Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 19)

A purple and green graphic depicting a laptop screen "locked down"
Tech Hacks

This is the best browser to maximize your web privacy

Switch to the Tor Browser to lock down your online activity.

Firefighter with headlamp in the dark surrounded by low blazes.
Land

Here’s what supercharged the monster wildfires in Spain and France

Last summer brought Europe's most destructive wildfire season on record. This season is on track to break it.

a white porcupine
Wildlife

Rare baby albino porcupine rescued in Maine

Only about one in 10,000 porcupines are born with albinism.

a plane landing
Aviation

The 10 longest airplane flights on Earth

These ultra-long commercial flights are becoming more common thanks to design innovations and fuel capacity.

dog flies through the air to catch a toy
Pets

35 delightful images from the 2026 International Pet Photography Awards

From dogs defying gravity to prim and proper cats.

A collage of back to school items against a solar background
Gift Guides

2026 Back-to-School Gift Guide: 20+ essentials for students

From dorm decorations to school supplies, we cover everything a student needs to move in and lock in during the school year.

TAKEHARA, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 24: Rabbits look for food at the beach on Okunoshima Island on February 24, 2014 in Takehara, Japan. Okunoshima is a small island located in the Inland Sea of Japan in Hiroshima Prefecture. The Island often called Usagi Jima or "Rabbit Island" is famous for it's rabbit population that has taken over the island and become a tourist attraction with many people coming to the feed the animals and enjoy the islands tourist facilities which include a resort, six hole golf course and camping grounds. During World War II the island was used as a poison gas facility. From 1929 to 1945, the Japanese Army produced five types of poison gas on Okunoshima Island. The island was so secret that local residents were told to keep away and it was removed from area maps. Today ruins of the old forts and chemical factories can be found all across the island. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Wildlife

Wild boars develop taste for beloved rabbits on popular island in Japan

Trouble in bunny paradise.

Two angles of a phallic themed copper nail cleaner from ancient Rome
Archaeology

1,600-year-old phallic nail cleaner discovered near roadwork in England

Ancient Rome viewed male genitals as symbols of good luck, protection, and fertility.

a plane being unloaded out of a white truck
Aviation

‘Exceptionally rare’ World War I-era biplane returns to Long Island

This 1919 Curtiss Oriole may have mapped parts of South America and helped film some movies.

a red spiky flower growing in a swamp
Land

5 gnarly plants in the Okefenokee Swamp, from digestive slime to Earth’s fastest predator

The newly named UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to 620 plant species.

a meteor shower over grasslands
Moons

August stargazing: A planet parade, two eclipses, and one scary star

Trust us, August 12 is a really big day.

Greenworks yard tools
Home

Amazon is blowing out Greenworks electric yard tools, including a 2100 PSI pressure washer for just $149

If you have been thinking about making the move to electric tools (or upgrading your current gear), this sale is a great opportunity to save some money.

Dr. Rebecca Heinig holds up a bad of mosquitoes breed at the Thermacell Science & Research Center to test the effectiveness of spatial repellents
Outdoor Gear

I visited Thermacell’s lab that breeds mosquitoes. It didn’t suck.

Mosquitoes are masters of adaptability. Meet the teams trying to keep repellents two steps ahead of one evolutionary wonder.

DHAKA, BANGLADESH - NOVEMBER 11: A monkey carrying a puppy are seen around the park in Dhaka, Bangladesh on November 11, 2022. A monkey was spotted carrying a puppy around the park. The monkey also carried the puppy on its lap and was seen jumping from a tree's branches. Even though monkeys and dogs do not necessarily bond, a different animal friendly relationship was seen in Dhaka. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Pets

Monkeys sometimes have ‘pets’ like humans

And it may explain why we love ours so much.

GoPro cameras on a rock background
Cameras

The GoPro Max 360 camera shoots 5.6K footage your smartphone can’t and it’s just $229 right now at Amazon (down from $369)

GoPro's 360 cameras are taking the deepest cuts of the sale, and the official mounts, batteries, filters, and mods came down with them.

Smallpox virus seen under microscope
Evolution

Chilean mummies prove Europeans brought smallpox to the Americas

The 500-year-old smallpox DNA is the oldest ever found in the Americas.

Two lead slingshot bullets inscribed with the initials CN and D with a ruler for size comparison
Archaeology

Roman soldiers pelted rebels with signed slingshot bullets

The artifacts have the initials of a general charged with quelling an uprising in present-day Spain.

a mammoth tusk on a field with the sun setting
Archaeology

Ice Age humans preferred hunting female woolly mammoths

Scientists also found a mammoth that was neither biologically female or male.

schoolboy e-learning on laptop during computer class in classroom.
Technology

Schools are rethinking whether every student needs a laptop

A vintage 1950 photograph woman holds three Tupperware containers while standing in front of a group of women seated in a living room during a Tupperware party
Technology

WWII helped create Tupperware. Potlucks made it iconic.

The 1940s technology revolutionized how we eat.