Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 54)

an illustration of an ancient mole species. it has long claws, a pink snout, brown fur, and is crawling out of a hole by a lake
Biology

Prehistoric ‘scalopini’ mole fossil uncovered in an ancient Spanish volcano crater

They are not related to the delicious Italian dish.

A digitally edited image of an older woman with white hair and wrinkles holding up a photo of her younger self, showing smoother skin and youthful features. The contrast highlights aging differences between the two faces.
Ask Us Anything

Can you hack aging with NAD supplements?

Early research shows potential—but human studies haven’t proven the hype.

Tineco S9 floor cleaner
Home

Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Steam Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner review: Excellent on any surface

This is the best hybrid floor cleaner we have used so far. Super-heated steam makes quick work of hard surfaces, while powerful suction eats everything in its path.

anatomical heart made of paper
Medicine

Surgeons develop 2 ways to ‘restart’ hearts without a donor’s body

Doctors continue to blur the definition of death to save lives.

Medieval manuscripts like the Cotton MS Vitellius C III highlight uses for herbs that reflect modern-day wellness trends. Image Credit: The British Library.
Diseases

Dark Age detoxes sometimes resembled TikTok health trends

A few remedies hold up. Most don’t—and that’s why good research matters.

a penguin looks directly at the camera. it has black and white feathers with some red around the eyes
Ocean

The clever way Magellanic penguins ride—and adjust to—ocean currents

They may waddle on land, but these seabirds are master navigators at sea.

This artist’s concept visualizes a kilonova – an explosion that happens when two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole collide and merge. When these collisions happen, a fraction of the resulting debris is ejected as jets, which move near the speed of light. The remaining debris produces hot, glowing, neutron-rich clouds that forge heavy elements, like gold and platinum. Researchers will mine data from NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will survey the same areas of the sky every few days, to identify kilonovae. Roman’s extensive data will help astronomers better identify how often these events occur, how much energy they give off, and how near or far they are.
Black Holes

NASA’s new Roman Space Telescope aims to discover 100,000 cosmic explosions

Scheduled to launch in 2027, the project could also find more 'kilonovae.'

a white dog and a black and white dog watch a TV. a metal bowl brimming with dog food is on the screen
Dogs

Science reveals dogs’ favorite type of TV

Personality shapes their responses to screens.

A grey tabby cat with green eyes is lying on its side atop two concrete blocks. The cat has its head tilted and one paw raised near its face, appearing relaxed and content. In the background, there is green grass and plants slightly out of focus.
Ask Us Anything

Why do cats love concrete slabs? A vet explains.

The viral trend taps into some very real feline instincts.

a robot rolling through subway
AI

Robots in China are riding the subway to make 7-Eleven deliveries

The chunky robots rely on AI-informed logistics algorithms to plan optimal routes.

Roman tile art depicting two lovers with woman's backside blurred
Archaeology

Stolen during WWII, an erotic Roman mosaic returns home

A Nazi officer originally looted the sultry piece as a gift.

a red meterorite from mars
Mars

Largest chunk of Mars on Earth sells for $5.3 million

The 54-pound piece of the Red Planet was discovered in the Sahara desert in 2023.

Illustration scroll for The Tale of Genji from Medieval Japan
Internet

College students digitized 795 poems from the world’s oldest novel

‘The Tale of Genji’ is a cornerstone of classical Japanese literature.

This is HOPS-315, a baby star where astronomers have observed evidence for the earliest stages of planet formation. These observations show that hot minerals are beginning to solidify. In orange we see the distribution of carbon monoxide, blowing away from the star in a butterfly-shaped wind. In blue we see a narrow jet of silicon monoxide, also beaming away from the star. These gaseous winds and jets are common around baby stars like HOPS-315.
Space Telescope

For the first time, astronomers spot the beginning of a solar system

The discovery is like finding a solar system's 'baby picture.'

an illustration of a marine reptile with large fins and a beak swimming by several squid and one shark
Evolution

Ichthyosaurs were silent assassins of Jurassic seas

Special fins may have helped these marine reptiles become apex predators.

TORONTO , ON- APRIL 11 - Pasta Buca .Detail of Su filindeu. David Marcelli of Buca makes pasta from scratch for The Star. April 11, 2018. (Rene Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

The rarest pasta on earth is almost physically impossible to make

Plus cloacas and other weird things we learned this week.

A young girl sitting on a plane holds her hears in pain.
Ask Us Anything

Why do our ears pop on a plane? An audiologist explains.

Tricks to fix it go beyond chewing gum.

Medieval book opened to pages
Archaeology

A 600-year-old Chaucer mystery may finally be solved

A medieval sermon packed with 'memes' and simple spelling mistakes could explain a baffling line in 'The Canterbury Tales.'

Six Tesla electric cars burn on the trailer of the moving lorry carrying them after one of them catches on fire due to unknown reasons in Istanbul, Turkiye on October 06, 2023. (Photo by Muhammed Gencebay Gur/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Electric Vehicles

New lithium batteries have built-in fire extinguishers

A prototype aims to prevent not just the flames, but the fumes that cause them.

a full moon rises over rusty-colored mountains
Deep Space

18 awesome images from the 2025 Astronomy Photographer of the Year awards

Our universe is vast and absolutely incredible.