Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 534)

chevy bolt at a charging station
Electric Vehicles

Biden’s EV plan aims to build charging stations along interstate highways

The important new directive asks states to create a network of electric vehicle chargers, and comes with billions in funding.

A woman looking at her phone while sitting at the window bar inside a Starbucks.
Tech Hacks

7 useful tasks your phone can handle automatically

Teach your old phone some new tricks.

Google data center and server farm in St. Ghislain, Belgium, with cooling towers lit up at night
Climate Change

Inside the physical footprint of the Cloud

Anthropologist Steven Gonzalez Monserrate draws on five years of research and fieldwork in server farms to illustrate some of the diverse environmental impacts of data storage.

six raw oysters in a circle around a lemon next to a glass of champagne to be used as aphrodisiacs for sex
Medicine

Research on aphrodisiacs is kind of unsatisfying

There's more to love potions than physical arousal.

a Tesla pulling a trailer
Electric Vehicles

Airstream’s camper concept is a sophisticated electric machine

The eStream is designed for the age of EVs, but unfortunately it's not a production prototype.

mechanical keyboard with rbg
Projects

A beginner’s guide to the world of custom mechanical keyboards

Linear, clicky, or tactile? There's the rub.

Figure skater's boots and blades on an ice rink
Physics

Why the quadruple axel jump is nearly impossible to land

There's a razor-thin margin of error for figure skaters attempting these feats.

A woman cheering while sitting on a brown couch and watching a hockey game on a large flat-screen TV
Tech Hacks

How to watch TV with friends—even when you can’t be together

Stay social without going out.

Cemetary with large stone chapel and headstones.
COVID-19

COVID-19 is overcrowding cemeteries and causing heavy metal pollution

'At this rate, dead people are slowly poisoning those who are alive.'

Rolls-Royce hood ornament
Electric Vehicles

Hood ornaments can be a drag, so Rolls-Royce made theirs sleeker

It's called the Spirit of Ecstasy, and while the change may seem silly, it's a reminder that a vehicle's aerodynamics matter.

Thale cress plant leaf shown with defenses and regeneration against a black background
Biology

A chemical tweak could help plants bounce back from damage faster

Biologists have found a way to alter a plant’s defensive responses to promote quicker, longer growth.

Venus with a slight halo-like glow in a Parker Solar Probe black and white image
NASA

We finally know why Venus is absolutely radiant

Full-light images from the Parker Solar Probe confirm an age-old astronomy legend.

An Amazon Echo Dot on top of some books.
Tech Hacks

Simplify your life by creating routines for Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant

How to build shortcuts for your digital assistant.

This is the Army’s plan to battle climate change—and still fight wars
Electric Vehicles

This is the Army’s plan to battle climate change—and still fight wars

How the branch that operates the fuel-guzzling M1 Abrams tank wants to reduce emissions, while not decreasing the scope of its operations.

3D instagram logo
Tech Hacks

10 excellent extensions to enjoy Instagram on the web

Make social media better.

large sauropod dinosaurs illustrated in a swampy lake
Dinosaurs

Even dinosaurs couldn’t escape the sniffles

Fossilized vertebrae show tthe sauropod Dolly probably caught a fungal respiratory infection.

This company plans to build a self-driving car with a brain that runs on light
Electric Vehicles

This company plans to build a self-driving car with a brain that runs on light

Lightmatter and two universities have received funding from the intelligence community to work on photonic computing in an autonomous vehicle.

Two chemists pulling apart an old computer in a rare earth metal recycling experiment
Physics

Inside the high-powered process that could recycle rare earth metals

It takes some tricky chemistry to mine industrial waste and old electronics for critical rare earths.

Snapchat wants you to watch a music video on a Dorito
Social Media

Snapchat wants you to watch a music video on a Dorito

The chips involved in this delicious use of AI and AR aren't computer chips.

A man in a white t-shirt and black pants sitting in a chair talking to a therapist while they both sit in front of large windows with white curtains.
Mental Health

Finding a therapist can be overwhelming, but these tips can help

The logistical challenges to finding therapy are real.