Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 36)

Closeup of an early 30's male using a compressor for spray painting steel plates at a factory facility.
Science

How is paint made?

If you've ever mixed dirt and water, you've made paint.

white laboratory rat isolated on grey background
Medicine

Researchers successfully heal rats’ broken spines 

A new study paves the way toward developing a treatment for spinal cord injuries.

two leopards fighting
Wildlife

15 striking images from the Black and White Photo Awards 2025

The simple monochrome beauty of our complex world.

a scalloped hammerhead shark swimming in the pacific
Endangered Species

Endangered shark meat keeps ending up on store shelves

A college seafood forensics class investigated some fishy labelling.

hundreds of hats that were recovered from yellowstone national park laid out in front of a white pick up truck
Conservation

Yellowstone employees recover over 300 hats from hydrothermal areas

Be sure to hold on to your hats (and pizza) when near a boiling hot vent.

An exterior image of the Berlin Messe exhibition grounds, home to the annual IFA consumer electronics show
Gear

The best gadgets and gear we saw at IFA 2025 in Berlin

a gold dollar coin. the heads side has a woman holding a baby on her back named sacagewea on it and the back an eagle with 17 stars
NASA

Space-flown Sacagawea dollar coins fetch over $500K at auction

The 22-karat gold coins flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1999.

A grey Ride1Up Vorsa SUV ebike from the side against a green foliage background
Outdoor Gear

Ride1Up Vorsa review: When one bike needs to do it all

From school drop-offs to weekend joy rides, the Vorsa is built to handle life’s daily demands.

a rectangular cassette tape with lots of loose brown tape coming out
Engineering

A single DNA cassette tape could store billions of photos

Just don't try to pop it in that old Walkman.

a red slug in green grass
Animals

Ding-dong-ditch culprit turns out to be… a slug

The suspect in the late night doorbell ringing is pretty slippery.

A profile shot of a woman with her eyes closed and head tilted back, leaning against a wall and wearing white over-ear headphones. She is lit by a warm, golden sunlight that creates a strong glow around her, suggesting a peaceful, contemplative moment at sunrise or sunset.
Ask Us Anything

Do binaural beats really help you focus?

The auditory illusion can create a phantom tone in your head said to promote focus, relaxation, and cognition.

Hay, straw, flowers and a wooden figure lie in a so-called "cocoon" at a press briefing on the new form of burial "Reerdigung" in the chapel at the Eichhof park cemetery. The provider "My Earth" offers the new form of burial. A corpse is bedded on hay, straw and green cuttings, within 40 days it turns into earth.
Sustainability

When I go, I’m going green

More Americans are choosing burials in which everything is biodegradable.

a robot dog walking with three humans
Engineering

The perfect robot guide dog shouldn’t be cute

Approachable, packed full of navigational features, soft to the touch—and won't cause a scene.

A blurred photo shows a smiling woman with dark hair, wearing a purple shirt, holding a large, ancient-looking wooden tool with a stone head, possibly an ax or hammer. She is wearing white gloves and standing in a laboratory setting with scientific equipment and storage shelves visible in the background.
Archaeology

Stone Age women were buried with as many tools as men

Prehistoric graves show women wielded more than early archeologists gave them credit for.

a pink, green, yellow aurora over mountain and clouds
Deep Space

18 jaw-dropping images from the 2025 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards

From celestial light shows on Earth to an awe-inspiring nebula 1,470 light years away.

Matador bug and a leaf-footed bug with impressive, large, colorful flags on its hind tibia.
Insects

This bug uses ‘red flags’ to tell predators to buzz off

The tropical Matador bug's fancy dance is not a mating ritual.

A mating pair of octopuses with one of the animals raising its arm up
Wildlife

Octopus arms are the animal kingdom’s most flexible

The ‘ultimate multitaskers’ are pretty ambidextrous.

FlexiSpot EN1 desk on sale at Amazon
Home

Get a complete motorized Flexispot standing desk for just $109 while they last at Amazon

Get a full-featured standing desk and other essential office furniture and accessories up to 40 percent off at Amazon.

a leopard seal on an ice flow with its mouth open
Ocean

Leopard seals sing like the Beatles

A concert is raging underneath the sea ice. But will we drown it out?

couple stretching on grass
Fitness & Exercise

Should I exercise if I’m still sore from last time?

When you exercise, tiny tears occur in your muscles.