Popular Science. Demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872.
‘Hope in a bottle’ for a deadly cancer and the firefly gene that lit the way
The first FDA-approved treatment for an incurable brain cancer gives the gift of time.
Chicago’s rat hole wasn’t made by a rat
Plus a retirement home for penguins and other weird things we learned this week.
Rachel Feltman
At Popular Science, we report and write dozens of stories every week. And while a lot of the fun facts we stumble across make it into our articles, there are lots of other weird facts that we just keep around the office. So we figured, why not share those with you? Welcome to The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week.
Latest Articles
Newborn African penguin named after a hot dog
The critically endangered chicks, Oscar and Duffy, were born at a New Jersey aquarium.
James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes snap images of same nebula, 10 years apart
The two images of Westerlund 2 show just how far the technology has come.
9 festive ISS holiday celebrations through the years
Crews living 250 miles above the Earth still keep the holiday spirit alive.
9 new butterflies discovered in old museum archives
The team even extracted DNA from a tiny 100-year-old butterfly leg.
Butt breathing and 5 other ways animals stay warm in winter
Blue crabs burrow, wood frogs freeze, and other cold weather survival strategies.
Chasing the Mirage of “Ethical” AI
Isaac Asimov’s “Handbook of Robotics” imagined simple rules for machine morality. But reality is a maze of contradictions, biases, and blind spots.
Lost in space: How ’digital twins’ saved NASA’s robots
Navigation algorithms designed for Earth fail in orbit. A new approach fixes the drift.
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Popular Science has been demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872. We explain the inner workings of the phone in your pocket, explore world-changing innovations, and examine everything from the marvels of deep space to the secret lives of staples like bread. We deliver an engaging, approachable, and inclusive look at emerging technologies and scientific advances.
Daily, Popular Science unpacks the science behind the top current new stories, dissects the latest technology and digital trends, and helps readers live smarter, safer, and happier through clever DIY projects.
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