacks the band's lyrics and applies them to some of existentialism’s major themes, drawing comparisons between the band and philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus. And PhilosophyMetals can be welded together in space without needing heatOn Earth, oxygen naturally reacts with metals to form an oxide layer on their surface, which prevents two different pieces from fusing when they come into contact. If the layer is worn away without oxygen to replenish it, metals can instead stick together upon impact—a phenomenon known as cold welding. VeritasiumMetal detectors identify induced magnetic fields in conductive objectsA changing magnetic field in a transmitter coil causes an electric current to be produced in materials that conduct electricity. This current generates its own magnetic field, which can be detected by a receiver coil and transmitted to a control box, which identifies the presence and depth of an object. MetalDetector.comFiber lasers used for metal engravings can’t burn your skinThese devices use diodes and mirrors to create pulses of light that vaporize metal in billionths of a second, though at wavelengths that cannot react with organic material. Pulse width, power, and speed adjustments can produce white, black, and even colored patterns through controlled heat reactions. WIREDDinosaurs’ feathers and greater metabolism helped them survive polar conditionsStudies of dinosaur footprints alongside ice-deposited rock fragments indicate that early dinosaurs adapted to cold weather before the volcanic winters of the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event. These geological events helped dinosaurs to flourish by wiping out their amphibious competitors. Columbia Climate SchoolAbout 20% of asteroids are metal worlds similar to Earth's coreThe biggest of these (that we know of) is 16 Psyche. Measuring 140 miles across, its iron and nickel content is potentially worth 10,000 quadrillion dollars. NASA’s mission to Psyche—reaching the asteroid in 2029—will study it to learn about its formation. CelestiumMetallic hydrogen exists in Jupiter and Saturn due to high pressure and temperatureThis state of hydrogen has metallic properties, including conductivity, which powers these planets' magnetic fields. First theorized in the 1930s, its existence was confirmed through indirect evidence before being created in a Harvard lab in 2017. Astronomy MagazineMetal fragments can create glowing rings when sand chips them off helicopter bladesThe Kopp-Etchells effect—named after two soldiers who died in action in Afghanistan—may occur when kicked-up material shaves off fragments from a helicopter blade's abrasion strip. Due to a property called pyrophoricity, the fragments react with air and ignite, producing halos. Fox NewsEarth's core is leaking precious metals, including goldEarth's core, containing 99.999% of all known gold, is leaking trace amounts of precious metals into the mantle. Advanced isotopic methods have detected this leakage at volcanoes in Hawai'i, providing new insights into the movement of material beneath Earth's surface. Popular ScienceWhy Metallica sued Napster—and enraged music fansWhen Lars Ulrich, the drummer for metal legends Metallica, began his press campaign against Napster, an early filesharing software, he said he was fighting for artists. Listeners weren't convinced, especially because data suggested that filesharing services helped record sales rather than hinder them. This history of the ordeal contextualizes more modern problems in the music business, especially considering streaming services like Spotify were initially seen as a solution to illegal filesharing. StereogumMetastasis: When cancer cells begin to travel through the bodyMetastatic cancer starts in one part of the body and moves to another over time. This is known as metastasis. Such cancers are much more harmful since they attack multiple parts of the body, adapting new metabolic changes to suit the various environments found throughout a body. Knowable MagazineIn 2024, Meta launched an AI video generator to create or edit videos through promptsThe tool puts the Meta in direct competition with OpenAI and Google as more companies are investing billions of dollars to capitalize on the explosion of public interest in machine learning and generative media technologies. Bloomberg TechnologyMeta has added video features to attract more young users to FacebookAmid an aging userbase and competition from newer social networks like TikTok, Facebook has seen its perceived relevance and cool factor progressively decrease. The Local tab and dating features are among several efforts to counter this perception. ReutersWatch a review of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glassesCombining smartphone features with a luxury eyeglass brand, Meta's peripheral provides discreet recording, audio, and AI-powered functions. They represent an ongoing effort by the company to develop hardware for the augmented and mixed reality market. Kevin The Tech NinjaBy 2022, Meta was betting strongly on a metaverse strategy for its productsMoving beyond the controversies over fueling misinformation, division, and harm worldwide, Mark Zuckerberg expressed optimism about technology's role in connecting people. Meta's multibillion-dollar investments in integrative AR and VR technologies have further evolved its founder's vision. Land of the Giants Watch the unveiling of Meta's Quest 3S mixed reality headsetMeta's social apps like Facebook and Instagram are the most high-profile part of its business, but the company has sought building out a hardware line of peripherals like the Quest headset, which combines virtual and augmented reality. CNETMeta Platforms Inc., which owns both Facebook and Instagram, is the largest social media company in the world.Facebook alone has nearly three billion monthly active