Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 120)

a strange fish with a blob on its head sits on a rock
Land

27 new, exciting, and blobby species discovered in the Peruvian rainforest

Scientists are still not sure exactly what this fish’s blob does.

Snowcat car in a snow ski resort.
Weather

The science of ski grooming

The corduroy pattern isn't decorative.

health insurance claims form
Health

5 of the most frustrating health insurer tactics and why they exist

Many patients face significant upfront costs to getting health care.

Furbo dog cameras arranged in a pattern
Gear

The Furbo pet camera and pet dispenser is 55% off and still arrives before Christmas if you order now

This rotating camera provides a 360-degree view of your space and can dispense treats to keep your dog happy when you're not home.

A drone, bluetooth speaker, rumpl blanket, kindle arranged in a pattern
Gift Guides

The Popular Science Holiday Gift Guide

Two mastodon teeth found in Orange County, New York
Science

Man discovers giant mastodon jaw in his backyard

It's the first one found in New York state in 11 years.

An artistic representation of an active centaur like Chiron. The different colors in the coma indicate varying compositions of gas, ice, and dust.
Solar System

An ‘oddball’ asteroid-comet hybrid dates back 4.6 billion years

New JWST data helps explain these celestial centaurs.

google street view of possible crime
Technology

Google Street View helps catch suspect of a grisly crime

The image captured the moment a suspect loaded a large, lumpy, white bag into the trunk of a car.

Hands typing on keyboard
AI

Charter school is replacing teachers with AI

‘Imagine starting a school and declaring, ‘We won’t have any academic teachers.’ We did exactly that!’

The first image depicts star cluster NGC 602 in vibrant and festive colors. The cluster includes a giant dust cloud ring, shown in greens, yellows, blues, and oranges. The green hues and feathery edges of the ring cloud create the appearance of a wreath made of evergreen boughs. Hints of red representing X-rays provide shading, highlighting layers within the wreath-like ring cloud. The image is aglow with specks and dots of colorful, festive light, in blues, golds, whites, oranges, and reds. These lights represent stars within the cluster. Some of the lights gleam with diffraction spikes, while others emit a warm, diffuse glow. Upon closer inspection, many of the glowing specks have spiraling arms, indicating that they are, in fact, distant galaxies.
Mars

Happy holidays from space!

A cosmic wreath, astronauts in Santa hats, and Martian snow.

The long finger sticking out of the Sun at the bottom left of this image is a coronal mass ejection. It was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on August 31, 2012.
Sun

Does the Sun make noise?

In space, no one can hear you beam.

Thomas Worth’s 1872 illustration for the Household Edition of The Old Curiosity Shop highlights her grandfather’s grief at losing Little Nell.
Health

How infectious diseases killed Victorian children at alarming rates

Their novels highlight the fragility of public health today.

A Sombrero ground lizard (Pholidoscelis corvinus) photographed on Sombrero Island in June 2021. This species is endemic to the Carribbean island.
Land

Population of nearly extinct lizard grows 16X in only six years

'This is a remarkable turnaround for this cheeky and charismatic lizard.’

fake drone video on tiktok
Social Media

People keep falling for fake ‘drones over Jersey’ videos

It's never been easier to make AI-generated spoofs.

Small LCD video projector on table in living room, watching movies in home theater
Televisions

Can a projector really replace your TV?

Quality and affordability have improved on both sides. 

backyard chicken flock
Diseases

The first confirmed, severe human case of bird flu is here

The person was exposed to sick birds through a backyard poultry flock.

An Andean bear at the nature reserve Bioparque Wakata, in Briceno municipality near Bogota, Colombia, on June 21, 2023.
Land

Shy ‘Paddington’ bears need more plants to survive

Andean bears will only eat livestock if they really have to.

Close up of white wine bottle pouring into wine glass
Technology

Bacteria-powered artificial tongue can taste-test alcohol for additives

The prototype is light, portable, and analyzes samples near-instantly.

an illustration of a black hole
Black Holes

Enormous black hole napping after eating a ton of gas

Black holes like this one may gorge for about five to 10 million years–then go dormant for 100 million.

Modern Kitchen with wooden table, kitchen utensils, cooking pots and others, white background.
Diseases

Recent panic over black plastic started with a math error

BDE-209 is still bad for you.