Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 554)

hand holding phone showing google maps on screen
Tech Hacks

How to use the new ‘busy area’ icon on Google Maps

Should I stay or should I go?

IBM vertical transport transistors
Technology

The trick to a more powerful computer chip? Going vertical.

Electrons typically flow through transistors in parallel to the chip surface, but what if the transistors were flipped sideways?

Crop field
Pollution

Pesticides can hurt agricultural communities—so why do farmers fight back against bans?

Chlorpyrifos was finally banned in 2021—but agricultural groups are speaking out.

Sycamore Tree
Pollution

A million ‘super trees’ are coming to clean Houston’s air in the next decade

Houston officials are planting native trees that absorb carbon dioxide and offer other benefits.

A person wearing a t-shirt and shorts doing yoga on a black yoga mat in a white bedroom near some plants.
Life Skills

Easy fitness tips to get you moving while working from home

Rise up, work-from-homers, and take to the streets (for exercise).

This gadget is helping French special forces nail their parachute landings
Aviation

This gadget is helping French special forces nail their parachute landings

The device beeps as an operative gets closer to the ground, helping them (and anyone jumping in tandem with them) safely execute a landing maneuver.

Macaron cookies with bright food dyes like orange, light blue, and pastel yellow
Food Safety

We don’t know if artificial food dyes cause health risks

They're in everything from your grilled salmon to your favorite brand of pickles.

Urban traffic jam in a city street road
Health

Better vehicle emissions standards may have saved thousands of Americans

As vehicle emissions drop, so do pollution-related deaths.

hand holding phone with intstagram story screen
Tech Hacks

Turn back the clock with Instagram’s On This Day feature

Get in, loser—we’re taking a ride down memory lane.

A tornado behind a row of farmhouses and fields.
Weather

Why it’s so difficult to forecast a tornado’s path

Predicting the conditions where tornadoes are able to form is far easier than forecasting where they will actually land.

Three nicotine plants with flowers in a sunny field.
Vaccines

This new COVID vaccine uses plants as factories for viral proteins

Makers of the new vaccine say it's highly effective against the Delta variant.

man coding at desk
Security

What to know about the latest cybersecurity bug in log4j

The vulnerability is related to an open-source logging tool used by Java programs.

phone on table running android 12
Tech Hacks

It’s time to check what software version your phone is running

Update yourself before you update your phone.

Watch space rocks become fireworks during tonight’s Geminid meteor shower
Space

Watch space rocks become fireworks during tonight’s Geminid meteor shower

This meteor shower produces up to 120 shooting stars an hour at its peak.

Man looking at phone and credit card.
Climate Change

How banks are using technology to fight climate change

'Climate fintech,' explained.

A plastic plate with differently colored wells, being held up to a light by gloved hands.
Vaccines

Researchers are racing to figure out if Omicron can beat our vaccines

Research on the immune system response to Omicron gives us clues about vaccine efficacy. Here's what it can tell us, and what it can't.

Honda driver assistance screen showing no WiFi because of the switch from 3g to 5g
Vehicles

Which cars will be left in the dust by next year’s 3G shutdown?

Smartphones are getting faster, but some older cars may lose service forever.

Caltech CARL octopus-like AI robot in water
AI

This tiny AI-powered robot is learning to explore the ocean on its own

A new Caltech robot could use machine learning to navigate through turbulent and unknown terrains in the ocean.

Amazfit GTR 3 sitting on a weight
Smartwatches

Amazfit GTR 3 smartwatch review: Works for work, best for workouts

From the meeting room to the track meet, the Amazfit GTR 3 smartwatch’s style and capabilities meet your needs.

Physicists close in on the exceedingly short life of the Higgs boson
Particle Physics

Physicists close in on the exceedingly short life of the Higgs boson

Just because scientists have discovered a particle doesn't mean they know all its properties.