Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 312)

Four skulls of human ancestors A. africanus, A. afarensis, H. erectus, H. neanderthalensis, and one modern human skull.
Archaeology

An ‘ancestral bottleneck’ took out nearly 99 percent of the human population 800,000 years ago

Only 1,280 breeding individuals may have existed at this dramatic era of human history.

A stone jar against a yellow and orange desert background.
Archaeology

Ancient Egyptian mummy balm probably smelled delicious

You'd find some of the same ingredients for this organ-preserving ointment in trendy skincare products today.

chatgpt shown on a mobile phone
AI

Cybersecurity experts are warning about a new type of AI attack

The threat in question is called a "prompt injection" attack, and it involves the large language models that power chatbots.

A lineup of the best trampoline on a white background
Fitness Gear

The best trampolines

Endless high-flying enjoyment is yours to be had with trampolines that can appeal to everyone in the family.

Professor Garry Duffy and Dr Rachel Beatty show the soft robotic implant developed by University of Galway and MIT
AI

This drug-delivery soft robot may help solve medical implants’ scar tissue problem

The new design could one day provide continuous, consistent drug dispersal without succumbing to fibrosis complications.

Two Atlantic puffins stand on a white rock above the ocean, with another group of puffins in the background, Atlantic puffins are sometimes nicknamed “sea parrots,” and their chicks hatch in Maine in early July.
Global Warming

Maine’s puffins show another year of remarkable resiliency

Despite enormous challenges from climate change, the fledgling seabirds had their second consecutive rebound year.

A billowing cloud of white, orange, and brown smoke behind fir trees.
Climate Change

There’s one nasty wildfire pollutant we’ve been ignoring

A newly identified particle in smoke, dark brown carbon, can warm the atmosphere by absorbing sunlight.

A hand holding an Android phone and taking a screenshot while outdoors in a park.
Tech Hacks

How to take a screenshot on any device (we know you want to)

There are multiple ways to grab whatever's on the screen of your Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS device.

The Harvest Moon on October 1, 2020 over a field in Waseca, Minnesota.
Space

September’s night sky will sparkle with the Harvest Moon and a newly discovered comet

It's the last full supermoon of the year and ushers in autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

collage of cern images
Particle Physics

How the world’s biggest particle accelerator is racing to cook up plasma from after the big bang

For 30 years, physicists around the world have been trying to reconstruct how life-giving particles formed in the very early universe. ALICE is their mightiest effort yet.

Doctor pouring pills in hand from bottle.
Medicine

AI may influence whether you can get pain medication

New tools can help medical providers review controlled substance prescriptions, but experts are wary.

a snapshot of the pollen api tool in google maps
AI

Google’s new pollen mapping tool aims to reduce allergy season suffering

It's a hyper-local forecast, but for pollen.

A lineup of the best outdoor security cameras
Smart Home

The best outdoor security cameras

We take a close look at the best models that let you keep a close eye on your home.

Lithium samples from the proposed Thacker Pass mining site in the McDermitt Caldera lithium deposit
Fossil Fuels

What’s the most sustainable way to mine the largest known lithium deposit in the world?

The McDermitt Caldera in Nevada and Oregon could hold up to 100 megatons of lithium. Now companies are proposing a new method for mining it.

photos of a butterfly run under deepmind's watermark
AI

Google made an invisible watermark for AI-generated images

It only works with content generated through Imagen for now.

A Late Bronze Age urn from Austria in roughly 1400-1300 BCE, containing cremated human remains. The urn is open on a table, with dusty pieces spilling out of it.
Archaeology

Cremated remains still hold clues to life and death in the Bronze Age

Archaeologists can still decode the secrets of the past with burned prehistoric remains, but only with the help of other fields.

YouTube home screen on smartphone
Internet

YouTube’s extremist rabbit holes are deep but narrow

New research indicates most users don't see hateful YouTube content—but the site can further strengthen hateful echo chambers.

The best angle grinders are a versatile tool for sharpening, removing rust, and more.
Home

The best angle grinders

This versatile tools can help strip paint, sharpen lawnmower blades, and cut brick.

A truck passes through flooded streets caused by Hurricane Idalia passing offshore on August 30, 2023 in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
Global Warming

Category 3 Hurricane Idalia makes landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast

Fueled in part by record warm ocean temperatures, Idalia is the strongest storm to hit the Big Bend region in over 125 years

a big pile of bananas
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Male mice are utterly terrified of bananas

Plus other weird things we learned this week.