Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 42)

Seamstress Jean Wilson applies finishing touches to one section of a spacesuit for NASA's Apollo lunar missions on a long-arm sewing machine, built especially for manufacturing the spacesuits.
NASA

The bra-and-girdle maker that fashioned the impossible for NASA

Crafting a spacesuit demanded perfection from seamstresses to gluers to engineers—every stitch could mean life or death.

two cheetah cubs
Endangered Species

Two cheetah cubs narrowly escape the illegal pet trade

Most trafficked cubs don’t survive the journey—these two made it out just in time.

tv on a stand
Tech Hacks

How to stop your smart TV from tracking you

Do you know how much your TV knows about you?

Pieces of Japanese plate armor arranged against pink background
Archaeology

Armor buried under Japanese temple linked to ancient Korean kingdom

Archaeologists have confirmed the armor's origins 70 years after its discovery.

Every type of tools is on salle at The Home Depot.
Home

The Home Depot is blowing out power tools from RIDGID, DeWalt, Milwaukee, and more during its huge spring sale

DeWalt, Milwaukee, and RIDGID power tools are deeply discounted during The Home Depot's Spring Black Friday sale. Free tool promos make these deals even better.

A black BandBox Trio with bold JBL logo in the foreground with a Gibson guitar standing in its case behind it
Speakers

JBL BandBox Trio practice amplifier review: A party speaker for musicians, not just music

The JBL BandBox Trio mixes a battery-powered guitar amp, party speaker, and karaoke box into one surprisingly useful smart practice rig—just don’t expect full-size amp power or deep-modeler tone.

Sage-Grouse robot installed in ground at Grand Teton National Park
Land

Robot birds deployed in Grand Teton National Park for sexy time

The bid to boost sage-grouse populations continues.

Half way progress of a piggy bank being 3D-printed
Technology

How sulfur could fix 3D printing’s waste problem

Scientists are printing recyclable robots from industrial byproducts.

A portrait-style photograph shows a life-like reconstruction of an early human ancestor, Australopithecus afarensis, against a dark, blurred background. The figure is shown from the chest up, with its head turned to look over its shoulder toward the camera. It has prominent brow ridges, a flat nose, and large, dark, expressive eyes. Its skin is a dark tan, and its head and body are covered in short, reddish-brown hair.
Evolution

Why humans don’t have tails

The answer goes back at least 20 million years.

construction on large building
AI

Data centers are straining the grid. Can they be forced to pay for it?

As backlash grows, a nationwide search is underway for solutions to the AI energy crunch.

The inside of the finished L.A.B. Golf Fitting Studio in Creswell, Ore.
Outdoor Gear

A year later, L.A.B. Golf’s weird science got bigger … and more personal

Linking up again because of the the new LINK.2 blades, I returned to Oregon’s esoteric putter manufacturer expecting a more traditional path into zero-torque putting. The data steered me elsewhere.

Lystrosaurus embryo within its partially preserved shell , reconstruction of the animal. Credit: Professor Julien Benoit and Sophie Vrard
Evolution

Proto-mammals laid eggs, paleontologists finally confirm

Lystrosaurus fills in a major evolutionary gap.

INIU chargers on sale during the spring sale
Gear

Save up to 30% on portable power banks, charging bricks, cables, and other essential accessories during INIU’s spring sale

INIU makes affordable charging accessories and the prices have dropped even lower during this spring season sale.

Illustration of two astronauts sitting on toilets while looking at their phones
NASA

Even astronauts get constipated in space

NASA packed laxatives on Artemis II for a reason.

Your bro cracking a cold one with the bottle opener on the bottle of the iconic REEF Fanning + flip-flop
Outdoor Gear

REEF celebrates 21 years of the iconic Fanning flip-flop with updated Spring/Summer styles

Step up, and on, your summer game with REEF's 21st-anniversary Fanning flip-flops—now with fresh styles, still with the classic built-in bottle opener.

Multiple Sriracha bottles photoshopped floating above the lunar landscape during earthrise
Moons

The 5 hot sauces aboard Artemis II are kinda weak

Don’t expect any ‘Hot Ones’ entries on the menu.

man holding android phone
Tech Hacks

Samsung Galaxy phones now support Apple AirDrop. Here’s how it works.

It's now easier to move files from Android to Apple devices.

Healthy senior woman exercising with aqua dumbbells at water aerobic session in swimming pool. Healthy seniors workout in a swimming pool with aqua dumbbells.
Fitness & Exercise

What exercises will keep my aging joints healthy?

Walking deserves a special mention.

White person's hand holding red fuel pump refueling silver car
Fossil Fuels

It’s illegal to pump your own gas in New Jersey. But why?

The Garden State’s decades-old law is rooted in safety, science, and jobs—but how risky is pumping your own fuel?

Title: Burned Land Credit: © Brais Lorenzo, EFE, Revista 5W, El País Caption: A man fights a wildfire with a branch in Cualedro. When resources are stretched, residents use whatever is available to extinguish flames, including branches, farming tools, and water hoses. Ourense, Galicia, Spain, 15 August 2025. Story: 2025 was a record year for wildfires in Europe. More than 200,000 hectares burned across Galicia during Spain’s worst fire season in about three decades. The increasingly severe fires in this region are attributed to drought and heat intensified by climate change, rural depopulation, and shortsighted forest management policies, including the widespread planting of highly flammable non-native species. Born in Ourense, the photographer grew up with the smell of smoke every summer and has documented Galician wildfires since 2011.
Environment

17 poignant images from the 2026 World Press Photo Contest

From wildfires in Spain to a polar bear feast in Norway to a wedding amongst floods in the Philippines.