Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 536)

a helicopter with no one on board
Army

A Black Hawk helicopter flew for the first time without pilots

The empty UH-60 was part of a DARPA program and featured autonomous flight technology from Sikorsky.

An LED grow light illuminating a plant's leaf and turning it a shade of purple.
Projects

Yes, you can overuse grow lights on indoor plants

Plants can't gorge on artificial sunlight forever.

Patrick Wilson in an astronaut suit looking panicked in a Moonfall movie screenshot
International Space Station

What happens if you get diarrhea in space?

Astronauts (both real and fictional) have to deal with a whole range of poop problems.

Person putting cloth face mask on a small child
COVID-19

Why several states say they’ll lift COVID mask mandates soon

School mask mandates will be removed in four states in the coming weeks.

Marble countertop samples.
Sustainability

Marble is luxurious—but is it sustainable?

Think twice before shipping Italian stone to your American home.

A laptop with a bunch of Google Chrome browser tabs open.
Tech Hacks

This hidden Chrome trick lets you organize your tabs exactly as you want

Just drag and drop.

People wear COVID masks in on public transportation
COVID-19

The 5 phases of COVID’s endgame

Anthony Fauci and other public health experts give us their roadmap for the rest of the pandemic.

broken paper heart in clothline
Tech Hacks

7 apps to get you through a nasty breakup

Glue those shattered feelings back together.

A white polar bear standing on snow in a zoo with blue bars in the background.
Bears

Secrets from zoo polar bears could help conservation efforts in the wild

Bears in captivity provide researchers with more accessibility and data than those in the wild.

Climate change protest poster.
Climate Change

Dozens of companies with ‘net-zero’ goals just got called out for greenwashing

Great-sounding promises don’t always have sustainable outcomes.

a woman taking a selfie
Security

The IRS: We won’t use facial identification tech after all

The Internal Revenue Service has done an about-face on its plan to use facial recognition technology via a company called ID.me.

Hand loading dishwasher
Projects

Save money by making your own dishwasher tablets

Keep ’em clean, keep ’em shiny.

people-outdoors-toasting-with-glasses-of-wine
Life Skills

How to keep wine fresh after opening it

Make sure wine stays tasty until the last sip.

Monarch butterfly feeding on nectar of a purple coneflower in a native meadow
Insects

Monarch butterflies show hints of a comeback out West, but experts are cautious

People's efforts to plant milkweed and other native habitats are aiding the species' survival.

an armored personnel carrier in a field
Military

These Russian military robots help with logistics and scouting

A video shows two new bots working side-by-side with Russian soldiers. Here's what to know about them.

a satellite with solar panels and scientific instruments orbits in space with the moon in the background
Sun

Hermes will be NASA’s mini-weather station for tracking solar activity

To uncover the secrets behind space weather, the mission will monitor electromagnetic fields, subatomic particles, and solar flares.

A young woman sitting outside a coffee shop on a patio by the street, using a silver Macbook on a wooden table.
Tech Hacks

How to find free WiFi when you really need it

Get online fast without compromising your security.

Winter Storm Landon moving off the Gulf Coast on the night of February 3 on a weather radar satellite image
Weather

Ice, tornadoes, and cracking trees: Why Winter Storm Landon dragged a melee of weather across the US

Cold jet stream winds met hot Gulf air currents.

Three excited kids in robotics class printing robot toys on a 3D printer
Physics

The future might be filled with squishy robots printed to order

T-1000, but jigglier.

Person with black gloves pouring rock salt over a sidewalk despite environmental pollution
Life Skills

There’s a better way to use rock salt on snow

Deicers harm waterways in a number of ways. How you use them can make a difference.