Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 265)

stonehenge. these large neolithic standing stones are arranged in a circle
Archaeology

Geologists crack a major Stonehenge mystery

The circle's Altar Stone originated hundreds of miles away.

By Laura Baisas

roach at home
Insects

Roach sprays don’t work

If you want to stop a cockroach infestation, most consumer products offer 'absolutely no benefit.'

By Lauren Leffer

Specimen photographed with autofluorescence under confocal microscope at 639 nm; different colors indicate z-depth, with violet to red gradient representing the shallowest to deepest planes, respectively.
Animals

Extremely rare tardigrade fossils seen in unprecedented detail

There are only four known ‘water bear’ fossils in existence.

By Andrew Paul

In Scandinavia, early people adorned rocks with thousands of images of boats.
Archaeology

Scandinavia’s missing Bronze-Age boatyards

Archaeologists argue that ancient Scandinavian boat-building infrastructure has been hiding in plain sight.

By Richard Kemeny / Hakai Magazine

The best ultrawide gaming monitors
Console Gaming

The best ultrawide gaming monitors

For when 16:9 just isn't cutting it anymore.

By Eric Frederiksen, Brandt Ranj

Closeup of a young woman sticking out her tongue.
AI

AI tongue scanner can diagnose illnesses with 96 percent accuracy

The new machine learning system builds on 2,000-year-old traditional Chinese medicine techniques.

By Andrew Paul

Odyssey’s THEMIS view the horizon of Mars.
Mars

Ultrasonic tools could one day track wind speeds on Mars

3D readings of its turbulent atmosphere have been elusive.

By Tom Hawking

a spotted cat walks through a mountain region at night
Animals

Rare, endangered ocelot caught on camera

Fewer than 100 of these spotted cats exist in the wild in the US.

By Laura Baisas

The Darvaza Gas Crater is actually man-made: in the 1970s, Soviet engineers were doing gas explorations in the area, and made a whole mass of land sink in to reveal Darvaza. They subsequently set the sinkhole on fire - it has been burning to this day and remains a major tourist attraction.
Environment

Earth is covered in ‘Gates of Hell’

The fiery, barren, and stinky geological features that people keep naming after Hell.

By Lauren Leffer

Using rodenticides is projected to increase and may be contributing to declines in many carnivore species around the world.
Wildlife

Rat poison is moving up through food chains, threatening carnivores around the world

In many cases the animal will die.

By Meghan P. Keating / The Conversation

Ontocetus posti has post-canine teeth, a larger lower canine, and a fused and short mandibular symphysis.
Animals

New species of extinct walrus discovered

Only one walrus species remains on Earth.

By Laura Baisas

Starship test launch in 2021
Space X

SpaceX accused of dumping polluted Starship wastewater in Texas for years

The bombshell allegations may violate the EPA's Clean Water Act.

By Andrew Paul

NASA's InSight Mars lander acquired this image of the area in front of the lander using its lander-mounted, Instrument Context Camera (ICC).
Mars

NASA data suggests there’s liquid water deep beneath Mars’ surface

'At these depths, water would be liquid, not ice.'

By Tom Hawking

Illustration of Enalioetes head
Dinosaurs

This ancient crocodile looked kind of like a dolphin

Enalioetes schroederi’s ‘radically different’ body was scaleless, speedy, and lost to researchers for decades.

By Andrew Paul

A Starlight MacBook Air M3 in a diagonal pattern on a plain white background.
Computers

Apple’s latest MacBook Air is an excellent laptop for students—and $250 off on Amazon right now

The powerful portable computer will get them through their undergrad and beyond at an excellent price.

By Brandt Ranj

children's hands typing on a laptop
Tech Hacks

How to block websites on your home network

Your home and your rules.

By David Nield

Ancient star, but not one of the first: One of the oldest known stars ever observed is a subgiant star in the Milky Way, just 190 light-years from Earth. The star, known as HD 140283 or the Methuselah star, appears to be almost as old as the universe. However, we know it is not one of the first stars because of it contains metals that must have formed in the core or during the explosion of even earlier stars.
Space Telescope

The hunt for the first stars in the universe

'They died long ago.'

By Briley Lewis

'The field is evolving in a lot of ways.'
Vehicles

New forms of steel for stronger, lighter cars

Automakers are tweaking production processes to create a slew of new steels with just the right properties, allowing them to build cars that are both safer and more fuel-efficient.

By John Johnson Jr. / Knowable Magazine

Modern laptop flat lay yellow background.
Tech Hacks

7 tips to make the most of using a VPN

You've got a VPN installed—now what?

By David Nield

Closeup of broken eyeglasses with damaged colored lens surrounded by different lenses on table in optical shop. Replacement of glasses lens. Glasses service and repair concept
Projects

Don’t throw away your old sunglasses

What to do with those broken or outdated sunnies instead.

By Debbie Wolfe