Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 488)

A firefighter stands holding a canister of gasoline in a snowy forest looking out over burning piles of underbrush.
Climate Change

Why the US Forest Service paused prescribed burns—a key wildfire prevention tool

The Forest Service is asking how it can both expand critical prescribed fire use, and do so safely in a warming world.

The Pritzker Nanofabrication Facility at the University of Chicago
Internet

Chicago now has a 124-mile quantum network. This is what it’s for.

Quantum memory, entangled particles, and other concepts at the bleeding edge of computing.

Three kids in COVID masks with bookbags right before summer vacation and COVID vaccines are available for their age group
COVID-19

COVID vaccines for children under 5 are near. Here’s how to prepare.

Ten million vaccine doses will be available as early as Tuesday June 21.

Coal mining operation with vehicles.
Fossil Fuels

Why China just can’t seem to quit coal

China is a renewable energy powerhouse. So why are they building coal plants?

phone screen showing facebook twitter instagram apps
Tech Hacks

You might be missing DMs on social media. Here’s how to fix it.

Unlock those hidden inboxes.

Here’s what it’s like to drive on the moon
Electric Vehicles

Here’s what it’s like to drive on the moon

A GM simulator offers the chance to virtually experience what astronauts did for real decades ago—and may do again in the future.

It took a pandemic to start fixing the air quality inside schools
Health

It took a pandemic to start fixing the air quality inside schools

Improved ventilation protects from infectious diseases and affects students' learning.

Water glasses being filled.
Pollution

The right kind of filter can keep microplastics out of drinking water

Slow sand and membrane filters can knock out nearly all of the tiny pollutants.

a heat map showing dark red on the city of las vegas and radiating out yellow to bits of green at the edge of the map as you move further from the city
Climate Change

Satellite images of Las Vegas show just how extreme urban heat islands can get

Under the broiler of this week's heat dome, unshaded streets got up to 122 degrees.

The best Samsung watch composited
Smartwatches

Best Samsung watches

Smarten up your wrist with Samsung’s best wearable devices.

person sitting on airplane looking out the window
Life Skills

5 tips to soothe your fear of flying

Flying continues to be the safest mode of transportation.

Hubble’s largest near-infrared image helps astronomers see 10 billion years into galaxies’ past
Space Telescope

Hubble’s largest near-infrared image helps astronomers see 10 billion years into galaxies’ past

Created in a manner similar to a panorama, the resulting survey lets astronomers observe some of the Universe's oldest galaxies.

child jumping in pool with swimming goggles on
Life Skills

5 things you can do to reduce your child’s drowning risk

This is the top cause of death in young children.

Revenue tracking program on a screen
Computers

Best personal finance software

Find the right personal finance software to easily manage your expenses, budget, and savings.

a 747 in flight
Military

The UK’s military wishlist includes hypersonic weapons and small satellites

The United Kingdom plans on spending $2.5 billion in R&D on next-gen technology. Here's some of what they're pursuing.

An ocean below Earth’s crust could be key to a habitable planet
Science

An ocean below Earth’s crust could be key to a habitable planet

A new model suggests “mantle rain” from inside Earth’s mantle ensures we will always have a surface ocean.

container ship in the ocean
Technology

A new law takes aim at shipping costs and congested ports

Here’s how the Ocean Reform Act addresses the supply chain and price spikes.

The colorful Bo Kaap neighborhood in Cape Town.
Science

People enjoy colorful cities—even in virtual reality

For some psychological pep, add color to urban surroundings.

Microsoft's internet browser, Microsoft Edge.
Tech Hacks

10 reasons to try Microsoft Edge now that Internet Explorer is dead

They give the browser a real... edge.

a road in yellowstone park that has murky brown flood water covering part of it, blocking entrance to the park
Climate Change

Yellowstone National Park was never built to take on the rain and snow that comes with climate change

Under a warming climate, trends suggest that these kinds of 'rain-on-snow' flood events will become more common.