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Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 34)

Holiday Gift Guide practical gifts header
Gear

The practical gift guide: 35 boring-but-useful presents anyone would love

A big part of maturing is realizing that sometimes a good pair of socks, a fancy charging cable, or a pair of pliers can be a really great gift.

By Stan Horaczek

A taxidermied squirrel named Tommy Tucker standing upright inside a glass display case. The squirrel is dressed in a miniature pink pleated dress with puffy sleeves and a white ribbon tied around the waist, paired with a small pearl necklace. The display case is secured with a brass knob and a black padlock. In the blurred background, papers and a water bottle are visible on a desk.
Animals

During WWII, a dress-wearing squirrel sold war bonds alongside FDR

US bomber crews even carried photos of Tommy Tucker on missions.

By Amy Crawford

several cheeses on a wooden board
Diseases

Brie, cheddar, and other high-fat cheeses linked to lower dementia risk

But don’t load up that cheese plate just yet.

By Laura Baisas

This artist's concepts shows a hypothesized event known as a superkilonova. A massive star explodes in a supernova (left), which generates elements like carbon and iron. In the aftermath, two neutron stars are born (middle), at least one of which is believed to be less massive than our Sun. The neutron stars spiral together, sending gravitational waves rippling through the cosmos, before merging in a dramatic kilonova (right). Kilonovae seed the universe with the heaviest elements, such as gold at platinum, which glow with red light.
Space Telescope

Two neutron stars may have formed the first known ‘superkilonova’

The historic explosion was 1.3 billion light-years away from Earth.

By Andrew Paul

Water flowing through the Hamlin Lake Dam in Ludington Michigan.
Engineering

2,500 ‘high-risk’ U.S. dams are sinking into the ground

Radar shows that the damage may be out of sight for inspectors.

By Andrew Paul

a mother polar bear walking on ice with two cubs behind her
Bears

Rare polar bear adoption could save cub’s life

The cubs were born into a well-studied 'celebration' of polar bears in Canada.

By Laura Baisas

People visit an impression in a sidewalk in the Roscoe Village neighborhood known as the Chicago Rat Hole on January 24, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The decades-old impression in the the shape of a rat (or squirrel) began attracting a regular stream of visitors after a post on X garnered more than 5 million views.
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Chicago’s rat hole wasn’t made by a rat

Plus a retirement home for penguins and other weird things we learned this week.

By Popular Science Team

‘Mr. Fezziwig's Ball,’ an 1843 illustration by John Leech for ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. This novella was the earliest and most popular of Dickens' Christmas stories. The kissing under mistletoe (left) and evergreen decoration hanging from the ceiling are vestiges of pre-Christian winter rites.
Biology

A history of mistletoe: The parasitic ‘dung on a twig’

From its role in kissing to mythological healing powers, mistletoe’s roots run deep.

By Matt Kasson

A part of a fossilized mammal skull, with sediment in a tooth socket that turned out to be a nest built by a prehistoric bee.
Science

Ancient bees laid eggs inside bones

A 20,000 year old fossil uncovered in a tarantula-filled cave has paleontologists stunned.

By Andrew Paul

Cricut machines on sale at Amazon
Gear

Amazon has Cricut machines, accessories, and supplies for their lowest prices of the year for a limited time

These are the lowest prices we have seen in months and they'll arrive in time to work as holiday gifts.

By Stan Horaczek

This view of a region called Syrtis Major is from the 100,000th image captured by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its HiRISE camera. Over nearly 20 years, HiRISE has helped scientists understand how the Red Planet’s surface is constantly changing.
Mars

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snaps 100,000th image

A high school student suggested the steep sand dunes of Syrtis Major for the milestone image.

By Andrew Paul

A salt grain-sized microrobot on a human finger to illustrate size
Engineering

Dancing robot is the size of a grain of salt

The fully programmable, autonomous microbot only costs one penny to make.

By Andrew Paul

A cross sectional image of an actively growing microbialite from South Africa.
Land

‘Living rocks’ suck up a lot of carbon

Super tough microbialites are some of the oldest evidence of life on Earth.

By Laura Baisas

An 1886 color illustration depicting a crowd of people, including men, women, and children, gathered around a massive wheel of cheese in the East Room of the White House. A man in a dark coat is carving into the cheese with a knife, while others eagerly reach out with their own knives and hands to take a piece. In the foreground, a small boy sits on the floor eating a piece of the cheese. This event commemorates the distribution of the "Mammoth Cheese" gifted to President Andrew Jackson in 1835.
Science

Andrew Jackson’s White House once hosted a cheese feeding frenzy

The seventh president’s farewell party featured 1,400 pounds of cheddar. Things got messy.

By Tom Hawking

Anker last minute holiday deals header
Phones

Amazon has Anker’s power banks, chargers, and portable power stations on deep discount during these last minute holiday deals

If you're looking for a last-minute practical gift, grab and Anker charging accessory for a deep discount.

By Stan Horaczek

Young sad girl sitting alone at home on sofa listening to sad music on wireless headphones crying and wiping her nose with a paper tissue.
Science

Pop music has gotten sadder over the last 50 years

Analysis of 20,186 songs from the Billboard Top 100 indicates that the lyrics are also more simple.

By Andrew Paul

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope recently imaged an extremely large and symmetric protostellar jet at the outskirts of our Milky Way galaxy in the forming cluster Sh2-284. From tip to tip, this protostellar jet is 8 light-years across, about double the distance from our Sun to its closest neighboring star system, Alpha Centauri.
Space Telescope

Massive newborn star is firing two plasma jets at once

Sh2-284 lives on the edge of the Milky Way galaxy.

By Andrew Paul

A thin sheet of plastic covered in transparent MOCHI film
Engineering

Bubble wrap-like material could help insulate glass windows

Only five millimeters of this experimental material called MOCHI can shield your hand from a flame.

By Andrew Paul

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry showing a medieval dining scene involving Bishop Odo of Bayeux.
Archaeology

Famous phallic tapestry may have entertained monks during meals

The 770-pound Bayeux Tapestry depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066.

By Laura Baisas

Four chocolate cookies are shown cooling on a wire rack after coming out of the oven.
Ask Us Anything

The best chocolate chip cookie recipe, according to science

Understanding a bit of chemistry can transform your baking skills.

By Clarissa Brincat