Read the latest articles from Popular Science

penguins in front of structures
Birds

20 soaring images from the Bird Photographer of the Year 2026 awards

From urban seagulls to snorkeling penguins.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic jet flies over the Mojave Desert during its third flight on Thursday, March 26, 2026, from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The aircraft departed and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, completing its approximate one-hour flight and providing the team with significant data for future flights.
Aviation

China’s new supersonic plane could travel twice as fast as sound

The TMS-10 is on track to complete a test flight by the end of the year.

a lemur with its mouth open in a tree
Wildlife

Opera singers and shrieking lemurs share vocalization strategies

The world’s only known signing lemur needs to make calls that can travel through the thick rainforest.

large male bear on a waterfall
Bears

Walker and his big booty fight for Fat Bear Week glory

Bear #151 was a playful, chill bear. This year, things changed at the Brooks River.

Hittite cuneiform tablet fragment
Archaeology

Fragment of oldest known peace treaty discovered in Turkey

The Kadesh Peace Treaty was signed by Pharaoh Ramesses II and Hittite King Ḫattušili III around 1259 BCE.

Young man wearing wireless headphones, catching up with his team during a video call via desktop computer, sitting in his home office. Teleworking from home. Flexible working.
Mental Health

3 myths about working from home, debunked

Turns out we’re not more productive and happy in the office.

Apple iPhone Duo in hands
Life Skills

How to pick the best iPhone for you in 2026

Whether you want the flagship iPhone Duo or the most basic model available, we have buying recommendations for you.

Google's AI Mode feature is displayed on the Google Search homepage in this illustration photo taken on September 9, 2026. (Photo by Matteo Della Torre/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
AI

How to know if you can trust an AI’s answer to your question

large mother bear and three cubs
Bears

Mama Bear #132 has one of Fat Bear Week’s most compelling stories

Mother, protector, survivor, and a big-bellied girl.

a surgeon in green scrubs points to a screen with x-ray images of the brain
Diseases

Neurosurgeon recounts a ‘miracle of biology’

‘He had no business surviving. His survival was a triumph.’

a robot vacuum placed over the head of someone testifying in court
Robots

Your robotic vacuum is a witness: What home robots mean for evidence, privacy and the law

Devices in homes now generate evidence continuously.

two pups with mom
Wildlife

Tiny ‘chaos potatoes’ show off parkour moves

The rabbit-looking rock hyrax is actually related to elephants.

Young Black woman looking in bathroom mirror.
Ask Us Anything

The reason your face looks wrong in photos

It's not you, it's physics.

Luss is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, on the west bank of Loch Lomond.
Ask Us Anything

What do you want to happen to your body after you die?

Cremation? Casket? Space burial?

A person holding an iphone
Tech Hacks

Turning on these smartphone safety features could literally save your life

Both Android and iOS offer features and apps that can make you safer no matter where you are and what you're doing.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 16: Haze from Canadian wildfires blankets the Statue of Liberty as seen from a Staten Island Ferry on July 16, 2026 in New York City. Much of the East Coast and Canada is under an Air Quality Health Advisory as the Canadian and Great Lakes wildfire smoke gradually moves through the area, creating a thick haze in the heat. The region is experiencing temperatures with heat indexes over 100 degrees as it confronts another heat wave. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Pollution

NASA’s TEMPO satellite enables better monitoring of bad air days

From 22,000 miles above, the new instrument lets researchers and regulators track airborne health threats in near real time, on a continental scale

a turtle swimming with harness
Wildlife

Sea turtle struck by boat is recovering in a 3D-printed harness

Cebu’s custom rig helps keep them afloat during physical therapy.

three red panda cubs
Endangered Species

Why International Red Panda Day is a big deal at the National Zoo this year

Three new cubs were recently born at the Smithsonian's conservation campus.

a side by side of two large male brown bears standing in a river
Bears

The Fat Bear Week 2026 bracket is here and chunkier than ever

Voting starts September 22 with a final winner crowned on September 29.

Cessna airplane flying in San Francisco with the Bay Bridge seen in the background
Self Driving

Autonomous airplane completes first cross-country flight

The retrofitted Cessna handled taxiing, takeoffs, bad weather, and landings without a human pilot.