Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 238)

The best sleds arranged in a pattern
Outdoor Gear

The best sleds

Whether there's a snow tube, vintage toboggan, flying saucer, or sled for ice fishing on your wish list, these are the best sleds.

a white fungus with large red droplets that look like blood
Biology

That’s not blood, it’s a fungus oozing excess juice

Hydnellum peckii, or bleeding tooth fungus, can be found in the forests of North America and Europe.

A Leonids meteor streaks across the sky over Ankara, Turkey on November 17, 2020.
Solar System

November’s sky lights up with three meteor showers and the last supermoon of 2024

With the sun officially in its solar maximum, there could also be more auroras.

Old growth tree with perfect branching structure for marbled murrelets.
Birds

Listening in on the mysterious marbled murrelet with machine learning

Applying machine learning to forest soundscapes helps researchers pinpoint rare and threatened birds.

Geospatial scientists have found a way to detect plastic waste on remote beaches, bringing us closer to global monitoring options.
Science

Satellite imaging can now spot plastic trash hiding on beaches

A new tool recognized spectral features that distinguish plastics from sand or organic debris.

Close up of C-17 cargo plane
Air Force

Boeing allegedly overcharged the military 8,000% for airplane soap dispensers

The government also isn’t sure if it paid 'fair or reasonable' prices for another 25 spare part orders.

A WORX leaf blower in a pattern on a plain background.
Home

WORX makes our favorite compact leaf blower and it’s currently 30% off at Amazon

This WORX cordless leaf blower deal is only available for a limited time, so don't wait to click "add to cart."

a tadpole swimming
Wildlife

A rock in Argentina turns out to be the oldest tadpole fossil ever found

The 161-million-year-old specimen belongs to a giant species of frog from the Middle Jurassic.

Thalattosuchian skulls. Showing the semi-aquatic species (A and B), and the fully aquatic metriorhynchid (C).
Evolution

Why don’t we have deep sea crocodiles?

Evolution saved us from the terrifying prospect.

A graphic depicting the inner workings of a 2024 Toyota Mirai, showing the vehicle's hydrogen storage system, fuel cell, and electric motor.
Ask Us Anything

Why aren’t we driving hydrogen powered cars yet? There’s a reason EVs won.

The underlying tech of hydrogen passenger cars can still be transformative.

“Zombie” house flies infected with the fungus Entomophthora muscae end up with characteristically swollen and striped abdomens and visible fungal material. The flies die with their wings up and fungal spores can shoot away easily from their corpses.
Insects

Night of the zombie insects

A parasitic fungus takes over the brains of flies and controls them for its own sinister ends. Here’s the science behind the horror.

a large rat wearing a red vest holds a dark, round, ball
Wildlife

Giant three-pound rats trained to sniff out illegal poaching

These 11 African giant pouched rats with special smellers could remember the scents for months.

a brown and black spider money sits in a green and leafy tree with a large, round, yellow fruit in its mouth
Wildlife

‘Drunk’ animals might be more common

Naturally fermented fruits can reach 1 to 2 percent alcohol by volume, less than a light beer.

Boston Dynamic's Spot getting kicked in a routine test.
Robots

Researchers tortured robots to test the limits of human empathy

A brief history of people bullying robots.

View of the bow of the RMS Titanic photographed in June 2004 by the ROV Hercules during an expedition returning to the shipwreck of the Titanic.
Archaeology

A hunk of coal from the Titanic could fetch $780 at auction

The UK’s Shipwreck Treasure Museum is selling its 8,000-item collection.

Male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) in flight
Aviation

Feather-inspired wing flaps may prevent planes from stalling

‘​​The more flaps you add to the front of the wing, the higher the performance benefit.’

A malabar gliding frog struggles and holds on to twigs to try and escape from the venomous, strong bite of its predator - a Malabar pit viper. The viper didn't let go of the frog, and the frog didn't let go of the twigs either, until it had a little life left in it. However, the frog had to give up finally, and the snake won, and swallowed this beautiful green frog. This is a stack of two images, one for frog eyes, and another for the snake's eyes. We had almost given up hopes of finding any subjects in the rainforest of Agumbe, India, due to heavy rains, but decided to stop at one last place on the way back to our stay, and this was our lucky and only find for the night.
Wildlife

16 brutal and captivating wildlife images from the Close-up Photographer of the Year shortlist

Look into the eyes of spiders, snakes, and a baby manatee.

An illustration of Lomankus edgecombei. This arthropod lived about 538 to 485 million years ago in dark and low-oxygen environments.
Wildlife

450-million-year-old arthropod found preserved in fool’s gold

Lomankus edgecombei and other arthropods are ‘like a biological Swiss army knife.’

a man in a rescue jacket sits on the snow with a dog. a helicopter is landing in the background
Dogs

As winter approaches, avalanche dogs train for rescues

The dogs' noses and their ability to navigate snowy terrain can expedite recovery missions.

A buoy equipped with MarineLabs’ sensors endures rough weather near Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Sensors from MarineLabs and other companies—such as Axys Technologies, based in Sidney, British Columbia—can help fill gaps in the federal government’s coastal weather monitoring system, which has seen key stations go offline for months at a time.
AI

Marine weather forecasts are getting an AI upgrade

Machine learning systems—powered by new data—are taking some of the guesswork out of maritime safety.