Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 378)

A person holding an unlocked iPhone, with apps on the screen.
Tech Hacks

5 ways you can use the iPhone Shortcuts app to improve your life

These iOS shortcuts will make your phone even more powerful.

paper airplanes
Engineering

Engineers created a paper plane-throwing bot to learn more about flight

The bot made and launched more than 500 planes with dozens of designs. Here’s what happened.

Black Mercedes Benz sedan hydroplaning in rain when speeding down highway
Life Skills

A driver’s guide to hydroplaning and how to handle it

Hydroplaning can be dangerous in any season. Here's how to ride it out if it happens to you.

Person holding handle attached to molten glass
Technology

Scientists have a vision for sustainable, biodegradable glass

Although still in its laboratory testing phase, new biorecyclable glass shows potential for a greener economy.

A child stands by a collapsed road caused by flooding waters due to heavy rains following Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, Malawi, on March 13, 2023.
Weather

Deadly Cyclone Freddy could be the longest tropical cyclone on record

The cyclone crossed more than 4,970 miles and made two separate landfalls.

Venus volcano in NASA Magellan spacecraft radar image
NASA

Venus could still be spewing lava, and scientists are hellbent on proving it

Does Venus have active volcanoes? Radar images from the old Magellan mission add new fuel to the debate.

Cube satellite with Kapton drag sail
Technology

College students built a satellite with AA batteries and a $20 microprocessor

Space garbage is gunking up the skies, but a drag sail keeps the satellite's lifespan brief.

Hands on a laptop computer checking Proton Mail.
Tech Hacks

Proton Mail tips that might convince you to ditch Gmail

Proton Mail may be the more privacy-focused email service you have been looking for.

Close up of a newly discovered orchid species named Spiranthes hachijoensis with pink petals,
Land

This new species of pink orchid looks like delicate glasswork

The petite flowers were hiding in plain sight across parks and backyard gardens in Japan.

diving board and pool
Internet

This startup wants to use heat from data centers to warm swimming pools

Deep Green's system could save public pools around $24,000 a year, and cut their annual CO2 emissions by 26 tons.

A Wedge-tailed Eagle, a large vulture native to Australia.
Birds

An extinct 10-foot-long eagle could pick up kangaroos with its terrifying talons

Dynatoaetus gaffae went extinct with much of Australia’s other megafauna 50,000 years ago.

A winning picture of mutated pollen grains, colorized, from the Koch Institute Image Awards.
Biology

Under a microscope, mouse colons and mutant pollen become art

These images show that sometimes, the best medical tools are natural.

Biden approved an oil drilling project in Alaska—and it could be a ‘climate disaster’
Fossil Fuels

Biden approved an oil drilling project in Alaska—and it could be a ‘climate disaster’

The administration approved the controversial ConocoPhillips venture while also limiting future drilling in other parts of Alaska.

Dr. Alan Karthikesalingam presenting at the Google health event.
AI

Google’s AI doctor appears to be getting better

It's all part of the company's grand mission to make personalized health info more accessible.

Notre Dame cathedral in Paris with scaffolding and construction work following a fire in 2019.
Archaeology

The Notre Dame fire revealed a long-lost architectural marvel

The 860-year-old Gothic cathedral was likely the first to use iron staples to reinforce its construction.

Red and speckled blue and black poison dart frog looking up from a light green leaf
Wildlife

Poisonous animals probably took their sweet time developing unappetizing bright colors

It takes generations to teach predators not to eat you.

Smartphone with TikTok brand logo resting on laptop laptop keyboard
Social Media

US government gives TikTok an ultimatum, warning of ban

The Biden administration warned TikTok's owners to sell their stakes, while the UK banned the app from government devices.

A French bulldog puppy running.
Dogs

America has a favorite new dog breed, and it’s slightly problematic

French bulldogs pushed the Labrador retriever out of first place this year, but the breed isn't without controversy.

Rockets firing from the ground into a black sky with moons and flames. Illustrated.
Air Force

These 3D printed engines can power space-bound rockets—or hypersonic weapons

A Colorado company is fabricating powerful engines with names like Hadley and Ripley. Here's why.

iPhone 14 News
Smartwatches

Get an Apple Watch 8 on Amazon today for the lowest price we’ve seen

Time is running out on this massive Apple Watch Series 8 deal—take advantage of it before they spring forward to their regular prices.