Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 416)

a young male chimp eating in a tree
Evolution

Foraging in trees might have pushed human ancestors to walk on two feet

In a surprise twist, the evolution of human bipedalism might have nothing to do with learning to walk on land.

YouTube homepage close up highlighting 'Trending' section
Internet

YouTube introduces ‘timeout’ penalty to curb toxic comments

New comment section guidelines could result in 24-hour suspensions for repeat offenders, as detected by the automated system.

Toyota’s new Prius promises power, style, and a disappointment for catalytic converter thieves
Hybrid Cars

Toyota’s new Prius promises power, style, and a disappointment for catalytic converter thieves

The popular car is getting an internal and external makeover.

Erthos in-ground solar panel farm array surrounded by fence
Technology

Solar energy company wants to bolt panels directly into the ground

Erthos hopes to do away with traditional solar panel farm designs by taking things minimal.

Scientists just found out female snakes have two clitorises
Wildlife

Scientists just found out female snakes have two clitorises

Female genitalia has long been ignored in snakes, among other species.

an aye aye in a tree
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

These long-fingered lemurs pick and eat their boogers, just like humans

Plus other fun facts from The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week.

A map of a massive storm system moving across the United States. December 13, 2022.
Weather

Stormy weather brings tornadoes and blizzards across the US

As many as 12 tornadoes could have touched down in the Dallas region on Tuesday.

A reconstructed image of Ramsayia, alongside a modern day wombat.
Evolution

Giant wombats the size of small cars once roamed Australia

The rare marsupials lived around 80,000 years ago.

Person-sitting-outside-with-their-hands-on-their-laptop
Tech Hacks

The easiest ways to back up iPhone photos without iCloud

You don't have to pay extra to back up your priceless photos and videos.

NASA Orion spacecraft with unfolded solar panels on wings as it circles the moon. The Earth is far off in the background.
Moons

Artemis I’s solar panels harvested a lot more energy than expected

Tests during the recent lunar mission proved that a specially designed solar array could help power long-distance space flights.

Inside Google’s quest to digitize troops’ tissue samples
Military

Inside Google’s quest to digitize troops’ tissue samples

DOD staffers have pushed back on Google's mission for exclusive access to veterans’ skin samples, tumor biopsies, and slices of organs.

Hippo with its jaws open behind a heron in the water
Wildlife

These might be the funniest animal photos you’ve seen this year

Cue the wildlife blooper reel.

Green flying snake resting on tree branch looking at camera
Robots

Flying snakes could inspire a new generation of airborne robots

Researchers used computational analysis to study the paradise tree snake's gliding techniques for potential robot guidance.

This fossil-sorting robot can identify millions-year-old critters for climate researchers
AI

This fossil-sorting robot can identify millions-year-old critters for climate researchers

Forabot’s job is to image, ID, and categorize the tiny shells left behind by marine organisms called foraminiferas.

A towering dust devil casts a serpentine shadow over the Martian surface in this image acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (April 2012).
Mars

For the first time, humans can hear a dust devil roar across Mars

The Perseverance rover used the first working microphone on the Red Planet's surface to pick up the extraterrestrial whirlwind.

Target fusion chamber of the National Ignition Facility
Physics

What the Energy Department’s laser breakthrough means for nuclear fusion

Nearly 200 lasers fired at a tiny bit of fuel to create a gain in energy, mimicking the power of the stars.

Sam Bankman-Fried looking at camera at legal hearing
Cryptocurrency

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested and charged with fraud

The former cryptocurrency wunderkind was arrested in the Bahamas and likely faces extradition to the US.

Colorful produce at a grocery store.
Agriculture

Why US vegetable prices have skyrocketed in the past year

Climate change-induced storms and drought have damaged crop yields across the western states.

Large fossilized fragments of free swimming arthropods
Evolution

Newly discovered fossils give a whole new meaning to jumbo shrimp

The Moroccan desert was once a sea filled with free-swimming arthropods.

5 sounds not meant for the human ear
Heart Disease

5 sounds not meant for the human ear

The highest note ever hit, space roar, ultrasound machine frequencies, and other phenomena of sound.