Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 174)

child playing with fidget spinner
Ask Us Anything

Does fidgeting really help you focus?

According to science, it depends.

Germany’s North and Baltic Seas are littered with munitions from the First and Second World Wars, such as shells—as shown here—once fired from German battleships.
Military

The big Baltic bomb cleanup

The ocean became a dumping ground for weapons after Allied forces defeated the Nazis. Now a team of robots and divers are making the Baltic Sea safer.

a whale surfaces next to a large fishing trawler
Ocean

Whales need krill to survive. We want it for supplements.

Marine mammals that almost went extinct are now competing with commercial trawlers for food.

Mini mum is one of the smallest frogs in the world, described by Mark D. Scherz and his colleagues in 2019. These tiny frogs from southeastern Madagascar live in amongst the leaf litter and feed on tiny mites. They are amongst the target species of the GEMINI project, because their closest relatives are ten times larger.
Evolution

Researchers want to unlock genetics of the world’s tiniest animals

Nature has managed to miniaturize the exact same vital organs and cram them into a less than one-centimeter-long frog.

ford holograms
Vehicles

Ford files patent for a car with holographic cops and guard dogs

'Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business.'

Electrostatic hydraulic robot leg
Robots

Oil-filled ‘muscles’ give this robot leg a spring in its step

The new, electrostatic mechanism mimics human and animal limb biology.

an x-ray image of an eel escaping from a fish's stomach
Fish

Watch an eel escape a fish’s stomach through its gills

Scientists in Japan used X-ray videography to capture the breakout.

Starship Titanic promo art displaying the ship's in-game bots
AI

The improbable voyage of Starship Titanic, the 1998 Douglas Adams video game filled with ‘unhinged’ chatbots

Tasked with the ‘impossible,' the designers created one of the most puzzling games ever.

the gemini logo
Tech Hacks

How to create custom AI chatbots in Google Gemini

Gemini now has Gems—and here's how to use them.

The Boeing Starliner.
Space

The Boeing Starliner has returned to Earth without its crew. Now what?

A former astronaut details what that means for NASA, Boeing, and the astronauts still up in space.

text says "VR in 1994" with photo of backpack device
Technology

Interactor: The ’90s VR backpack gamers hated

'It feels weird.'

Early warning systems save lives during disasters.
Tech Hacks

How to sign up for local emergency alerts before natural disasters strike

We know early warning systems save lives. Give yourself extra time when disasters come your way.

jars filled with different types of fruits and vegetables in liquid
Life Skills

How to start pickling food

Extend the shelf life of your favorite fruits or vegetables.

two images: an astronaut on a spacewalk and a scuba diver
Space

Astronauts and aquanauts: What does the sea have to do with space?

Turns out, the best place to train to leave Earth is the big blue.

Nose closeup
Science

What’s that smell—and how’d you know?

It’s clear that genes, receptors and neurons all play a role in detecting odors. But much of how we make sense of what we sniff remains mysterious. A neuroscientist explains.

the google tasks interface on a cell phone
Tech Hacks

Google Tasks is the best Google tool you’re not using

One of Google's simplest and most useful apps.

an illustration of a striped tasmanian tiger with sharp teeth eating the body of a wombat-like creature
Wildlife

New bone-crushing Tasmanian tiger species dug up by paleontologists

Badjcinus timfaulkneri is among three new species of the extinct marsupial discovered in Australia.

A black and white image shows a silvery sheet of material toward the bottom
Sun

NASA releases first photo of 860-square-foot solar sail in orbit

The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System could pave the way for new, ultrafast forms of space travel.

Turns out, micro and nano plastics degrade differently.
Science

Scientists finally get a 3D view of degrading microplastics

Researchers can now see all sides of micro and nano plastic particles.

a sedan sitting in front of concrete structures
Electric Vehicles

Lucid reinvents the electric motor by thinking small. Really small.

The carmaker is blazing a fresh trail on the EV path forward.