Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 108)

Thermogalvanic fridge prototype device held in blue gloved hand
Engineering

The electrochemical cells that could power fridges of the future

Commercial refrigeration and A/C systems need an upgrade.

rat looking at you
AI

Rats beat AI at recognizing obscured objects

A powerful convolutional neural network still has a lot to learn from 'rat vision.'

a spider with a large white fungus covering its head
Spiders

Fungus-infected zombie spiders discovered in Northern Ireland

Gibellula attenboroughii was found in an abandoned gunpowder storeroom.

medical professional in a mask
Health

The most dangerous misconceptions about public health

Success is invisible. False assumptions can be deadly.

'There’s been an uptick in that imbalance and that has led to an uptick in the rate of ocean warming.'
Science

Finally, an answer to why Earth’s oceans have been on a record-hot streak

A new study finds that the rate of ocean warming has more than quadrupled over the past 40 years—and pinpoints why.

old man looking at sea
Science

What’s the maximum human life expectancy?

'Everything has to have a limit.'

Pulmonary tuberculosis,spreading through the lungs.
Diseases

Clinical trial finds three new ways to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis

Strains like these sicken 410,000 people each year.

Researchers say taking steps to prevent battery fires may be more effective than relying on possibly dangerous flame retardants.
Electric Vehicles

Flame retardants in some batteries might be making fires worse

'It's a futile effort against an overwhelming force.'

A polar bear still hunting on the sea ice of Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada.
Bears

How do polar bears keep ice off their fur? Grease.

Understanding how this fatty mixture works could help replace dangerous PFAS materials.

Bose Solo Soundbars on a plain background
Speakers

Go grab a Bose soundbar for just $99 before they sell out

Bose is throwing a flash sale on its refurbished store right now and you can save up to $300 on soundbars and headphones.

A top-down view of the OSIRIS-REx Touch-and-Go-Sample-Acquisition-Mechanism (TAGSAM) head with the lid removed, revealing the remainder of the asteroid sample inside. The picture was taken using manual high-resolution precision photography and a semi-automated focus stacking procedure. The result is an image that can be zoomed in on to show extreme detail of the sample. The remaining sample material includes dust and rocks up to about 0.4 inch in size.
Space

Scientists find traces of life’s building blocks in historic asteroid samples

New discoveries from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission were 'a complete surprise.'

A Great Tit pauses with an insect in its beak to feed its young.
Science

Great tits thrive in old-growth forests

The birds show more signs of stress in younger forests.

Norovirus is accompanied by abdominal pain, diarrhea and explosive vomiting.
Health

The best ways to stay safe from the norovirus, aka the winter vomiting bug

An infectious disease expert explains.

Demonstration of the easily injectable hydrogel
Diseases

Injectable hydrogel can strengthen brittle bones

The localized treatment may speed up therapy solutions for patients with osteoporosis.

Westinghouse dual-fuel generator sitting on the ground with a propane tank at a camping party
Home

Walmart has this 4,650-watt generator $129 cheaper than any other retailer right now

This powerful generator runs on gas or propane and it's currently just $399 right now during Walmart's winter sale.

An aerial view of the Crater Lake Caldera in Oregon.
Science

Magma chambers found lurking in dormant volcanoes

'It appears that these magma bodies exist beneath volcanoes over their whole lifetime, not just during an active state.'

XB-1 during test flight
Aviation

Boom Supersonic breaks sound barrier for the first time

The XB-1 prototype shows a return to supersonic commercial flights could be on the horizon.

A portion of the Bayeux Tapestry showing King Harold riding to his residence, Bosham. The full tapestry depicts the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
Archaeology

Medieval toilet helps uncover lost home of the England’s last Anglo-Saxon King

The former power center of Harold II is shown in the 1,000-year-old Bayeux Tapestry.

Many plants form partnerships with fungi that live in their roots; conservationists hope to harness these hidden microbes to help struggling species.
Biology

Why scientists are enlisting fungi to save endangered plants

The mycorrhizae that live among and in plant roots can boost the health of certain species, and even whole ecosystems — but scientists warn against a one-size-fits-all approach.

the side profile of a penguin as it swims
Birds

Finally, scientists get a penguin’s-eye-view of the world

PenguCams can take digital data and turn it into real-world measurements.