Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 538)

A prototype carrying the LAZA wing system
Robots

These robot wings use artificial muscle to flap like an insect

A prototype bot from engineers at the University of Bristol flies like an insect and looks like the golden snitch.

a gray wolf looks over its shoulder in the snow
Endangered Species

Snowy weather could determine life or death for Wisconsin’s poached gray wolves

A new analysis highlights how human activity and weather could make certain times of year more perilous than others for wolves.

A clinician readies a vaccine for injection.
Vaccines

The first people have received an experimental mRNA HIV vaccine

Moderna is hoping its mRNA technology will succeed where other HIV vaccines failed.

A man wearing a straight-brimmed baseball cap, watching TV on his phone while wearing black over-the-ear headphones.
Tech Hacks

The apps you need to watch movies and TV on your phone

Turn on, tune in, sit back.

Foundation of house destroyed by Hurricane Katrina
Sustainability

Brad Pitt’s affordable housing project in New Orleans failed Hurricane Katrina survivors

For the city's residents, it was a second disaster to overcome.

How to safely share your phone with others
Tech Hacks

How to safely share your phone with others

Yes, including that friend who keeps running out of battery.

firefighters stand by a car that was on fire
Electric Vehicles

A new study has some surprising findings on car fires

An analysis from an insurance group ranks the likelihood of fires in EVs, hybrids, and combustion-engine vehicles. Here's what they found.

Person throwing COVID-19 disposable mask in trash can.
COVID-19

This new recycling system could keep COVID PPE out of landfills

A potential win for the planet as the pandemic rages on.

hands texting on phone
Mental Health

One of the biggest suicide prevention hotlines amends its data-sharing practices

The mental health services provider will no longer share scrubbed data with Loris.ai.

trash bin with wrinkled up paper
Tech Hacks

The recycle bin settings you didn’t know you needed

You can keep your erased files around for longer than you might think.

A Uzbekistani doctor holds up a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in front of the company's logo.
Vaccines

A COVID vaccine for young US children may be closer than ever

Pfizer and BioNTech could request FDA authorization as early as Tuesday.

Instagram-on-web-browser
Tech Hacks

Why the web version of Instagram is better than the app

Bells and whistles aren't always a good thing.

Orca whale pod in a line in the ocean while hunting
Whales

Even blue whales aren’t safe from orcas

Whale-on-whale warfare is real—and absolutely brutal.

A federal judge has blocked Biden’s controversial oil and gas leases
Fossil Fuels

A federal judge has blocked Biden’s controversial oil and gas leases

The ruling is that climate change impacts weren't properly assessed.

social media apps
Social Media

Social media scammers made off with $770 million last year

Last year, consumers reportedly lost $770 million to scams on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

hands putting paper filling inside box
Life Skills

Small business owners can fight carbon emissions without decimating their budget

You don't have to lead an entire market to make a difference.

Red, horizontal splotches represent the center of the Milky Way galaxy with a greyscale background. A bright yellow dot represents the black hole at the center.
Black Holes

See the heart of the Milky Way as it’s never been captured before

These photos have everything: supernovas, non-thermal filaments, and a massive black hole.

An ash cloud from the 2022 Hunga Tonga explosion over the South Pacific seen from outer space
Environment

How one major disaster can lead to another: a lack of clean drinking water

It’s not just Tonga—the US stumbles in distributing freshwater in times of need too.

an electric plane on the ground
Electric Vehicles

Why the Air Force is interested in this little electric plane

The aircraft is Kitty Hawk's Heaviside, and an Air Force Reserve pilot flew one remotely in December.

A person standing by the side of a street while snow falls in the winter.
Tech Hacks

9 apps and gadgets to keep you warm during the finger-freezing days of winter

Fight the cold.