Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 44)

Rendering of a reconstructed polybolos within a virtual environment derived from reality-based documentation of the city walls. Digital survey and 3D model by S.B.; rendering and animation by V.C. with Lumion Pro Student 2024.
Archaeology

Rome unleashed an ancient ‘machine gun’ on Pompeii

The polybolos was centuries, if not millennia, before its time.

The author with a niece and nephew on the Xtracycle Swoop ASM cargo ebike
Outdoor Gear

Xtracycle Swoop ASM review: The family cargo electric bike that adapts to your day

It handles school runs, grocery hauls, and last-minute errands while still feeling surprisingly manageable to ride.

A person drinks Starbucks ice coffee in Krakow, Poland on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto)
Pollution

Your ‘widely recyclable’ Starbucks cup is still trash

A new label promises single-use cups are recyclable. But that doesn't mean they actually get recycled.

a pink orchid with delicate petals
Bees

Beware, bees! This wildflower will trap you in a floral escape room.

Pink lady’s slippers are to bees what Venus fly traps are to flies.

A colorized historical photograph captures a group of railroad workers posing with a large steam locomotive on a wooden trestle bridge. The workers, a diverse group including several men in rough work clothes and hats, are clustered around the front of the black engine, which features a prominent cone-shaped smokestack. The trestle bridge curves through a dense evergreen forest with a rocky hillside in the background, illustrating the challenging terrain of early American railroad construction.
Engineering

7 captivating photos of train travel’s first century

In the 1800s, nowhere did trains like the United States.

LG appliances on sale at Home Depot
Smart Home

LG’s spring sale at Home Depot Cuts up to 43% off stoves, refrigerators, washers, and more

LG's March Madness sale at Home Depot takes up to 43% off more than 200 appliances, including $1,800 off a smart wall oven, $1,500 off a French door refrigerator, and $1,200 off a slide-in range.

Terracotta incense burner with the investigated ash residues. The rim is adorned with three female figures, probably depicting deceased persons who were venerated after their death.
Archaeology

What did Pompeii smell like before it burned?

Ash from Roman incense burners indicate families burned tree resins from thousands of miles away.

Person holding large pile of colorful clothes close-up on white background
Sustainability

What to do with clothes you can’t donate

Worn-out, stained, or outdated clothes don’t have to go to the landfill. Here’s how to reuse, recycle, or responsibly dispose of them.

Black and white family photograph showing six people in a family. One brother's face is scratched out.
Mental Health

The troubling rise of family estrangement

As more adults cut off their parents, a researcher calls for closer scrutiny of causes and effects, and suggests paths to reconciliation.

three blue-green eggs in a nest sitting in a tree
Birds

10 wild photos of bird eggs

From speckles to blue-green shells, there's no need to paint these springtime beauties.

Woman having lunch on an underground station platform, Berlin, Germany. She's wearing a plaid jacket and has dark curly hair.
Health

Is it okay to eat standing up? A doctor weighs in.

That grab-and-go lunch might be the real problem.

NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. A fiery flare erupts from the rocket sending off plumes of smoke.
NASA

Artemis II’s long countdown–a space historian explains why it has taken over 50 years to return to the Moon

Political and fiscal support hasn't always come easily.

a person holds a video game controller illuminated by white light with dark buttons
AI

Humans can still beat AI at video games

AI may have teams of engineers on its side, but humans have lived experience and better learning skills.

a close up of a baby chick
Birds

Baby chicks like gentle pets—like really gentle

Your toddler is probably doing it wrong.

Ants are eating onion on the kitchen tile floor.
Insects

3 myths about keeping ants out of your house

Don't bother with cinnamon.

Close up of braces on Hispanic boy's teeth. He's wearing a blue collared shirt and there's light streaming in behind him. All we see is the bottom of his nose and chin.
Evolution

Ancient humans didn’t need braces. So why do we?

Short answer: Blame your food.

Screenshot of The Weather Channel's RetroCast Now website showing forecast with its aesthetics from the 90s and 2000s
Weather

Watch The Weather Channel like its 1999 with the official RetroCast

Smooth jazz included.

Waterdrop P800 filter
Home

The Waterdrop G3P800 water filter system provides clean, filtered water without a wait

This under-sink system purifiers water in real time without wasting as much as typical systems.

Probable examples of Indigenous dice tools
Archaeology

The first gamblers were Ice Age women on the Great Plains

No boys allowed: Women likely excluded men from early dice games.

View of Earth seen from Orion spacecraft during Artemis II mission
Moons

Artemis II crew snaps stunning portrait of Earth on their way to the moon

The new, awe-inspiring image even features two auroras.