Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 122)

sleep mode
Tech Hacks

How to set up iPhone Sleep Focus mode for some peace and quiet

Your smartphone can help you improve the quality of your slumber.

an orange cat with green eyes with its tongue out
Cats

Why do some cats have orange fur? New hue clues in an old mystery.

The genetic reason of their fur color has baffled scientists for decades.

An orvis sweatshirt, instax camera, rocketbook, and leatherman tool
Gear

Procrastinator’s gift guide: Great products you can still get in time for the holidays

You put off buying gifts, and that's OK. There are still several awesome options you can get shipped to you before it's time to open presents.

lab mouse
Psychology

Past experiences strongly affect empathy in mice 

The ability to recognize and react to others’ emotions is not confined to humans.

ISS with lines pointing to docked Starliner spacecraft
International Space Station

Photographer catches impressive glimpse of Starliner docked to ISS

Starliner’s passengers are still aboard the station, but Boeing’s vehicle returned to Earth in September.

Two SpaceX Starship rockets at Starbase in Texas
Space X

Elon Musk claims Starbase will become its own city

But it's far from a done deal.

a close up of the eyes of an older dog. it has black fur with touches of grey
Dogs

Is my dog ‘old’? Vets finally have the answers

Seven dog years equaling one human year is a myth.

a bird opens it mouth to eat a bug.
Sharks

9 fascinating images from the Royal Society Publishing Photography Prize

A stunning moment between predator and prey took top honors.

An AncestryDNA kit sitting on a windowsill.
Gear

This AncestryDNA test kit is back down to its $39 Black Friday price for a limited time

This kit tracks more than 40 genetic traits back through your family history as well as your ancestry. It's typically $119.

dominoes falling
Science

If ‘correlation doesn’t imply causation,’ how do scientists figure out why things happen?

It’s not enough to just find a link between two things.

Striated frogfish (Antennarius striatus), also known as the hairy frogfish.
Evolution

Anglerfish use ‘extremely rare’ mechanism to control their lures

The evolutionary implications go far beyond the sea creatures.

Friday November 15, 2025. Zhigang Chen Thermoelectric device. Prof. Chen and his team from ARC Research Hub in Zero-emission Power Generation for Carbon Neutrality (ZeroPC) have developed an ultra-thin, flexible film that could power next-generation wearable devices using body heat instead of batteries and be utilized for chip cooling.
Technology

How body heat could replace batteries in wearables of the future

The human body could one day be used to power devices and cool down hot semiconductor chips.

red brain neurons
Medicine

Why is deep sleep so important to memory? It’s about time.

Slow brain waves are key to an important neurological process.

Three people's hands holding beers at bar
AI

AI thought knee X-rays could tell if you drink beer and eat refried beans

'Not all patterns they identify are meaningful or reliable.’

waves in a deep cavern
Fish

Earthquake off northern California shook the water in Devils Hole, 500 miles away

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake disrupted a critically endangered fish.

talking dog
Dogs

Dogs really are communicating via button boards, new research suggests

Studying the viral online trend could yield insights into our pets’ surprising cognitive abilities.

Researchers Liam Lachs and Adriana Humanes of Coralassist study selectively bred corals growing at an ocean nursery.
Ocean

As ocean waters warm, a race to breed heat-resistant coral

Around the world, researchers are working on a range of projects that aim to enhance corals’ resistance to marine heat waves. In a promising sign, a U.K. team recently became the first to quantify an uptick in heat tolerance among adult corals selectively bred for the trait.

This image of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument of the Perseverance rover on June 15, 2021, the 114th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The location, "Airfield D" (the fourth airfield), is just east of the "Séítah" geologic unit.
Mars

NASA is finishing its first off-world accident report

Mars Ingenuity crashed in January—years later than expected.

The 5,600-year-old teeth and other bones from this study were found near Kosenivka, Ukraine and are some of the only human remains found that are associated with the Cucuteni-Trypilla culture.
Archaeology

Fire likely killed a group of Stone Age humans uncovered in Ukraine

'Bones are not an abstract thing, but the biological and chemical archive of a human life.’

Cruise had planned to expand its testing and offer autonomous rides through the Uber app as early as 2025.
Self Driving

GM is killing Cruise robotaxis

GM shifts gears toward a fully autonomous personal vehicle.