Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 34)

a bright pink mesh oval
Engineering

Researchers created a soft squeezable computer mouse

'The mouse is long overdue for reinvention.'

Rubbermaid Brilliance containers with food in them
Home

The best reusable food containers are on clearance at Amazon during this early Prime Day deal

The Rubbermaid Brilliance containers are absolutely worth the investment for their sturdy build and they're extremely secure tops.

Pile of papers handwritten by Albert Einstein
Particle Physics

Einstein’s handwritten encyclopedia entry could fetch $200,000

The six-page draft attempted to lay out the Theory of Relativity for a general audience.

Researcher using thermometer to measure meatball temperatures in kitchen
Science

Ground beef infused with apple scraps clears taste test

Over 100 volunteers sampled meatballs made with the nutritious fruit.

Side by side comparisons of a blue jay, green jay, and a hybrid between the two birds with green plummage and a blue head
Birds

First known wild ‘grue jay’ hybrid spotted in Texas

Green and blue jays are crossing paths as temperatures rise.

fake spider webs for halloween
Wildlife

Beware! Your Halloween decorations could be a nightmare for wildlife

Keep fake spider webs close to your house, and ditch the real pumpkins if you live near wildlife.

a bat hanging upside down on a tree
Science

The 2025 Ig Nobel Prizes honor garlicky babies, drunk bats, and more

The annual awards celebrate achievements that make us ‘laugh then think.’

A poster with the bold red and yellow text "WEATHER IS A WEAPON" at the center. The poster features a black and white photograph of a rural landscape with telephone poles stretching into the distance. In the top left, a menacing cartoon cloud with a face is visible. A small, separate card at the bottom right encourages people to "buy WAR BONDS."
Weather

During WWII, the U.S. government censored the weather

Even baseball rain delays went unexplained.

Thick orange haze above San Francisco on September 9 2020 from record wildfires in Californa, daytime view of ash and smoke floating over the Bay Area
Health

Wildfire smoke could soon kill 71,000 Americans every year

The haze may already kill 40,000 people in the U.S. each year — the same number who die in traffic crashes. Climate change will only make matters worse.

A Paleolithic handaxe with a broken distal end, discovered during the Ayvalık survey
Archaeology

Early humans reached Europe via an Ice Age land bridge from Turkey

The never-before-studied region 'holds vital traces of early human activity.'

DJI Osmo Mobile SE gimbal on sale during Amazon Prime Day
Cameras

The DJI Osmo smartphone camera stabilizer is just $58 during this early Amazon Prime Day deal

Make your smartphone videos look like professional film work for less than the price of a night out at the movies (with popcorn).

Red Hind Grouper in coral reef
Ocean

Eavesdropping on grunting groupers reveals how the fish communicate

Scientists listened to these Caribbean fish for over 2,000 hours.

screenshot of video editor in google
Tech Hacks

How to use Google Drive’s new free video editor

You can create a movie masterpiece right in your browser.

An artist's impression of Japan’s Hayabusa2 space mission touching down on the surface of the asteroid 1998 KY26. New observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have revealed that 1998 KY26 is just 11 m wide, almost three times smaller than previously thought, and is spinning once every 5 minutes, which is much faster than expected. The image above shows an updated size comparison between the asteroid and spacecraft.
Space Telescope

Japanese spacecraft eyes tricky asteroid landing

Hyabusa2 is already 105.5 million miles on its journey, but new data indicates trouble.

Titan arum or Amorphophallus Titanum at the botanical garden
Environment

How a corpse plant makes its terrible smell

It has a strategy, and its female flowers do most of the work.

a black and white dog surrounded by dog toys
Dogs

Dogs can learn and remember how toys work

The process is similar to how human babies learn that bowls and spoons are used to eat.

A light-toned painting shows a body wrapped in a white shroud lying on a bed or stone slab. Above the body, a translucent, ghostly figure with long hair and a white garment floats away, reaching upward with its arms. A framed window on the left side of the room reveals a blue sky and green hills with a mountain in the distance. The style is soft and ethereal, suggesting the departure of a soul.
Science Fiction

The 21 grams experiment that tried to weigh a human soul

In 1907, Duncan MacDougall put dying patients on a scale.

Coral formation with long branches that make it look like Chewbacca
Ocean

New species of coral named after Chewbacca

Hrrraaaaawwwwwwwwrrrrrr!

An arid archaeological site with a large, excavated rectangular foundation in the foreground, partially dug into a dirt mound. The site is surrounded by dry, barren land and hills in the distance. A few people are visible, providing a sense of scale, and the background shows a valley with green trees and a clear, hazy sky.
Archaeology

Lost mural reveals ancient Silk Road fire ritual

The ruins of a palace in Tajikistan offer a glimpse into the Sogdians.

Ripe grapes growing on plants in vineyard lit by sun
Archaeology

Bronze Age farmers often prioritized wine over olives

Both fruits have been a staple of agriculture for 10,000 years.