Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 35)

PopSci Holiday Gift Guide
Gear

2025 holiday gift guide: 40+ editor-approved presents for everyone on your list

Whether you're shopping for your closest friend who has everything or a grumpy family member who criticizes every gift you've ever given, we have the best suggestions for you.

A black and white image showing the evolution of man.
Evolution

Is our picture of evolution still stuck in the past?

We may have ditched the monkey-to-man meme, but the myth of humans as nature’s “pinnacle of evolution” persists in subtler ways.

a caterpillar hanging from stick
Insects

Young moths hiss at predators 

Researchers theorize that they might be imitating snakes.

skeleton
Archaeology

Man with metal detector stumbles on perplexing Viking Age grave

The team found the deceased with scallop shelves partly covering the mouth.

Black Technics EAH-AZ100 True Wireless Earbuds against a colorful sine wave background
Earbuds

These earbuds just won one of our top innovation awards and they’re on sale for a limited time

Skull of Homo floresiensis on a black background
Evolution

The ‘hobbits’ mysteriously disappeared 50,000 years ago. Our new study reveals what happened to their home.

A millennia-long dry spell may explain the disappearance of Homo floresiensis.

Arzopa portable monitor and digital picture frame
Gear

Save up to 56% ARZOPA’s digital picture frames and portable gaming monitors in time for the holidays

Grab a digital photo frame or a gaming-oriented portable monitor for the lowest price of the year during this holiday sale.

a small orange frog sits on a pencil tip for scale
Wildlife

Teeny tiny orange toadlet found in Brazil

A unique mating call led biologists to this newly discovered pint-sized amphibian.

hands-free driving inside a rivian vehicle
Electric Vehicles

Rivian announces AI chip in move towards self-driving future

The EV manufacturer designed its silicon in-house in the middle of Silicon Valley.

Library aisle showing rows of books
AI

Librarians can’t keep up with bad AI

From false sources to hallucinations, it’s become a major problem.

A close-up, angled shot of a sleek Tesla-branded pickleball paddle. The paddle features a black carbon fiber textured face with a subtle Tesla logo, a distinctive aerodynamic cutout near the throat, and metallic red accents engraved with the "TESLA" name. The handle is wrapped in white textured grip tape, all set against a dark, minimalist background.
Engineering

Tesla made a $350 pickleball paddle

The paddle follows a long line of oddball products, from $450 mezcal to questionably legal flamethrowers.

Left lateral view of catalog number USNM PAL 803273, a Pachycephalosaurus skull, from the Late Cretaceous Period, Maastrichtian stage (approximately 68 to 66 million years ago), Hell Creek Formation, Perkins County, South Dakota. The skull is largely complete with missing areas restored, while the lower jaw - not photographed - is reconstructed. This specimen is from the Department of Paleobiology collections at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. Catalog record EZID: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3a8ba3bb9-dcf1-437e-ba8c-d627cbdfaf3c
Dinosaurs

A ‘spectacular’ dinosaur dome heads for the Smithsonian

The famously thick-headed Pachycephalosaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous.

Backpacks on sale at REI during the last minute holiday sale
Outdoor Gear

REI last-minute holiday deals: Score clearance prices on backpacks, travel bags, and hiking packs

Grab a limited year-end deal from Osprey, REI, Patagonia, The North Face, and more of the best outdoor brands.

Close up of musician playing 3D printed carbon fiber cello
Engineering

This 3D-printed cello puts a carbon fiber spin on a classic

It's also much cheaper than many of its wooden counterparts.

a big group of oysters still in the shell
Pollution

Pills, powders, and opioids stress out oyster babies

Fentanyl, ketamine, and a cocaine byproduct slow down oyster larvae.

a worm on a person's hand
Wildlife

A professor kept a pet worm for 20 years. It just set a record.

Baseodiscus the Eldest lives a chill life in Virginia.

A large brown lizard, possibly a mother, is perched on a gray rock, eating a much smaller, lighter-colored juvenile lizard, which it holds in its mouth. The juvenile appears to be struggling or caught in the act.
Ask Us Anything

Why some animals eat their babies

Animal filial cannibalism has been documented in fish, insects, even domestic pets.

Mosasaur eating prey in water with dinosaurs behind it
Dinosaurs

Mosasaurs may have terrorized rivers as well as oceans

The Late Cretaceous apex predator easily grew to the size of a great white shark.

close up of white lab rat inside cage
Mental Health

If offered, rats will use cannabis to deal with stress

Corticosterone is to rodents as cortisol is to humans.

Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander. This rendering does not have the new LightPort, but it will sit atop the lander in future models.
Moons

Wireless power grids head to the moon

Private companies are testing new power systems for longer rover missions and future human lunar habitats.