Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 3)

a wooden boat on display in a dark museum exhibit
Archaeology

Who built Scandinavia’s oldest wooden plank boat? An ancient fingerprint offers clues.

Archeologists are closer to solving the Hjortspring Boat's mysteries.

Artist's impression of sparks from flint and pyrite
Evolution

Neanderthals harnessed fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought

'This is the most remarkable discovery of my career.’

An astronaut in a white spacesuit floats in space above Earth, holding a handmade sign that reads “FOR SALE” in large pink letters. Reflections of space equipment and Earth are visible in the astronaut’s helmet visor, and part of a space shuttle is seen behind them with the blue curve of Earth in the background.
Space

The space billboard that nearly happened

How a 1993 plan to launch ads into space turned into a national freakout.

products on a page that says best of what's new 2025
Best of What's New

The 50 greatest innovations of 2025

The 38th annual Best of What's New awards.

An assortment of EF ECOFLOW portable power stations on sale at Amazon
Home

Save hundreds on EF ECOFLOW solar generators and portable power stations with this limited Amazon deal

Don't wait for a black out or emergency to roll around before grabbing a portable power station or solar generator. The deals also include portable chargers for smaller devices.

Close up of Nazca booby bird
Birds

Female Galápagos birds flaunt their sexual partners. The males don’t seem to mind.

'Many of these female boobies are really freewheeling it when it comes to sexual behavior.’

Polaroid I-Type camera with a print coming out
Cameras

The latest Polaroid instant film camera is down to just $99 at Amazon making it a killer holiday gift

Bring this to a holiday party and take pictures or wrap one up as a great gift for anyone who likes photos taken without a smartphone.

Underhammer 18th century pistol on table
Technology

Rare 19th century pistol used to rob Tulsa liquor store

‘This pistol is something a bit different,’ according to a firearms expert.

An ancient Pompeii wall at a newly excavated site, where Associate Professor Admir Masic applied compositional analysis (overlayed to right) to understand how ancient Romans made concrete that has endured for thousands of years.
Archaeology

Pompeii’s ruins challenge Rome’s famous concrete recipe

The empire’s most famous architect may have had it wrong.

The best solar generators including Jackery 2000 Pro, Anker 767 and the EcoFlow
Home

The best solar generators for 2026, tested and reviewed

Tap the power of the sun to meet your power needs wherever you may roam.

a gold coin with a ship and queen elizabeth i etched into it
Archaeology

Elizabethan era gold coin sold for record-breaking price

The coin minted between 1584 and 1586 celebrates England’s naval superiority.

An international team of researchers used the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton and XRISM, a JAXA-led mission with ESA participation, to uncover and study a never-seen-before blast from a supermassive black hole. The gravitational monster whipped up powerful winds, flinging material out into space at eye-watering speeds of roughly 37,282 miles (60,000 kilometers) per second.
Black Holes

Supermassive black hole belches 30,000-miles-per-second winds

Two X-ray space telescopes captured the never-before-seen blast 130 million light-years away.

a man and woman wearing ororo heated gear with heated gloves
Outdoor Gear

Amazon dropped Ororo’s heated jackets, vests, and gloves to prices lower than Black Friday

Stay warm all winter with big discounts on Ororo's most popular heated outerwear and accessories.

Electric plane flying over green mountains
Aviation

Air New Zealand tests a new generation of electric planes

Battery and hydrogen-powered aircraft are cleared for takeoff.

coins in a jug at an archaeologist dig
Archaeology

40,000 Roman-era coins discovered in French village

The town was important to the Celtic Mediomatrici tribe before it was conquered by Julius Caesar.

Denman Glacier in Antarctica
Ocean

Underwater robot survives voyage to ‘never-accessed region of the planet’

An Argo float delivered unprecedented data after eight months beneath Antarctic ice.

Artistic impression of Nova V1674 Herculis. Credit: The CHARA Array
Space Telescope

Pair of exploding stars baffle astronomers

New images of two novae are 'like going from a grainy black-and-white photo to high-definition video.’

white urinals separated by green plants
Biology

Swiss startup turns urine into plant fertilizer

The space-inspired wastewater treatment uses the nutrients and loses the odor.

A young person bundled in a green winter jacket, gray knit hat, and blue gloves is standing outside in the snow. They are shivering, with their arms crossed tightly and a nervous or cold expression, with their tongue slightly visible.
Ask Us Anything

What is shivering? Why our bodies shake when it’s cold.

Involuntary muscle contractions keep us warm and even fight infections.

A close-up photograph shows a hoverfly (Syrphidae) resting on the yellow center and pale pink/white petals of a flower. The hoverfly has a black and orange striped abdomen, mimicking a bee or wasp, and clear wings. Its head and thorax are dark brown/black.
Science

Nature’s greatest method actors: the insects that cosplay bumblebees

Hoverflies don’t just look like bumblebees—they visit the same flowers and even act like them to fool predators.