Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 101)

portrait of skier in mountains
Weather

Why do skiers sunburn so easily on the slopes? A snow scientist explains.

Where you are on the mountain also makes a difference.

South American sea lion comes in for a boop in the Falklands
Wildlife

15 breathtaking images from the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2025 awards

A playful sea lion. An elegant shark. And a few thirsty camels.

ALLENTOWN, PA - MAY 09: Home Plate Umpire Brian Walsh uses an earpiece to hear the electronic notification as to weather a pitch was a ball or a strike by the ABS system during a AAA minor league baseball game between the Memphis Redbirds and Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park on May 9, 2023 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Automated Balls and Strikes system, similar to the Hawk-Eye system used in professional tennis, uses over 30 cameras and sensors around the stadium to identifies weather the pitch is a ball or a strike. MLB is testing the system for possible use next year. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Technology

This could be baseball’s last season without ‘robot umpires’

The spring training trial could determine if the technology is finally ready for the big leagues.

Bose Solo Soundbar header
Speakers

This Bose soundbar is back down to just $99 until it sells out

This compact soundbar typically costs $199, but it's less than half that during this sale. Other Bose headphones and speakers are also discounted.

Aerial view of Great Wall of China surrounded by forests
Archaeology

The Great Wall of China is 300 years older than we thought

New archeological finds in Shandong Province revise the massive engineering feat's previous timeline.

The Meze Audio POET headphones and case shown on a grey felt deskpad
Headphones

Meze Audio POET headphones first impressions: Rhythmical beauty

Majorana 1 quantum computing chip
Engineering

New state of matter powers Microsoft quantum computing chip

Majorana 1 relies on ‘topological superconductivity,’ a never-before-seen theoretical form of matter.

Levoit P350 Air Purifier next to a black dog on the floor.
Home

The best air purifiers for pets, tested and reviewed

Whether you have a single furry companion or a whole pack of pets, these air purifiers will keep you breathing more easily.

a large bird with a long neck and black plumage called an emu walking around in nature
Birds

Emus might not be the ‘world’s dumbest bird’ after all

Studying big birds might shed light on dinosaur behavior.

gemini logo surrounded by brains
Tech Hacks

How to get Gemini to remember (or forget) everything you’ve said

Google's AI chatbot now has a long-term memory.

A person in an orange jacket in the computer room of a data center during a visit by Sophie Primas spokesperson for the French government to DATA4 a French data center operator in Marcoussis France on
Fossil Fuels

Georgia was about to retire coal plants. Then came the data centers.

Utilities nationwide are falling back on fossil fuels to meet huge energy demand.

View of fog at the Atacama desert in Iquique, some 2000 km north of Santiago, on April 19, 2016. Catholic University of Chile researchers' challenge is to implement a fog collection system -which uses large pieces of vertical canvas to make the fog condense into droplets- in small communities which don't have drinkable water in Atacama desert. / AFP / MARTIN BERNETTI (Photo credit should read MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)
Agriculture

In the driest place on Earth, water hides in plain sight

A low-tech solution could help a rapidly growing city in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

a map of the world with a line representing where the cable would connect
AI

Meta spending billions on world’s longest subsea internet cable 

The 31,000-mile cable will connect parts of the US, Brazil, South, Africa, India, and other regions.

An illustration of the landscape of Cretaceous Australia. The mega raptor is standing on the right river bank and Carcharodontosaurus is on the left.
Dinosaurs

A 20-foot-long ‘mega raptor’ once stalked Australia

Volunteer fossil hunters and trained paleontologists uncover a new Australian dinosaur and the oldest known megaraptorid.

Egyptian relief artwork of Thutmose II
Archaeology

Pharaoh’s tomb is the biggest ancient Egyptian discovery since King Tutankhamun

Thutmose II didn’t rule for long, but the find marks a major moment for Egyptology.

an illustration of two orchids and their root systems. one is growing near decomposing wood and fungi and has more flowers. the other is still growing, but does not have as many flowers
Biology

Parasitic orchids ditch photosynthesis for fungi

The plants might 'steal' from fungi just because they can.

GREIFFENBERG, GERMANY - MAY 31: The channeled Sernitz creek flows in a rewetted portion of the Sernitzmoor peatland on May 31, 2023 near Greiffenberg, Germany. The Succow Stiftung, a German foundation devoted to international peatland restoration, has rewetted approximately 300 hectares of the Sernitzmoor in an ongoing effort since 2014 as part of a project called "toMOORow," which seeks to both reap the climate change benefits from peatland rewetting as well as provide commercial opportunity to local farmers and businesses. Peatland marshes are a highly efficient carbon sink, though large tracts across Europe have been drained over the centuries to make way for animal grazing and crops. Once dry and exposed to oxygen, peat become a powerful emitter of greenhouse gases. In Germany 7% of agricultural land is based on peatland, yet it accounts for 37% of Germany's agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Rewetting stops the emissions and creates potential for paludiculture, marsh-based agriculture that includes water buffalo for their meat, cattail for insulation and reed pellets for paper. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Climate Change

Turning farmland back to peatland: Can it slow CO2 emissions?

Farmers have long drained peatlands for agriculture, but the dried-out soils release vast quantities of CO2. To halt this process, new initiatives in Germany are not only rewetting peatlands but also creating markets for the native grasses, reeds, and sedges they support.

Young woman yawning, close up
Ask Us Anything

Why do some people need less sleep?

Plus, can you train yourself to sleep less?

a close up of a diver wearing a mask and a fish swimming towards him
Fish

Wild fish can recognize human divers

Some scientific divers felt like fish were remembering and following them. They were right.

Close up of police officer chest wearing Axon body camera
AI

Utah bill would require cops to disclose AI-authored police reports

Draft One is sold by the makers of Tasers.