users, with advertising across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp generating 97% of Meta's revenue. Messenger adds more than 650,000 users a daily. Investing.comMetal wreckage found in a Canadian farm turned out to be SpaceX spacecraft debrisThe pieces of the wreck included a 36-kilogram aluminum spear more than 2 meters long, and its origins were confirmed by satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell. No government acknowledged or took accountability for the space trash, which SpaceX later quietly retrieved. Scientific AmericanMeta's Quest and other mixed reality devices can make learning new skills easierPianoVision utilizes the passthrough visibility of a headset to illuminate which keys to play on a real piano or keyboard, providing an immersive, software-based learning alternative to human instruction. Similar apps also offer virtual model replacements for physical devices, such as a virtual piano, to practice with. PianoVisionHow metaphors shape the way we thinkA metaphor is often viewed as a form of art, deployed only in special circumstances to help an audience grasp something complex or unique. But metaphors are far more fundamental than that, shaping much of how we think about our relationship to others and the world. This article explores how a focus on the metaphors we use can clarify and strengthen our thinking. Learn more here. AeonFake sugars may disrupt metabolic health.Nonnutritive sweeteners such as stevia, sucralose, and others are increasingly replacing sugar in foods ranging from bread to canned soup. Research has revealed such sugar alternatives detrimentally impact the composition of gut microbiomes and worsen the body's ability to regulate blood sugar. These "high-intensity" sweeteners are hundreds of times sweeter than table sugar, and some escape being labeled as artificial due to their "natural," plant-based origins. The Washington PostWhat is metabolic rate?Read this article to better understand the concept of metabolic rate, which is defined as the amount of energy expended by an organism over the course of a day. Basic metabolic rate (or BMR) is this metabolic rate at rest, during which the body only... BBCSleep deprivation may slow metabolismThis article explains that, according to research from Penn State, restricting sleep for just a few days can affect how the human body metabolizes fats and change how satisfied people feel after a meal. The study found that people who don’t get... Penn StateIs metabolism related to weight loss?Read this article to better understand metabolism and why doctors say it's only one piece in the puzzle to managing weight. Metabolism breaks down and converts what we consume into energy, which provides fuel for all of our body's functions—both... Jefferson HealthSpontaneous metabolism may give clues to origins of lifeRead this article to learn more about the discovery that suggests that metabolism could have begun spontaneously on our planet—and why it means that scientists may need to rethink how we define life’s origins. A team of researchers at the... National GeographicCan we speed up our metabolisms?Listen to this 31-minute podcast to better understand what science knows and doesn't know about metabolism, as well as the only thing that seems capable of changing it. Scientists understand that the difference between a so-called “fast” and “slow” metabolism does not affect one’s ability to lose weight. AppleMetabolism, a collection of chemical reactions at the cellular level, processes food and converts it into energy to power the body. Metabolism is when a cell’s internal network of chemical reactions breaks down food molecules and transforms them into pieces of the cell itself. Sometimes, cells build replacements for worn-out parts. Other times, they build energy molecules that power the cell’s activities. Stated ClearlyThe history of metallurgy: an interactive timelineHumans have long been shaping metals into useful tools and aesthetic accessories. By 8,700 BCE, humans already had mastered four types of casting copper. Within a few thousand years, people were combining metals to make the alloy bronze and had... Bodycote plcExplore the metaverse with this mind mapThe metaverse is a complex concept that involves interlocking and rapidly evolving parts, including Web3, augmented reality, and trademark law. It's easy to get overwhelmed when faced with the new legal, financial, ethical, and creative intersections of our reality and its virtual echo. This mind map details the metaverse and its implications for various fields that interact and overlap. Click through the map to read and listen to topic summaries or explore more in-depth resources. World Economic ForumThe interoperable metaverse and what that meansThis explainer video explores the challenges of achieving the interoperability needed to unify economies, avatars and systems across virtual worlds in the metaverse. MediumExpert predictions on the metaverseExperts are split about the likely evolution of a truly immersive metaverse. Many worry current online problems may be magnified if Web3 development is led by those who built today’s dominant web platforms. Pew Research CenterWhat does the metaverse actually look like?An emerging virtual world could change how we work, play, and do business. This five-minute video shows you what it looks like and the potential it holds. YouTubeA framework for understanding the metaverseAn article answering some of the metaverse's most foundational questions: How much of the metaverse is already here? When will the rest arrive? And how will it grow? Matthew BallCoinbase and the metaverseIn this essay, Coinbase founders Brian Armstrong and Alex Reeve talk about the importance of the metaverse, the components of it, and the role Coinbase plays. Coinbase
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