Science

Science spans our understanding of how Earth and the cosmos work. Get the biggest news on biology, physics, space, dinosaurs, and more—along with the latest episodes of the Ask Us Anything and Weirdest Thing podcasts.

Latest in Science

Meteor shower
Science

How to watch a meteor shower like a pro

By Mary Beth Griggs

Pluto New Horizons
Science

Pluto is way cooler than it should be, and now we might know why

By Mary Beth Griggs

offering daisies
Science

From an evolutionary perspective, does it make any sense to be nice?

By Eva M. Krockow, Andrew M. Colman, and Briony Pulford for The Conversation

Music only helps you concentrate if you’re doing the right kind of task
Science

Music only helps you concentrate if you’re doing the right kind of task

By Nick Perham/The Conversation

More evidence that the dinosaurs were super unlucky with regards to that whole asteroid thing
Science

More evidence that the dinosaurs were super unlucky with regards to that whole asteroid thing

By Mary Beth Griggs

This truly bizarre exploding star might be a zombie of sorts
Science

This truly bizarre exploding star might be a zombie of sorts

By Rachel Feltman

Here’s the weird alphabet soup that scientists use to name stuff in space
Science

Here’s the weird alphabet soup that scientists use to name stuff in space

By Mary Beth Griggs

The physics keeping Star Wars’ Cloud City afloat
Science

The physics keeping Star Wars’ Cloud City afloat

By Patrick Johnson

T. rex arms, wiggly beluga heads, and tentacle-nosed moles: smart evolution sometimes looks stupid
Science

T. rex arms, wiggly beluga heads, and tentacle-nosed moles: smart evolution sometimes looks stupid

By Sara Chodosh

Mars 2020
Science

NASA’s future Mars robot will take the fastest pictures yet of the red planet

By Mary Beth Griggs

60 years ago today, a Soviet street dog became the first animal to orbit Earth
Environment

60 years ago today, a Soviet street dog became the first animal to orbit Earth

By Tom McNamara

How do you breed a 2,624-pound pumpkin?
Science

How do you breed a 2,624-pound pumpkin?

By Kate Baggaley

An isolated micrometeorite about 0.5 mm in diameter.
Science

Hunt for meteorites in your own yard

By Sophie Bushwick

There’s apparently a giant void in the Great Pyramid. Here’s why we don’t know what’s in there.
Science

There’s apparently a giant void in the Great Pyramid. Here’s why we don’t know what’s in there.

By Mary Beth Griggs

Stephen Hawking releases graduate thesis, promptly breaks internet
Science

Stephen Hawking releases graduate thesis, promptly breaks internet

By Ellen Airhart

We just found the king of all extinct giraffe cousins, and it’s very goofy looking
Science

We just found the king of all extinct giraffe cousins, and it’s very goofy looking

By Sara Chodosh

coronal hole
Science

Space dust is stirring this star’s plasma soup

By Mary Beth Griggs

Hurricanes might be worsening, coffee could save your life, and hedging is definitely a huge part of science
Science

Hurricanes might be worsening, coffee could save your life, and hedging is definitely a huge part of science

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Giant ice cracks in Antarctica stymie important research for the second winter in a row
Science

Giant ice cracks in Antarctica stymie important research for the second winter in a row

By Mary Beth Griggs

Jupiter's auroras
Science

Jupiter’s strange, pulsating auroras are even more mysterious than we thought

By Mary Beth Griggs

A/2017 U1
Science

A strange object from outside our solar system just zoomed past the sun

By Mary Beth Griggs

Bill Nye holding a phone
Science

Watch Bill Nye respond to anti-science tweets

By Jason Lederman

The coloring of a raccoon-eyed dinosaur could reveal its habitat
Science

The coloring of a raccoon-eyed dinosaur could reveal its habitat

By Mary Beth Griggs

This lonely human skull might belong to an ancient tsunami victim
Science

This lonely human skull might belong to an ancient tsunami victim

By Mary Beth Griggs

A MISS spacecraft concept
Science

How the Air Force planned to put men on the moon

By Amy Shira Teitel

This is the absolute grossest thing about living in space
Science

This is the absolute grossest thing about living in space

By Tim Peake

Millions of years ago, hollow trees literally tore themselves apart to grow
Science

Millions of years ago, hollow trees literally tore themselves apart to grow

By Mary Beth Griggs

Great tits aren’t the only things evolving to adapt to humans. Here are 12 others.
Science

Great tits aren’t the only things evolving to adapt to humans. Here are 12 others.

