Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 404)

Pitcher plant with two dead spotted salamanders captured for photography awards
Ocean

13 otherworldly photos that were actually taken on Earth

Enjoy some close encounters of the photography kind.

Everything you need to know about how heat pumps work
Energy

Everything you need to know about how heat pumps work

This 19th-century invention is becoming the technology of the future.

drone on branch
Drones

It’s not a UFO—this drone is scooping animal DNA from the tops of trees

This flying robot can help ecologists understand life in forest canopies.

best vacuum for hardwood floors
Home

The best vacuums for hardwood floors

Ensure your home is tidy and allergen-free with the best vacuums for hardwood floors.

An overview of mummified crocodiles during an excavation.
Archaeology

Ancient Egyptians had a unique way of mummifying crocodiles

Nothing says 'royal' quite like being buried with a 500-pound reptile.

This ‘airliner of the future’ has a radical new wing design
Aviation

This ‘airliner of the future’ has a radical new wing design

NASA and Boeing are collaborating to create the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator, which will feature long wings supported by trusses. It could first fly in 2028.

A solar flare with light and particles being released from the sun.
Sun

Small ‘sparks’ on the sun could be key to forecasting dramatic solar weather

Tiny signals can indicate a major electromagnetic spectacle.

Many popular carbon offsets don’t actually counteract emissions, study says
Technology

Many popular carbon offsets don’t actually counteract emissions, study says

The evidence against the power of carbon offset programs keeps stacking up.

Scientist holding syringe next to wheeled robot with biological sensor
AI

This robot gets its super smelling power from locust antennae

The new system is 10,000 times more sensitive than existing odor detecting programs.

A woman with a bandage after receiving a vaccine.
Vaccines

Late-stage trials show efficacy of Moderna’s RSV vaccine in older adults

The experimental mRNA vaccine is about 84-percent effective against the sometimes deadly virus.

A Macbook keyboard illuminated by red, orange, and purple light.
Tech Hacks

29 Gmail keyboard shortcuts to help you power through your inbox

Speedrun through your emails

Adult zebra shark swims in a tank at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago
Ocean

A virgin birth in Shedd Aquarium’s shark tank is baffling biologists

Life finds a way ... with or without males.

Older, rural populations enjoy—and benefit from—online workout classes
COVID-19

Older, rural populations enjoy—and benefit from—online workout classes

Remote fitness classes are a game-changer for older adults that can't participate in-person.

Why the Navy is getting fast new medical ships
Navy

Why the Navy is getting fast new medical ships

The Navy's existing hospital ships are lumbering former oil tankers. New ambulance-like vessels will be different.

A person looking at their Instagram feed, perhaps to delete a picture or video from a carousel post.
Tech Hacks

How to delete one photo from an Instagram carousel (and get it back if you change your mind)

Turn a nine-image post into an eight-image post in seconds.

Five fossil specimens including extinct trilobites.
Wildlife

Trilobites may have jousted with head ‘tridents’ to win mates

The appendages may be evidence that sexually motivation competition in animals is even older than we thought.

Danika Fickler
Vehicles

Meet the college freshman who races a souped-up Chevy Blazer and studies psych

Drag-racing is a family affair for Danika Fickler, whose vehicle boasts an estimated 400 horsepower.

a young black woman jogging outside on a track smiling
Fitness & Exercise

5 surprising beauty benefits of running

Experts break down what happens to your skin when you go on a run.

Swarm of mosquitos in flight in a grassy field
AI

Bug brains are inspiring new collision avoidance systems for cars

Despite their tendency to smack into your car on the road, bugs' ability to avoid one another could improve collision prevention.

A doctor using a stethoscope to listen to a pregnant person's stomach.
COVID-19

Pregnant people with COVID-19 are 7 times more likely to die in childbirth

A new study of 13,000 patients highlights the danger of COVID-19 during pregnancy.