Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 13)

close-up of Grey/Gray squirrel holding a walnut
Ask Us Anything

Squirrels can find 85% of the nuts they hide

Our furry neighbors use a whole toolkit to locate their caches during the winter.

a capybara between two evergreen trees
Animals

Donated Christmas trees get a second life at the zoo

The evergreen trees give kangaroos, bison, lions, and more extra shelter and fun.

Painting of horned Viking at bow of ship looking off at the ocean while two others row behind him.
Archaeology

How we unlocked the secrets of Denmark’s oldest plank boat–with the help of an ancient fingerprint

Chemical analysis of boat tar and a preserved fingerprint reveal how far Iron Age warriors traveled by sea.

Patagonia gear on sale at REI
Outdoor Gear

REI is blowing out tons of Patagonia gear during this year-end clearance sale

Grab winter jackets, bags, swimwear, pants, shorts, and just about every other piece of clothing you could want on discount.

a global density map of the world's buildings
Science

Browse a 3D map of the world’s 2.75 billion buildings

GlobalBuildingAtlas includes almost every habitable structure on Earth.

woman walking with green fart cloud
Fitness & Exercise

You should start taking ‘Fart Walks’

The name may inspire snickers, but the benefits are no joke.

red and white and red and green candy canes on a green background
Science

The magic of making candy canes by hand

How the candy makers at Hammond's Candies have made the sweet treats for over 100 years.

A person’s gloved hand holds up a clear 96-well laboratory microplate against a glowing blue background. In the blurred distance, a screen displays bright orange and white horizontal bands, resembling a DNA electrophoresis gel or genetic sequence visualization.
Medicine

Genetic ancestry doesn’t tell your whole story

If you’re looking for your genetic origin story, your DNA will only take you so far.

a small cat walking on leaves
Endangered Species

Tiny wild cat spotted in Thailand for first time in 30 years

The flat-headed felines are the smallest wild cats in Southeast Asia.

A coffee machine, robot vacuum, and stand mixer on sale after the holidays at Amazon
Home

These 59 post-holiday Amazon deals drop kitchen and home upgrades for clearance prices

Save big on robot vacuums, air fryers, air purifiers, kitchen appliances, and tons of other devices to improve your home life.

a variety of products
Best of What's New

5 personal care products that solved real problems in 2025

From world-class headphones that double as hearing aids to a perfume bottle that prioritizes accessibility.

a black horse on dirt
Wildlife

12 award-winning photos of our beautiful world

From a breaching whale to fighting birds.

A person in a blue jacket holds a labeled glass jar filled with grain seeds while standing in a narrow aisle of a genebank. The room is filled from floor to ceiling with shelves holding hundreds of similar jars for long-term storage.
Ask Us Anything

The seed vaults that could save humanity

These genetic libraries plan for worse-case scenarios.

An aerial, high-altitude view looking down at a vast formation of billowing white cumulus clouds. The clouds appear thick and textured, with some peaks rising higher than others, casting soft shadows on the lower cloud layers and the dark blue atmosphere below. The composition captures the "clumping" effect of moisture in the upper atmosphere.
Weather

When clouds flock together

Scientists are discovering that clumping clouds supercharge storms in surprising ways—driving heavy, deadly rainfall and flooding.

veteranarians sit in an inflatable pool with a large sting ray
Fish

Giving a 140 pound stingray a check-up requires 8 people

The male leopard whiptail ray also boasts a four-foot-three-inch wingspan.

coins in dirt and a can in dirt
Archaeology

A couple walking their dog found $10 million worth of rare coins

The history of the Saddle Ridge Hoard.

An artistic, mixed-media collage with a vintage aesthetic, set against a light beige textured background. The central figure is the back of a woman’s head with long, dark wavy hair. A rectangular cutout on the back of her head reveals a black-and-white sketch of hair strands overlaid with a complex white chemical molecular structure. The woman wears a bright green garment with white polka dots, rendered in a flat, paper-cut style. Surrounding the figure are botanical elements: a large, light-colored chrysanthemum-like flower to the left and a dark, serrated leaf to the right. At the bottom, a torn strip of aged paper features a list of ingredients in a serif font, including "keratin, lignin, chitosan," "Hydroxyethyl cellulose," and "Sodium laureth sulfate."
Science

The science of green hair care

A push to move away from petroleum products—plus the perception that natural is gentler—has scientists lathering up new ingredients, from wood and fungus extracts to engineered proteins.

a telescope image of an oval shaped star cluster
NASA

Hubble spots massive sandwich-shaped blob in deep space

Nicknamed Dracula’s Chivito, the disk is 1,000 light-years away from Earth.

a variety of gadgets
Best of What's New

The 5 coolest gadget innovations of 2025

From a UV printer to a 360-degree camera drone.

observatory under milky way
Aviation

5 incredible aerospace breakthroughs in 2025