Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 145)

several orange and black monarch butterflies dot large green leaves
Endangered Species

Scientists build rest stops for monarch butterflies on a volcano

These new 'overwintering' sites near Mexico City could help the struggling insects.

Ai-Da robot standing in front of two of its paintings at the United Nations
AI

A humanoid robot’s painting called ‘AI God’ may sell for over $120,000

Sotheby's auction will be the first of its kind.

a close up of four pieces of sliced bread
Evolution

Our love of delicious carbs may go back 800,000 years

The gene that kick off starch digestion potentially duplicated for the first time long before farming.

This photo taken during a media tour on October 11, 2024 shows the neutrino detector, a stainless steel and acrylic sphere around 35 meters in diameter, at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (Juno) in Kaiping, in southern China's Guangdong province.
Particle Physics

China races to unlock one of the biggest mysteries in particle physics

JUNO, the underground facility in Kaiping, will boot up in 2025.

A photograph showing two big and two little Pyrocystis noctiluca.
Ocean

Why these plankton puff up to 6x bigger than normal

Pyrocystis noctiluca's cells work like ‘little submarines.’

A US Navy officer releases a weather balloon over the Atlantic Ocean in 2009. Today, the United States launches around 76,600 balloons annually to gather high-altitude weather data on air temperature, pressure, and humidity.
Conservation

Weather forecasting is deadly for marine wildlife

Latex balloons designed to collect high-altitude data become a threat to marine animals after they burst—though the scale of their impact remains unknown.

TK
Health

Could Ozempic and similar drugs be used to treat substance use disorders?

More research is needed, but a study with alcohol and opioid users is promising.

surgical equipment on table
Biology

Autopsy of 78-year-old man reveals he had three penises

This is the first documented adult case of triphallia.

a blue whale skeleton on display at a museum
Biology

Blue whale skeleton still leaking oil, 26 years after death

The skeleton named KOBO is on display at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Four of the best mice for MacBook Pro shown on a white background
PC Gaming

The best mice for MacBook Pro

Take a break from the trackpad with these powerful and customizable Mac mice.

Axiom and Prada designed a custom white fabric that can protect astronauts from extreme heat and dangerous lunar dust.
Space

How Prada’s fancy Artemis III spacesuits work

Increased fabric flexibility and heavy-duty life support systems make Apollo-era space suits look like relics.

Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell scaling Devil's Climb in Alaska
Land

Rock climbing legend Alex Honnold talks his Devil’s Climb, Google Maps, and biking with wild horses

'It’ll send you… across pastures and cow fields and through private property.'

a musuem exhibit with a dinosaur skeleton. a picture of actor jeff goldblum saying "that is a one big pile of poop" is in the lower left.
Biology

The Poozeum: Fossilized bug farts, T. rex poop, and more ancient coprolites

These specimens can tell us a lot about dinosaur diets.

A farmer promotes taro through a live webcast in a field in Suqian, Jiangsu province, China, on Sept. 9, 2024.
Internet

Farms to fame: How China’s rural influencers are redefining country life

China’s countryside is emerging as an unlikely epicenter of viral content.

Sierra Space TCPS machine
International Space Station

ISS astronauts to test trash compactor that’s basically WALL-E

Sierra Space’s machine can also recycle water from the garbage.

The best smart rings in 2024 on a plain white background.
Fitness Gear

The best smart rings

Smart rings provide high-tech, low-profile data collection that prioritizes a fashion-forward design.

Researcher testing sensors and weights for fatigue monitoring
AI

Wearable sensors monitor factory worker fatigue in real time

Researchers hope predictive machine learning can help prevent injuries on the job.

An architect's rendering of what Kairos' first demonstration mini nuclear reactor will look like when it's completed.
Energy

Google bets big on ‘mini’ nuclear reactors to feed its AI demands

Google says the agreement could 'unlock the full potential of AI for everyone.'

Moflin robot pet
AI

Casio thinks an AI-powered furball can replace your pet

Moflin the wiggling robot is ‘always by your side in your heart.’

An illustration showing an imposing fully-grown male Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus wandering India’a Kashmir Valley, 400,000 years ago, towering over a herd of Central Asian red deer. In the distance, a small band of prehistoric humans set up a campfire to cook their meal.
Evolution

Mysterious elephant species uncovered with 87 prehistoric stone tools

A new analysis of this 400,000-year-old skull fills in missing branches on the elephant evolutionary tree.