Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 396)

Toilet paper may be a major source of ‘forever chemicals’ in wastewater
Pollution

Toilet paper may be a major source of ‘forever chemicals’ in wastewater

PFAS are everywhere, even in your bathroom.

Formula 3 cars on the racetrack
Electric Vehicles

How the Formula races plan to power their cars with more sustainable fuel

The two feeder series for Formula One aim to switch up their gas to be greener. Here's what to know about these new types of fuels.

Powerful atmospheric river pummels California with even more rain and flooding
Climate Change

Powerful atmospheric river pummels California with even more rain and flooding

Much of the state is under weather warnings after unseasonable snow and rain, with several evacuations issued.

Protoplanetary disk and water formation around star V883 Orionis in the Orion constellation. Illustrated in gold, white, and black.
Sun

Clouds of ancient space water might have filled Earth’s oceans

The molecules that made Earth wet were probably older than our sun.

The US government wants to round up the West’s feral cattle
Land

The US government wants to round up the West’s feral cattle

Yet grazing fees remain puzzlingly low.

wing drones
Drones

Save a parking spot for Wing’s slick new ‘AutoLoader’ for drones

The Alphabet-owned drone delivery company is hoping to scale up its network in an Uber-like way. A new contraption is part of that plan.

The best Bissell carpet cleaners composited
Home

The best Bissell carpet cleaners

Go deep to remove dirt, but not always to empty your wallet, with the best carpet cleaners for every budget.

Hand holding a pen placing sticky note on planner, a good way to track your period without an app.
Life Skills

How to track your own period—without an app

You don't need an app—you can easily learn how to track your cycle.

A warm of bees on a honeycomb.
Bees

Older bees teach younger bees the ‘waggle dance’

Learning and shared culture are needed for one of the most intricate forms of communication in the animal kingdom.

Butterfly cutouts painted with plasmonic paint hues against grass background
Engineering

Butterfly-inspired ‘plasmonic paint’ could be brilliant for energy-efficient buildings

Light reflection off of nanostructural geometric arrangements creates the striking hues.

This fossilized ‘ancient animal’ might be a bunch of old seaweed
Evolution

This fossilized ‘ancient animal’ might be a bunch of old seaweed

What do you see in this controversial fossil?

An Elgato Stream Deck under a wall-mounted TV, in a room with blue lighting.
Tech Hacks

7 ways to use the Elgato Stream Deck beyond livestreaming

If you love shortcuts, the Stream Deck might be the device for you.

A young child hiding behind a stack of pancakes with syrup and fruit on a background of old polaroids
Biology

Why childhood memories of smells are so powerful and emotional

Neurobiologists and cognitive psychologists explain why we remember childhood smells so well.

Yellow, red, and white roses left at a memorial for the victims of the Half Moon Bay mass shooting. A white sign behind the bouquets says "as a community we grieve."
Mental Health

How to cope with collective grief—and even turn it into action

Grief is a universal experience. Understanding that can help you recover, and even inspire change.

Ecologists have declared war on this popular decorative tree
Land

Ecologists have declared war on this popular decorative tree

As of 2023, it is illegal to sell, plant or grow Callery pear trees in Ohio, with similar bans to hit other states in 2024.

tiktok
Social Media

Why some US lawmakers want to ban TikTok

Here’s what the newly introduced RESTRICT Act says about technology, China, and more.

An experimental AI used human brain waves to regenerate images
AI

An experimental AI used human brain waves to regenerate images

From image, to fMRI scan, to image again.

Whitespotted eagle ray swimming in the ocean.
Ocean

Scientists test different gear for protecting clams from ‘crunching’ rays

Whitespotted eagle rays compete for the same shellfish people farm and dine on.

X1 Wind's X30 floating wind turbine prototype off the Canary Islands coast
Technology

This floating wind turbine just generated its first kilowatt hour of power

X1 Wind's X30 prototype utilizes a tension leg platform to reduce its impact on the sea floor.

A group of mice eats a scone.
Biology

Forget black coffee—a hormone shot helped tipsy rodents sober up

FGF21 will not be on a pharmacy shelf anytime soon, but could help treat alcohol poisoning in the future.