Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 344)

Smoke rises as teams try to extinguish wildfires on Rhodes island, Greece on July 25, 2023. Some 19,000 people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes as wildfires continued burning for a sixth day, authorities said on Sunday. As many as 266 firefighters and 49 fire engines were on the ground battling the blazes, assisted by five helicopters and 10 airplanes.
Global Warming

July 2023 was likely the hottest month in 120,000 years

An 'era of global boiling' is looming, the UN warns.

A redheaded person in a blue plaid shirt sitting at a desktop computer, doing work and trying to minimize distractions while working from home.
Life Skills

How to avoid distractions while working from home

It's easy to lose focus when the whole internet is at your fingertips.

a robot starting at toy objects on table
AI

Robots could now understand us better with some help from the web

A new type of language model could give robots insights into the human world.

boxes of the diabetes drug Ozempic rest on a pharmacy counter
Medicine

New weight loss drugs are confusing, expensive, and inaccessible to some older patients

Clinical trials of medications like Ozempic haven’t included significant numbers of people ages 65 and older.

NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin walking across Tranquility Base with equipment after the Apollo 11 moon landing. Black and white photo.
Mars

Space junk is a precious treasure trove to some archaeologists

Artifacts scattered across the solar system can reflect its changes over time.

A man holding a laptop in an airport and looking at the flight board.
Tech Hacks

3 ways to make your laptop battery last longer—maybe all day

Take these steps to reduce your battery anxiety.

wolf pack on rock formation
Wildlife

Howls, butt sniffs, and pee sprays: understanding animal languages

An excerpt from Eva Meijer's book 'Animal Languages,' an exploration of how animals speak to each other and to humans.

Borax powder in multicolor scoops on a blue background
Health

Don’t drink or douche with Borax, no matter what TikTok tells you

This body cleanse trend could kill you.

A person demonstrating how to safely cross a river or creek in the outdoors
Life Skills

How to safely cross a running body of water on foot

Knowing your ABC's can save your life in the backcountry.

Live from New York: ‘The Weirdest Thing’ podcast (in person!)
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Live from New York: ‘The Weirdest Thing’ podcast (in person!)

Join the PopSci podcast team on Aug. 24 as they make a triumphant return to the stage for their first in-person show since 2019.

The U.S. Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle 4
DARPA

What is DARPA? The rich history of the Pentagon’s secretive tech agency

The famous DOD research arm has been working on tech breakthroughs since 1958. Here's how it got started—and what it does now.

Swimmers walk out of the water after an evening swim on a beach in Avarua on Rarotonga, the largest Island in the Cook Islands.
Ocean

The Cook Islands appear to embrace deep-sea mining—but at what risk?

As the Cook Islands embraces the burgeoning industry, deep-sea mining companies are becoming part of the community’s day-to-day. Can the country avoid the mistakes of resource extraction’s past?

The best garden kneelers allow you to tend to your flowers and vegetables more easily.
Home

The best garden kneelers

Take the strain out of tending your flowers and vegetables with these handy helpers.

MIT breast cancer device
Engineering

MIT develops an at-home mammogram alternative that fits in a bra

When caught early, breast cancer is quite beatable. Scientists are exploring a prototype device to try to spot it sooner.

SPT2215 relaxed galaxy cluster in composite image by Chandra, Hubble, and other space instruments
Space Telescope

Secrets of the early universe are hidden in this chill galaxy cluster

Astronomers used the afterglow of the big bang, hungry supermassive black holes, and space telescopes to find a rare 'relaxed' galaxy cluster.

The best cheap Chromebooks
Laptops

The best cheap Chromebooks

Get a long-lasting laptop for under $300.

A piece of toast with homemade vegan butter on it
Projects

How to make simple and delicious vegan butter

This dairy-free butter will charm vegans and omnivores alike.

A scanning electron picture of a female Panagrolaimus kolymaensis nematode.
Global Warming

Recently awoken 46,000-year-old nematodes already have 100 generations of babies

The last time these specimen were squirming about, Neanderthals were still around.

A TV on an entertainment console, where you'll need to figure out what HDMI 2.1 is and why it matters.
Engineering

What is HDMI 2.1?

HDMI 2.1 is the new standard in the world of connecting cables. Here's what it can bring to your TV or gaming setup.

An artist’s impression of Solnhofia parsonsi’s environment in an Upper Jurassic lagoon 150 million years ago in what is now Lower Bavaria. The turtle swims in a shallow body of water, with fish swimming near it and pterosaurs flying above.
Animals

150 million-year-old turtle ‘pancake’ found in Germany

The ancient reptile swam in the shallow waters near a string of islands in today's Bavaria.