Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 19)

Valentine's Day gift guide header
Gift Guides

2026 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: 26 perfect presents for your partner

Whether they're outdoor enthusiasts, die-hard gamers, audiophiles, cinephiles, or anything in between, you can give your love something that they love.

Termites eating wood
Insects

Termites are swarming Florida even faster than predicted

Most of the state may be fighting the invasive species by 2050.

Hands warming near a bonfire at night
Evolution

Fire may have altered human DNA

‘Unlike any other species, most humans will burn themselves repeatedly over their lifetime.’

Freestyle skiers have inspired this design, the figure depicted seen mid-pose, their striking position showcasing the agility and athleticism during a freestyle performance. Sculpted snowflakes decorate the background. Surrounding the figure, coloured print features the Australian Olympic Team logo and the aesthetics of the Australian 2026 Winter Olympics branding
Science

Australia mints colorful $1 coins to honor Olympians and Paralympians

Let the games begin.

An artistic, mixed-media digital collage of an early twentieth-century electric vehicle, specifically a Woods Motor Vehicle Company car. The car is rendered in shades of purple and pink against a textured yellow background that looks like crumpled paper. The image features playful, hand-drawn scribbles in red and black, including the words "VROOM VROOM" and "LET'S RIDE!" near the front wheel. The car itself has a tall, carriage-like cabin with large windows and thin, spoked wheels highlighted with glowing pink circles. Decorative red loops and lines are sketched around the rear of the vehicle to suggest motion.
Hybrid Cars

In 1916, hybrid cars could’ve changed history. But Ford wouldn’t allow it.

Henry Ford's monopoly on the automobile industry meant that hybrids wouldn't see the light of day for decades.

a mummy's decorative outer shell on display in a musuem
Archaeology

Scientists want you to smell ancient Egyptian mummies

A mixture of archeology and chemistry brings the aroma of mummification to museums.

a pulley system with a ceiling fan chain
Engineering

Man solves ceiling fans’ most annoying problem

His 3D-printed device finally shows a ceiling fans' speed.

People watching football on a TV paired with a Sonos soundbar that's on sale
Speakers

Sonos is blowing out its most popular soundbars, speakers, and headphones during this flash sale

If you have been thinking about upgrading your home theater audio or jumping into a whole home audio setup, this Sonos sale is the time to do it.

Large group of used dirty sleeping mattresses. Abandoned in wild landfill
Science

Fungi help turn old mattresses into insulation

Every day, 50,000 mattresses are tossed in the trash in the United States. A relative of penicillin could be the cure.

ROV pilots filmed this glass squid at 1,725 meters while exploring the Colorado-Rawson submarine canyon off the coast of Argentina. CREDIT: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute Due to our legal status as a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation, no media produced by Schmidt Ocean Institute may be used in attempting to influence legislation or lobbying. Additionally, all visual assets (Images, videos, etc) can only be used as stated by creative commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Ocean

Marine biologists discover 28 new deep sea species—and an old VHS tape

The level of ocean biodiversity near Argentina staggered researchers.

a white dog with ears perked up and wide eyes against a blue background
Dogs

Cortisol could impact your dog’s behavior

Just like in humans, stress and mood hormones might play a role in your pet’s temperament.

A white pickup truck is driving away from the viewer across a flat sandy plain with tall, smoothly sculpted dunes rising in the background. Small patches of dry grass are scattered in the foreground.
Land

Death Valley National Park needs help ID’ing joyriding vandals

A truck illegally tore through the California park, leaving five miles of tracks and damaging ‘sensitive desert plants.’

A hummingbird’s wings on a micro-CT scanner.
Birds

How do you check a hummingbird for broken bones? Very carefully.

Micro-CT scans can reveal hard-to-spot fractures in tiny, injured hummingbirds.

A close-up of a person's mouth smiling, showing teeth fitted with metal dental braces on both the upper and lower rows. The image focuses on the orthodontic brackets and wires, with the person’s nose and lips framing the smile.
Archaeology

Why our ancestors had straight teeth without braces

Small jaws mean big problems for modern humans.

Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 350 AW camera backpack
Cameras

Adorama is blowing out camera bags during this limited winter clearance sale

Whether you want a high-end camera bag or a simple sling, Adorama has them all at clearance prices.

05 September 2020, Saxony-Anhalt, Halberstadt: Soprano Johanna Vargas (l) and composer Julian Lembke (r) use the organ pipes. Since 2001 the organ has been playing the music piece "ORGAN2/ASLSP" by John Cage without interruption. It is said to last 639 years. On Saturday, September 5, 2020, the 14th sound change of the John Cage Organ Art Project Halberstadt has been completed. In addition to the previous five pipes c'(16'), des'(16'), dis', ais' and e'', there are two new pipes g sharp and e. The next sound lasts until February 5, 2022. Then the g sharp will be dropped again. If everything goes as planned, the performance of the piece will last until the year 2640 Photo: Matthias Bein/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa (Photo by Matthias Bein/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Technology

Pipe organ plays single song for 639 years

The avant-garde composition ‘ORGAN²/ASLSP’ is being stretched to its limits.

a small chick sits on a nest with its parent behind, cleaning its feathers with its beak
Land

Watch an albatross give its brand-new chick a very careful cleanup

The massive seabirds’ powerful beaks can be surprisingly gentle when preening their babies.

Various angles of silver pendant with Roman gem inlay next to measurement references
Archaeology

Metal detectorist finds medieval pendant with a Roman ‘secret’

The discovery is an artifact within an artifact.

a dog sits next to a no dog poop sign
Dogs

Poop DNA tests and AI dog surveillance: The tech changing pet care.

Technology is being repurposed to find lost animals—and owners who don't clean up after their pets.

A photograph of a woman in a red jacket outdoors in a snowy park, grimacing in pain while clutching her knee, illustrating how cold weather can affect joint health.
Health

Why do your joints hurt when it’s cold? We asked a doctor.

And what you can do to ease the aches.