Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 205)

A long awaited astronomical event dubbed as the planet parade or planetary alignment. Four planets are visible to the naked eye in the evening sky. Saturn and Venus are moving along the solar system's disc, as seen from Sparta, North Carolina on January 25, 2025.
Solar System

February stargazing: ‘Planet parade’ continues and Venus shines

Six planets will remain aligned–with four visible to the naked eye–until February 9.

Illustration of the Didymos binary asteroid system (which is not a threat to Earth) and NASA’s DART spacecraft. In a 2022 test, the uncrewed spacecraft impacted the smaller asteroid, successfully deflecting it.
Space

It’s not sci-fi: Americans support asteroid defense spending

Funding for planetary defense has long had strong bipartisan support both inside and outside of Congress.

a close up of a human ear
Evolution

Most humans haven’t moved these muscles in 25 million years

But the auricular muscles might not be so useless after all.

Samsung QLED TVs arranged in a pattern
Televisions

Samsung just dropped the prices on its most popular TVs before the big football game we’re not allowed to name

Get a big new TV before the big game with these deep discounts on Samsung TVs, including Neo QLEDs and The Frame.

Artist illustration of asteroid in space
Solar System

Agencies plan for near-Earth asteroid’s close encounter in 2032

But it’s not time to build a bunker.

a woman reaches to scratch a red rash on her upper back
Health

Why scratching a rash really does make it worse

Scratching is 'pleasurable,' but not necessarily helpful.

bouquet of lego flowers on a table in greenhouse
Home

Flowers die. LEGO flowers do not (and they’re 20% off).

These discounted LEGO sets will leave enough money in your date night budget for some romantic takeout food.

Thermogalvanic fridge prototype device held in blue gloved hand
Engineering

The electrochemical cells that could power fridges of the future

Commercial refrigeration and A/C systems need an upgrade.

rat looking at you
AI

Rats beat AI at recognizing obscured objects

A powerful convolutional neural network still has a lot to learn from 'rat vision.'

a spider with a large white fungus covering its head
Spiders

Fungus-infected zombie spiders discovered in Northern Ireland

Gibellula attenboroughii was found in an abandoned gunpowder storeroom.

medical professional in a mask
Health

The most dangerous misconceptions about public health

Success is invisible. False assumptions can be deadly.

'There’s been an uptick in that imbalance and that has led to an uptick in the rate of ocean warming.'
Science

Finally, an answer to why Earth’s oceans have been on a record-hot streak

A new study finds that the rate of ocean warming has more than quadrupled over the past 40 years—and pinpoints why.

old man looking at sea
Science

What’s the maximum human life expectancy?

'Everything has to have a limit.'

Pulmonary tuberculosis,spreading through the lungs.
Diseases

Clinical trial finds three new ways to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis

Strains like these sicken 410,000 people each year.

Researchers say taking steps to prevent battery fires may be more effective than relying on possibly dangerous flame retardants.
Electric Vehicles

Flame retardants in some batteries might be making fires worse

'It's a futile effort against an overwhelming force.'

A polar bear still hunting on the sea ice of Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada.
Bears

How do polar bears keep ice off their fur? Grease.

Understanding how this fatty mixture works could help replace dangerous PFAS materials.

Bose Solo Soundbars on a plain background
Speakers

Go grab a Bose soundbar for just $99 before they sell out

Bose is throwing a flash sale on its refurbished store right now and you can save up to $300 on soundbars and headphones.

A top-down view of the OSIRIS-REx Touch-and-Go-Sample-Acquisition-Mechanism (TAGSAM) head with the lid removed, revealing the remainder of the asteroid sample inside. The picture was taken using manual high-resolution precision photography and a semi-automated focus stacking procedure. The result is an image that can be zoomed in on to show extreme detail of the sample. The remaining sample material includes dust and rocks up to about 0.4 inch in size.
Space

Scientists find traces of life’s building blocks in historic asteroid samples

New discoveries from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission were 'a complete surprise.'

A Great Tit pauses with an insect in its beak to feed its young.
Science

Great tits thrive in old-growth forests

The birds show more signs of stress in younger forests.

Norovirus is accompanied by abdominal pain, diarrhea and explosive vomiting.
Health

The best ways to stay safe from the norovirus, aka the winter vomiting bug

An infectious disease expert explains.