Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 439)

a dji drone in flight
Drones

Drones can fly themselves with worm-inspired AI software

Researchers used liquid neural networks to help a drone fly autonomously. Plus, a tiny worm brain was involved.

Ancient Maya idol in Copán, Guatemala
Archaeology

Ancient Maya masons had a smart way to make plaster stronger

Up close, the Mayas' timeless recipe from Copán looks similar to mother-of-pearl.

Different images from Popular Science Spring 2023 issue on a purple background. From left: a soapy poop emoji, a pill with multiple tools popping out, a group of Roman builders with Poseidon, beech mushrooms. At the center is a mug with a pink frosted donut in place of its handle with the text "Make It Work."
Science

PopSci has been making it work for 150 years—and we’re not stopping now

Want to read about a future with recycled poop, mushroom architecture, and infinite data storage? Subscribe to PopSci's spring issue.

RIP red envelope: Netflix is ending its DVDs-by-mail program after 25 years
Internet

RIP red envelope: Netflix is ending its DVDs-by-mail program after 25 years

Movies by mail are going the way of silent films.

Meteorites fall during a meteor shower.
Solar System

Get ready to watch the Lyrid meteor shower peak this weekend

This annual event should bring 10 to 20 meteors per hour, but you could see an outburst of up to 100.

Best 49-inch monitors sliced header image
PC Gaming

The best 49-inch monitors

Go extremely big with your next computer monitor.

The best cheap gaming PCs
PC Gaming

The best cheap gaming PCs

Full-size gaming, pint-sized price. Here are our picks for inexpensive PCs that overperform.

This robot dog learned a new trick—balancing like a cat
Engineering

This robot dog learned a new trick—balancing like a cat

Without a tail and a bendy spine, nonetheless.

A polar bear standing on ice.
Wildlife

Why the biggest animals move so slowly

Analysis of 532 species shows those over one ton travel slowest to keep their cool.

Hand holding a joint,
Life Skills

A step-by-step guide to rolling a joint

“How hard could it be,” they say before giving up entirely.

A CBD oil bottle with cannabis or hemp leaves
Mental Health

Can CBD help you chill? Here’s what we know so far.

The cannabis and hemp extract can be found in everything from lattes to kids’ vitamins. But experts are still trying to understand if it’s healthy.

The UN’s first high seas treaty could help dwindling Pacific salmon
Ocean

The UN’s first high seas treaty could help dwindling Pacific salmon

In March, conservationists worldwide celebrated the historic agreement, which governs the ocean waters where salmon spend most of their lives.

Ransomware intended for Macs is cause for concern, not panic
Internet

Ransomware intended for Macs is cause for concern, not panic

While it's a bad sign to see ransomware designed to target macOS, the code so far appears to be sloppy.

Bryte Balance Bed in a Park Hyatt New York Restorative Sleep Suite
Smart Home

I celebrated Sleep Awareness Week 2023 on a $7,000 smart mattress and here’s what I learned

In March, I tested whether the Bryte Balance connected mattress could make me a deeper sleeper, and my one night on it was dreamy.

Biofire Smart Gun resting on bricks
Weapons

Startup claims biometric scanning can make a ‘secure’ gun

Biofire says combining fingerprint and facial scanning with handguns could reduce unintended use. Experts point to other issues.

a hydrophone underwater monitoring corals
AI

Google is inviting citizen scientists to its underwater listening room

You can help marine biologists identify fish, shrimp, and other noisy critters that are cracking along in these recordings of coral reefs.

Tovala Smart Oven
Appliances

Tovala Smart Oven review: Cooking up a winner?

Finally, a smart kitchen gadget that reasonably answers the question, "Where's the beef?" (Or chicken, fish, vegetables, etc. ...)

Computer image rendering of NASA RHESSI solar studying satellite above Earth
Technology

NASA’s 600-pound solar radiation tracker is plummeting to Earth tomorrow

After 18 years of loyal service, the RHESSI satellite is coming crashing back to Earth this week.

Exoplanet KMT-2021-BLG-1898L b is a gas giant that looks like Jupiter but orbits a separate star. Illustration.
Space Telescope

An Einstein-backed method could help us find smaller exoplanets than ever before

Astronomy is entering the golden age of exoplanet discoveries.

An orb weaver spider spins a web in a forest.
Spiders

Spider glue might evolve faster than the spiders themselves

A small study of two orb weaver spider species is unraveling the mysteries of spider silk.