Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 17)

a woodpecker with black white and a little bit of red plumage on a tree
Birds

Woodpeckers grunt like tennis players

‘They take the pecking that we see all birds doing and take it to the extreme.’

Close up of tree toad
Endangered Species

These toads don’t start as tadpoles

They're born as tiny 'toadlets.'

Artist illustration of two ESCAPADE satellites orbiting Mars
Mars

Meet Blue and Gold: NASA’s first twin satellites bound for Mars

The ESCAPADE mission will help predict space weather for future crewed missions to the Red Planet.

Fragment of a Roman milestone erected along the road Via Nova in Jordan. Credit: Adam Pažout, Itiner-e.
Archaeology

Travel ancient Rome’s 186,000 miles of roads in new online atlas

Itiner-e suggests the empire’s routes were almost double previous estimates.

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2025 Bret Saalwaechter Tracy United States Title: I Just Can't Wait To Be King Description: While photographing a pride of lions in the Serengeti, I watched as a group of cubs channeled their innter toddler tantrum, relentlessly demanding milk and attention from their mother, much to the exasperation of the adult lions. Life in the dry season is no picnic—lions are anxiously waiting for the Great Migration and the feast it promises—but it makes for some incredible wildlife behavior and these cubs were the stars of the show. For over an hour, they followed their mother around a famous Serengeti kopje—those iconic rocky outcrops that dot the landscape—alternating between trying to suckle and play. Each time the mother, already in a foul mood from the sweltering heat, would give a quick roar of disapproval and escape the circus. But the cubs, like any persistent little ones, would chase her down, nipping at her and yelping for more attention. This back-and-forth drama played out again and again, until I captured the perfect moment: the entire pride, in perfect unison, seemed to say, “Not this again!” Animal: Lion Location of shot: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Wildlife

14 hilarious finalists from the 2025 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Funny frogs, cheeky gibbons, and annoyed lions.

A close-up view of the back of a person's head, showing a receding hairline and a circular patch of thinning hair or male pattern baldness on the crown, surrounded by short, gray and brown hair. The background is pure white.
Health

3 hair loss myths you probably believe

Baldness does not only come from your mother’s side—and other myths debunked.

Video screenshot of remoras attached to humpback whale
Fish

Ride on a humpback whale with little sucker fish

New POV video shows a mutually beneficial relationship between remoras and the gentle giants.

A warning sign is seen at the closed walking trail to the observatory in the Shirakawago district, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Bears

Japan deploys army to fight bears

After over 100 bear attacks this year, it's time for reinforcements.

The Home Depot Ryobi tools Black Friday free tool deals
Home

The Home Depot’s early Black Friday Ryobi sale: Get two batteries and a power tool for just $99

The free tools include popular options like impact drivers, reciprocating saws, yard tools, and more.

V0015163ER Two hooded figures and a King grieve over a dead person whil Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk http://wellcomeimages.org Two hooded figures and a King grieve over a dead person while another masked figure comes to cleanse the room of the plague. Woodcut by V. Solis. Published: - Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Diseases

Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem

A 14th century trickster tale was misread as fact.

Playful young woman hiding face under blanket while lying in cozy bed, pretty curious girl feeling shy peeking from duvet, covering with white sheet, head shot close up. Top view
Mental Health

4 research-backed ways to beat the winter blues in the colder months

hermit crab with pink creature on its head
Animals

New species looks like a fuzzy pink hermit crab wig

The pair lives in a symbiotic relationship over 1,000 feet below the Pacific.

a latte in space
Deep Space

Why some scientists say our universe is Sad Millennial Beige 

Plus loud rats and other weird things we learned this week.

This artist's concept depicts a supermassive black hole in the process of shredding a massive star—at least 30 times the mass of our Sun—to pieces. Scientists propose this is what happened around the distant black hole referred to as J2245+3743, which in 2018, brightened dramatically to create the brightest black hole flare ever recorded, shining with the light of 10 trillion suns. This is likely the most massive star-shredding event (formally called a tidal disruption event or TDE) ever observed and one of only a few to have occurred in an active galactic nucleus (AGN), which is an active supermassive black hole "feeding" off material in a surrounding disk. The stunning flare was discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), based at Caltech's Palomar Observatory, and the Caltech-led Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey.
Black Holes

Black hole unleashes brightest flare ever—brighter than 10 trillion suns

A supermassive black hole’s star snack lit up the cosmos like never before.

Seized ivory and rhino tusks photographed by law enforcement
Endangered Species

Endangered rhino horns and elephant tusks seized in California

Poachers kill over 20,000 African elephants every year for their ivory.

rotten eggs with black and white fuzzy mold on them
Medicine

Stinky ‘rotten egg’ gas could fight nail infections

Don't worry, scientists are working on the odor.

A close-up photo of some dandelions, but the image is slightly distorted by digital artefacts.
Science

Why we (probably) aren’t living in a computer simulation

Mathematicians say they proved reality is real. Critics already say otherwise.

a bird with white and gray plummage
Ocean

Rare seabird saved after swallowing four large fishhooks

Veterinarians successfully removed the debris from the juvenile Salvin’s albatross.

A person's lower legs and feet, wearing thick, gray fuzzy socks, are stretched out against a clean white duvet or sheet. The image is bright and minimal, suggesting a cozy, relaxed moment in bed.
Ask Us Anything

Do you need more sleep in fall and winter? Probably.

Less sunlight, colder weather, and diet changes make us sleepier—and that’s OK.

A Vivid ORange Hetbike Mars 3.0 sitting on green grass
Outdoor Gear

Heybike Mars 3.0 review: The folding e-bike built for adventure

This full-suspension, fat-tire folder is happiest bouncing down gravel paths and camping trails, though it does a good job rolling over city potholes, too.