- Oyster farms are all the rage—until they block your ocean views
Despite the desire for local and sustainable seafood, oyster farmers and communities from New York to Rhode Island clash.
- Take your Valentine out with two $100 Restaurant.com e-gift cards for just $20
Normally retailing for $100, these two gift cards are 90-percent discounted.
- This Antarctic EV goes where other electric vehicles can’t tread
A machine built for South Pole conditions faces another engineering challenge: climate change.
- Many children are affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder—but few get access to support
Research-based interventions for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder exist, but they aren’t always widely available.
- Ancient humans used mastodon bones to hunt the giant beasts
A 13,900 year old projectile point is likely the oldest evidence of mastadon hunts in the Americas.
- Nightmare-fuel fungi exist in real life
You’re more likely to have Cocci infiltrate your lungs than cordyceps burst out of your head.
- Beats Fit Pro true wireless earbuds review: Strong performers
Apple’s fitness-focused noise-cancelling blood, sweat, & no-tears ’buds let you listen to your body and tunes.
- Be a Super Bowl party champion with $250 off Fire TVs on Amazon
Everyone is a winner when you find a good sale—especially this Fire TV sale on Amazon.
- Why shooting cosmic rays at nuclear reactors is actually a good idea
Muons, common and mysterious particles that beam down from space, can go where humans can’t. That can be useful for nuclear power plants.
- Twitter’s latest bad idea will kill vital research and fun bot accounts
The plan to paywall Twitters API could have unforeseen consequences.
- How to snooze your browser tabs
Having a bajillion open tabs might look messy, but it’s not slowing you down.
- Bat-like echolocation could help these robots find lost people
The cheap, simple addition could help robots navigate and map hard-to-reach areas.
- The CDC warns EzriCare eyedrops may contain dangerous drug-resistant bacteria
So far, contaminated eyedrops have sickened 55 people and caused one death.
- China’s decision to reduce coal-powered heating may have saved 23,000 lives
The policies targeting air pollution may be working in cities like Beijing and Tianjin.
- Pete Buttigieg on how to improve the deadly track record of US drivers
The stats are grim. What can we do about all the traffic fatalities in America?
- Give the gift of lasting flowers with this preserved rose set—now on sale for a limited time
Pay only $29.99 and have them arrive by Valentine’s Day.
- The bizarre story behind a viral man-eating lion hoax
The article about a lion hunter getting eaten is built out of an unverified plot, a staged video, and an old photo. People believe it anyway.
- Prepare for the great Netflix password-sharing crackdown
The streaming giant is done being chill about passwords. Here’s what to know.
- The best furnace filters of 2023
Keep your furnace humming and improve the air quality in your home with these filters.
- Say hello to the Commerce Department’s new space traffic-cop program
With all kinds of debris clogging low Earth orbit, the space above us needs a manager.
- Netflix used AI-generated images in anime short. Artists are not having it.
The company claims AI could help with anime’s supposed labor shortage, and animators are furious.
- The US’s healthcare system discourages people from getting care, new study says
Affordability and lack of universal coverage is a major factor.
- Where does Earth end and space begin? The Karman line is only one answer.
It’s anything but simple to assign a value to the atmosphere’s boundary.
- The best smart home security systems of 2023
How smart is a home that doesn’t feel secure? Here’s how to feel safer in 2023 with the help of intelligent protective tech.
- Biden’s recent climate decisions will close mines, protect salmon, and may permit drilling in Alaska
More land is being protected, but more fossil fuels could also be on the horizon.
- Letting your favorite things gather dust is unsustainable—use them
A behavior called product attachment can explain why we avoid using what we care too much about.
- GoodRx fined $1.5 million for allegedly selling users’ health data
The company allegedly promised to keep users’ medical info private, but instead sold it to third-party advertisers.
- Scientists find 319-million-year-old fossilized fish brain
Brains don’t fossilize easily—so finding a preserved vertebrate cranium from this era is rare.
- The Opt Out: The case against editing your ad settings
The illusion of control is still an illusion.
- This refurbished Apple Macbook Pro 13.3″ is now under $300 for Valentine’s Day
Order by February 3rd to have it arrive before the big day.
- The best way to save forests? Legally recognize Indigenous lands.
A new report says the key to saving Brazil’s Atlantic Forest is recognizing Indigenous territory.
- Russia’s robot tanklet is being pitched as an anti-armor tool
The experimental bot in question is called the Marker UGV.
- This heat-seeking robot looks and moves like a vine
The tubular robot could one day help extinguish the hard-to-find remnants of wildfires.
- No one can predict exactly where birds go, but this mathematical model gets close
When in doubt, go with the BirdFlow.
- It’s time to recycle all those dead batteries
Safely recycle those ancient AAs in your junk drawer or the old car battery gathering dust in your garage.
- This is the best look yet into ancient Egyptians’ mummy-making chemicals
The ancient Egyptians were masters at embalming the dead, a practice that required chemistry and global cooperation.
- The DOJ is investigating an AI tool that could be hurting families in Pennsylvania
Critics—and potentially the DOJ—are worried about the Allegheny Family Screening Tool’s approach to mental health and disabled communities.
- The best coin batteries of 2023
Keep your cameras, watches, remotes, and more powered up.
- Minnesota just became the first post-Roe state to make abortion a right
The PRO Act also includes protections for contraception access and fertility services.
- Unicorns do exist—as a cave fish in China
Some of these eccentric creatures even have a forked horn.
- A sea sponge’s sneeze lasts a very, very long time
Plus other fun facts from The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week.
- Cosmic cartographers release a more accurate map of the universe’s matter
It’s another step in understanding our 13 billion year-old universe.
- MSCHF’s 2 Million Dollar Puzzle is on sale for National Puzzle Day
Or get the 10-pack for just $99.99 to up your chances of winning $1 million.
- How to turn AAA batteries into AAs
A truly A+ hack.
- Why we shouldn’t get too excited about bioplastics
Bioplastics often have a lot more in common with regular plastic than we realize.
- DARPA wants to push the boundaries of where satellites can fly
Here’s what we know about Project Daedalus.
- Indonesia activates a disaster-relief chatbot after destructive floods
BencanaBot allows Indonesians to submit and coordinate disaster resiliency plans in real time.
- Lightning-fast Lamborghini is slowly shifting gears towards electrification
Here’s what we know about the Italian automaker’s plans for its tech in the future.
- Apple HomePod (2nd generation) hands-on: Off to a solid restart
Apple’s new HomePod steps up its game from sound quality to smart home tasks.
- Animals at the Dallas Zoo keep vanishing from their enclosures
Two tamarin monkeys are the latest to go missing.
- Share the joy of personal audio during beyerdynamic’s ‘Better Together’ sale
Get your favorite music lover the earbuds and headphones they want with these deals.