By Sara Chodosh

blue marble Earth image
Science

This entourage of weirdos hangs out in Earth’s cosmic neighborhood

By Mary Beth Griggs

Your memories are less accurate than you think
Science

Your memories are less accurate than you think

By Kate Baggaley

Yes, your dog is making puppy eyes at you
Science

Yes, your dog is making puppy eyes at you

By Sara Chodosh

merging neutron stars
Science

Neutron star collisions may have created most of the gold in the universe

By Mary Beth Griggs

What Star Wars taught scientists about sperm
Science

What Star Wars taught scientists about sperm

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Jane Poynter wants to send you to the edge of space in a very big balloon
Technology

Jane Poynter wants to send you to the edge of space in a very big balloon

By Laura Parker

The year’s 10 most incredible aerospace inventions
Technology

The year’s 10 most incredible aerospace inventions

By Kelsey D. Atherton

The best entertainment tech of the year
Technology

The best entertainment tech of the year

By Stan Horaczek

This year’s 11 most important innovations in engineering
Technology

This year’s 11 most important innovations in engineering

By Mary Beth Griggs

2017’s coolest tech for your home
Technology

2017’s coolest tech for your home

By Sophie Bushwick

The 10 most important automotive technologies of the year
Technology

The 10 most important automotive technologies of the year

By Joe Brown

The most ingenious gadgets of 2017
Technology

The most ingenious gadgets of 2017

By Stan Horaczek

Ibex Tactix Folding Skis
Technology

The top 11 innovations in recreation this year

By Berne Broudy

Boeing Starliner Space Suit
Technology

The 100 greatest innovations of 2017

By Popular Science Team

merging neutron stars
Science

Gravitational waves just showed us something even cooler than black holes

By Sophie Bushwick

crater moon
Science

We could actually learn a lot by going back to the Moon

By Mary Beth Griggs

If an astronaut gets hurt on the moon, this is how we’ll rescue them
Science

If an astronaut gets hurt on the moon, this is how we’ll rescue them

By Mary Beth Griggs

hot chili peppers
Science

We ate the world’s spiciest chip, cried for 45 minutes, then wrote this article about it

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

We finally know how durian got so stinky
Science

We finally know how durian got so stinky

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Good news! We’re probably not living in a computer simulation.
Science

Good news! We’re probably not living in a computer simulation.

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Scientists are trying to figure out how to keep bacteria from running rampant on space missions
Science

Scientists are trying to figure out how to keep bacteria from running rampant on space missions

By Claire Maldarelli

boy holding a model plane
Science

A man who’s participated in 41 space missions remembers the Sputnik launch

By Mary Beth Griggs

60 years ago, Sputnik shocked the world and started the space race
Science

60 years ago, Sputnik shocked the world and started the space race

By Mary Beth Griggs

A super chill microscopy method just nabbed a Nobel prize
Science

A super chill microscopy method just nabbed a Nobel prize

By Ellen Airhart

Flowers of the Multiverse
Science

Wait a second: What came before the big bang?

By Rachel Feltman and Matthew R. Francis

CalTech Advanced LIGO
Science

Three men just won a Nobel Prize for the work of more than a thousand people

By Mark D. Kaufman

The detection of ripples in the fabric of spacetime just won a Nobel Prize
Science

The detection of ripples in the fabric of spacetime just won a Nobel Prize

By Sara Chodosh

Parachute Sledding: February 1935
Science

Archive Gallery: Strange Sports of Tomorrow

By Denise Ngo

Archive Gallery: How the Space Age Influenced Design
Science

Archive Gallery: How the Space Age Influenced Design

By Denise Ngo

Aftermath of the Scopes Trial: September 1929
Science

Archive Gallery: In Defense of Evolutionary Theory

By Denise Ngo

Archive Gallery: Beauty Secrets of Popular Science
Science

Archive Gallery: Beauty Secrets of Popular Science

By Julie Beck

Archive Gallery: PopSci Hunts For Mythical Beasts
Environment

Archive Gallery: PopSci Hunts For Mythical Beasts

By Julie Beck

Archive Gallery: The Science of Sleep
Science

Archive Gallery: The Science of Sleep

By Julie Beck

Archive Gallery: Diabolical Death Rays from the Pages of Popular Science
Science

Archive Gallery: Diabolical Death Rays from the Pages of Popular Science

By Julie Beck

9 Of The Strangest Musical Instruments Of All Time [Archive Gallery]
Science

9 Of The Strangest Musical Instruments Of All Time [Archive Gallery]

By Julie Beck

SpaceX wants to build the Swiss Army knife of rockets
Science

SpaceX wants to build the Swiss Army knife of rockets

By Mary Beth Griggs

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