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google street view of possible crime

Google Street View helps catch suspect of a grisly crime

The image captured the moment a suspect loaded a large, lumpy, white bag into the trunk of a car.

By Mack DeGeurin

Hands typing on keyboard

Charter school is replacing teachers with AI

‘Imagine starting a school and declaring, ‘We won’t have any academic teachers.’ We did exactly that!’

$The first image depicts star cluster NGC 602 in vibrant and festive colors. The cluster includes a giant dust cloud ring, shown in greens, yellows, blues, and oranges. The green hues and feathery edges of the ring cloud create the appearance of a wreath made of evergreen boughs. Hints of red representing X-rays provide shading, highlighting layers within the wreath-like ring cloud. The image is aglow with specks and dots of colorful, festive light, in blues, golds, whites, oranges, and reds. These lights represent stars within the cluster. Some of the lights gleam with diffraction spikes, while others emit a warm, diffuse glow. Upon closer inspection, many of the glowing specks have spiraling arms, indicating that they are, in fact, distant galaxies.$

Happy holidays from space!

A cosmic wreath, astronauts in Santa hats, and Martian snow.

By Laura Baisas

The long finger sticking out of the Sun at the bottom left of this image is a coronal mass ejection. It was captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on August 31, 2012.

Does the Sun make noise?

In space, no one can hear you beam.

By Harriet Weber

Thomas Worth’s 1872 illustration for the Household Edition of The Old Curiosity Shop highlights her grandfather’s grief at losing Little Nell.

How infectious diseases killed Victorian children at alarming rates

Their novels highlight the fragility of public health today.

By Andrea Kaston Tange / The Conversation

A Sombrero ground lizard (Pholidoscelis corvinus) photographed on Sombrero Island in June 2021. This species is endemic to the Carribbean island.

Population of nearly extinct lizard grows 16X in only six years

'This is a remarkable turnaround for this cheeky and charismatic lizard.’

By Laura Baisas

fake drone video on tiktok

People keep falling for fake ‘drones over Jersey’ videos

It's never been easier to make AI-generated spoofs.

By Mack DeGeurin

Small LCD video projector on table in living room, watching movies in home theater

Can a projector really replace your TV?

Quality and affordability have improved on both sides.

backyard chicken flock

The first confirmed, severe human case of bird flu is here

The person was exposed to sick birds through a backyard poultry flock.

By Lauren Leffer

An Andean bear at the nature reserve Bioparque Wakata, in Briceno municipality near Bogota, Colombia, on June 21, 2023.

Shy ‘Paddington’ bears need more plants to survive

Andean bears will only eat livestock if they really have to.

By Laura Baisas

Close up of white wine bottle pouring into wine glass

Bacteria-powered artificial tongue can taste-test alcohol for additives

The prototype is light, portable, and analyzes samples near-instantly.

an illustration of a black hole

Enormous black hole napping after eating a ton of gas

Black holes like this one may gorge for about five to 10 million years–then go dormant for 100 million.

By Laura Baisas

Modern Kitchen with wooden table, kitchen utensils, cooking pots and others, white background.

Recent panic over black plastic started with a math error

BDE-209 is still bad for you.

person drinking ginger ale on a plane

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Yes, ginger ale really does taste better on a plane. Here’s why.

Plus other weird things we learned this week.

By Popular Science Team

dna test infographic

The data dragnet: A new world of technological surveillance

Advances in DNA technology and artificial intelligence may usher in a more Orwellian world. But do they work?

By Peter Andrey Smith/Undark

a squirrel sits eating a vole, pulling its meat with its teeth

‘Shocking:’ These squirrels are hunting and eating other rodents

'We had never seen this behavior before.'

By Laura Baisas

Martian landscape photo taken by Mars rover

Researchers propose building homes on Mars with human blood

AstroCrete uses a protein found in plasma as a binder. No, really.

Blurry image of NYC at night

Sorry, but the mystery drones are pretty normal (probably)

Absurd conspiracy theories like Project Blue Beam have reemerged.

a turtle swims in a tank wearing a black weighted harness on its side

Sea turtle with ‘bubble butt syndrome’ gets a 3D-printed custom harness

Charlotte, the 138-pound green sea turtle, was struck by a boat about 18 years ago.

By Laura Baisas

Wright brothers plane

December 17, 1903: The Wright brothers take flight, drama ensues

The fight over 'First in Flight.'

By Bill Gourgey

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