Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 545)

Paleontological researchers on a volcanic mound in Ethiopia's Kibish Formation, where some of the oldest Homo sapiens have been discovered
Evolution

Eastern Africa’s oldest human fossils are more ancient than we realized

Ash traced back to an Ethiopian volcano suggests the remains are at least 233,000 years old.

jbl flip 5 bluetooth speaker on a table
Speakers

JBL Flip 5 review: The take-anywhere, vibe-creating compact Bluetooth speaker makes a splash

There's nowhere this durable, waterproof speaker can't go—from the beach to the pool to the shower.

Black JBL Flip 6 Bluetooth party speaker held in the author's hand
Speakers

JBL Flip 6 speaker review: The palm-sized party

With bass for days and surprisingly crisp definition considering its size, the JBL Flip 6 is an outdoor-friendly ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker to beat.

Hands holding android phone
Tech Hacks

A beginner’s guide to using Android

One of us, one of us! 

Rembrandt's oil painting "The Night Watch" restored and broken down into six high-res squares
AI

AI turned a Rembrandt masterpiece into 5.6 terabytes of data

Algorithms and museum grunt work helped restore a centuries-old painting—so you can enjoy it at home.

Silhouette of hands during sunset.
Renewables

Energy from nuclear fusion just got a little bit more feasible

For 17 minutes, a man-made reactor generated energy like stars

a rendering of a supersonic airliner
Aviation

The Air Force is investing millions in what could be the next Concorde

Boom Supersonic is working on a passenger plane called Overture, but it will be a long time before it takes to the skies—if it ever does.

person working on laptop
Tech Hacks

Ditch your built-in file explorer for one of these 6 apps

Level up your file management.

the novel coronavirus
COVID-19

The ‘Deltacron’ COVID variant almost certainly doesn’t exist

Data errors probably explain signs of a hybrid Delta-Omicron variant.

sawsharks
Sharks

Scientists discovered new shark species with chainsaw-like noses

The new sawsharks have been found in the Indian ocean.

Razer Zephyr
COVID-19

Razer Zephyr review: A mask out of time

The Razer Zephyr is concept art brought to life: more interesting in theory than in practice.

A person drizzles lemon juice over a piece of chicken surrounded by leafy greens
Nutrition

5 nutrition goals that are better than weight loss

These tricks are more sustainable than restricting food—and healthier, too.

A crab with huge eyes on the front of its face swimming after a shrimp with a big head.
Evolution

This 90-million-year-old crab had the eyes of a hunter

What had 10 legs and the eye of the tiger?

A person on a FaceTime call with someone while sitting at a table full of delicious-looking food.
Tech Hacks

The best way to share your screen on a FaceTime call

If SharePlay flew under your radar when it released, take some time to get familiar with it.

half of a circle with concentric rings of brown, gold, and amber radiating outwards
Biology

These sophisticated bacteria communities assemble in tie-dye formation

Researchers have found that biofilms can create concentric patterns using a mechanism thought to only be used by plants and animals.

Cooling tower at coal fired power station.
Fossil Fuels

Coal and transportation fueled a surge in US carbon emissions last year

COVID-related emission drops weren't here to stay.

How digital bounty hunters search for software bugs—and money
Security

How digital bounty hunters search for software bugs—and money

Companies may offer large rewards, but the reality is that smaller payouts are often the norm. Here's how it all works.

A phone with low battery in a dark room with airplane mode turned on.
Tech Hacks

4 ways to quickly charge your phone in a time crunch

Get the most juice in the shortest time.

closeup of a whorled fingerprint pattern on a white person
Science

The genes behind your fingerprints just got weirder

The whorls, arches, and loops on your fingertips can say a lot about your early development.

Ukraine’s Dnieper River
NASA

Ancient rocks hold the story of Earth’s first breath of oxygen

The Great Oxygenation Event may have happened all at once, around 2.3 billion years ago.