DIY(Page 29)

PopSci's curated collection of life skills, tech tips, and hands-on projects we think you'll love.

Latest in DIY

A lit-up igloo under a starry night sky

How to build an igloo that’s structurally sound and cozy

A DIY weather vane made out of recycled materials, set up outside.

Make your own weather station with recycled materials

By Jean Levasseur

An unlocked iPhone, showing the apps on its Home screen. It's tough when those apps keep crashing.

What to do when your apps keep crashing

Android phone on a table

Unlock Android’s secret powers by learning how to use this hidden settings menu

A laptop in the dark

How to keep all of your accounts safe in a world where people want your data

Assorted vegetables and fruit in a farmer's market

Simple tips to help you eat enough fruits and veggies every day

By Nadia Bajuelo

a portrait photo of a woman

6 common photography mistakes to avoid

By Harry Guinness

The best Spotify add-ons and tricks

A person sitting at a coffee shop, using a phone while wearing headphones and a cap.

Easily convert a PDF to an image on your phone

By John Kennedy

A half-ring vortex in a swimming pool

How To Create Vortex Rings In Your Swimming Pool

By Dianna Cowern

Filing ziplock bag

5-Minute Project: Hand Warmers

By Justin DiPlacido

lightning bolt in the middle of the countryside

How to prevent getting struck by lightning

By Alisha McDarris

Women typing on laptop

Use all those GDPR privacy policy notifications to clean up your inbox and kill zombie accounts

By Stan Horaczek

hand holding a phone

Tips and tricks to help you take better smartphone photos

Siri on macOS Sierra

How to control your computer with your voice

A burning pile of magnesium expelling white smoke against a dark blue background, with a fire extinguisher nozzle nearby setting it on fire.

Let burning metals lie

By Theodore Gray

How to prevent those annoying texting typos

By Whitson Gordon

man celebrating on the phone

How to strike a better deal with your cable company

By Whitson Gordon

DIY eye in the sky

Re-Create The First Intercontinental Weapon

By William Gurstelle

How To Make Pastries In Your Microwave

How To Make Pastries In Your Microwave

By Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot

How to build a medieval crossbow

How to build a medieval crossbow

By William Gurstelle

Build a gas-powered marshmallow shooter

Build a gas-powered marshmallow shooter

By William Gurstelle

Make these tiny, exploding hydrogen bubbles

Make these tiny, exploding hydrogen bubbles

By William Gurstelle

How to Use The New Emoji In iOS 10

How to Use The New Emoji In iOS 10

By Corey Mueller

Gray Matter: Calcium Carbide Reactions Can Light Up a Room—or Fill it With Noise

Gray Matter: Calcium Carbide Reactions Can Light Up a Room—or Fill it With Noise

By Theodore Gray

Put a blinky ring on it

Here’s how I made my fiancé a blinking engagement ring

How To Use The New Siri And Apple Maps in iOS 10

By Popular Science Team

The best hidden Instagram tricks

The best hidden Instagram tricks

a basic wooden clamp holding a 2-by-4 stud down on a work surface in a garage

Literally the most basic clamps you can make

By John Kennedy

How to build an hourglass watchtower

How to build an hourglass watchtower

By William Gurstelle

How to build a solar microscope

How to build a solar microscope

By William Gurstelle

A silver Nokia cell phone (left), the back of the phone with its battery exposed (center), and the battery and two SIM cards (right).

Take the shackles off your cellphone

a person holding a handmade DIY cutting board with cheese, grapes, carrots, and strawberries on it

Craft an impressive cutting board in eight easy steps

By Courtney Starr

handmade exterior doors on a handmade shed

Build your own door and ascend to a higher level of DIY

By Courtney Starr

a work surface made of MDF that fits on top of saw horses

Build a semi-permanent work surface you can put away easily

By John Kennedy

a turkey dinner on a plate

How to cook and eat a turkey without dying

By Rachel Feltman

a man wearing sunglasses while holding cash money in his mouth

The apps and sites you’ll need to rent out everything you own

One notebook could replace all the productivity apps that have failed you

By Amy Schellenbaum

hand holding phone screen showing Apple Maps

14 tricks to get more out of the underrated Apple Maps app

Declawing cats is harmful. Do this instead.

An unattended laptop at a coffee shop.

How to protect your devices and data from theft

A person standing on a sidewalk outside while using their phone.

How to avoid common phone-related injuries

Hands working on edging a piece of leatherwork

Everything you need to know to start leatherworking

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

iPhone beside steering wheel in car

4 apps with special car modes for safer driving

A man sitting and holding an electric fan in front of his face.

4 ways to keep cool when the temperature spikes

By Claire Maldarelli

Two round birds in a birdbath.

Build a classy, easy birdbath with vintage finds

By Natalie Wallington

spilled oats with a golden spoon

How to make oat milk—with science

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

An iPhone plugged in and updating its software.

Stop putting off your device updates

A closed laptop with a book, a mouse, and a phone on top of it, all chained together.

How to choose safe passwords—and remember them, too

Hand holding iphone

5G is fast, but not perfect. Here’s why you might want to turn it off sometimes.

hands on a mac keyboard

38 advanced Mac keyboard shortcuts to supercharge your workflow

By Monroe Hammond

A phone with a Google account open on the screen.

How to secure your Google account

Children playing with microscope

9 cool ways your family can help scientists collect data

By Jean Levasseur

People in a public building at night, maybe using public Wi-Fi.

Public Wi-Fi can expose your data. Here’s how to stay safe.

Person sitting at a table on a Zoom call

Secure your Zoom calls with end-to-end encryption

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

a home office with a solid wood desk and many windows looking out onto a snow-covered forest

The best tips for working from home, from people who do it all the time

By John Kennedy

Hand holding Google Pixel phone

24 hidden Android settings you should know about

5 signs your laptop is in trouble

5 signs your laptop is in trouble

Person sleeping under weighted blanket

Make your own custom weighted blanket for the ultimate sleep

By Vanessa Nirode

A person standing outside bear a concrete wall, holding their phone with a coffee nearby.

How to save any file to your phone so you have it when you need it

A woman leaning over a laptop computer, annoyed, with her hand on her forehead.

Take control of your computer’s annoying pop-up notifications

An unlocked iPhone X on a faded blue-green surface.

24 iPhone settings that feel like secrets

Hand with tweezers collecting strawberry DNA

A goopy guide to extracting strawberry DNA in your kitchen

By RK Pendergrass

A laptop open with an image of Google Maps on the screen.

5 uses for Google Maps beyond navigation

By John Kennedy