Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 17)

Fuzzy brown bear mother with cute cub in medium shot.
Bears

Why do mother bears kill cubs? The answer is complicated.

Two bears at Brooks River in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve recently killed cubs that weren’t their own.

Man standing next to his flame-spouting pipe organ invention powered by propane.
Engineering

Man builds fire-spouting propane pipe organ

It sounds as metal as it looks.

a blue lobster
Wildlife

Rare blue lobster gets another shot at life in the ocean

The colorful crustacean will only be at New Hampshire's Explore the Ocean World museum until Labor Day.

NEIJIANG, CHINA - NOVEMBER 30: A worker transfers PVC pipes at a factory of Sichuan Hongyu Hengchuang Plastic Products Co., Ltd. on November 30, 2022 in Neijiang, Sichuan Province of China. (Photo by Lan Zitao/VCG via Getty Images)
Science

Hard-to-recycle PVC turned into sustainable lubricant

40 million tons of this polluting plastic are produced every year.

a woman wearing glasses with red lights on them
Engineering

Infrared glasses could push the boundaries of human eyesight

The prototype could help us see light that other animals can.

a bird with white and black feathers and bright red feet stands on a tree branch
Birds

Rare tropical red-footed booby spotted in Maryland

The visitor excited the Chesapeake Bay’s boaters and birders alike.

Conservationist holding large Burmese python by the tail in Florida Everglades
Land

280 snakes killed at 2026 Florida Python Challenge

The lengthiest snake was about as a long as a car.

Close up shot of someone putting sunscreen lotion on a child on a sunny day.
Sun

4 sunscreen myths too many people still get wrong

And how 'E. coli' might be the next big thing in sun protection.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) in a drawer
Headphones

Bose’s new QuietComfort headphones get spatial audio and USB-C lossless for $359

Bose's QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) bring Ultra-only Immersive Audio and USB-C lossless to $359. Preorders open August 8, shipping August 13.

Python incentives and education specialist, Robert Edman, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, demonstrates how to catch a python during an event promoting the Florida Python Challenge 2020 Python Bowl on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019. The python challenge is a conservation effort that includes public outreach on the invasive pythons and a ten day competition to remove pythons from the Florida Everglades. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/TNS)
Land

Florida Python Challenge winner slayed 96 snakes

Veteran hunter Tom Rahill has battled the invasive species for over 10 years.

two eagles perched on a tree branch
Birds

Bald eaglets Sandy and Luna leave Big Bear Valley, Shadow gets a little vacation

The Ojai Raptor Center also provided an update on mom Jackie.

An image of a 100 micrometer coprolite fossil
Evolution

Poop made life on Earth possible. Yes, poop.

540 million years ago, nutrient-filled feces helped spread complex organisms.

An image of a supernova shock breakthrough in space with three additional timelapses images on the right showcasing its luminosity shift over years.
Space Telescope

Extraordinarily rare supernova death spotted 500 million light-years from Earth

It's an explosive case of CSI: Space.

a puma crossing the road
Land

Pumas can help prevent car crashes

The big cats can keep deer away from roads, according to new research.

Highly detailed image of roiling plasma on the surface of the sun
Sun

Plasma waves spotted on sun’s surface for the first time

The 'small' vortices were found using the world’s largest solar telescope.

a sea turtle wearing a satellite tag on its shell walks back into the ocean
Ocean

Rescued sea turtle named Pancake swims to hot hangout for young turtles

The critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was recently released from Coney Island, New York.

moon
Space X

An abandoned SpaceX rocket likely crashed into the moon this morning. The real problem comes next.

A man in a silver hazmat suit stands in front of a sign.
Weapons

During WWII, Great Britain poisoned sheep with anthrax on an idyllic Scottish island

Gruinard Island remained toxic for nearly 50 years—until activists started delivering buckets of dirt.

Reconstruction of ‘Spea labreae, sp. nov.’ (dark spadefoots, center and right) in La Brea Tar Pits compared with ‘Spea hammondii’ (light spade-foot, left), the species currently present in the area, and the presence of the Mexican burrowing toad (‘Rhinophrynidae,’ bottom).
Evolution

Forgotten fossil from 1950s is actually a new species of Ice Age frog

The spadefoot toad is the second Ice Age amphibian ever found in North America.

Best LED lightbulbs
Smart Home

The best LED light bulbs

Choosing an LED lightbulb that's eco-conscious, reliable, and is built to last is always a bright idea.