Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 559)

Bits of marijuana lay on a table on top of a doctor's prescription pad.
COVID-19

No, smoking weed will not protect you against COVID-19

Let's be blunt: Don't consume cannabis to prevent COVID.

N95 respirators
COVID-19

The ultimate guide to reusing and buying N95 masks

Everything you need to know—well, at least until the next game-changing variant.

How to enjoy a more sustainable cup of coffee
Life Skills

How to enjoy a more sustainable cup of coffee

Bid single-use Keurig cups adieu.

bitcoin atm
Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrencies are funding human trafficking, a new government report warns

A new federal report is calling for more data and more transparency around the use of virtual currencies like cryptocurrency.

This Roundup ingredient is riddled with controversy—here’s why
Agriculture

This Roundup ingredient is riddled with controversy—here’s why

While glyphosate has been linked to various health issues, it has yet to be fully removed from the market.

two pieces of a kit kat bar balanced on mugs of hot chocolate
Science

This candy scientist says her job is pretty sweet

Daniele Bwamba has a job at Hershey that most kids would kill for—designing new candy flavors.

A man holding an iPhone with his Photos app open.
Tech Hacks

The one move that will select all the photos on your phone

Try this one weird trick! OK, we'll see ourselves out.

Flock of white geese in green, grassy landscape in Canada
Technology

Inside the simple counting software that makes biologists’ jobs a little easier

DotDotGoose is a free, open-source tool that assists conservationists with manually counting objects in images.

Blurry hut-like object on the surface of the far side of the moon
Moons

China’s Yutu 2 Rover investigated a ‘mysterious hut’ on the moon

Now we know.

viper illustration
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

This noxious island is so full of snakes, people can’t even visit

Plus other fun facts from The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week.

three surgeons in blue scrubs, face masks, gloves, and sanitary gear are in an operating room standing next to a surgical bench covered in blue clothe. the surgeon on the left holds up a heart
Medicine

The first successful pig heart transplant into a human was a century in the making

More than a hundred thousand patients wait on the organ transplant list. Genetically modified pigs might one day be potential donors.

a railgun
Navy

Why Japan is betting on railguns for missile defense

Railguns are a fascinating type of weapon that can fire a projectile very quickly, although the US recently stopped working on them.

A Google Chrome browser open on a laptop with a lot of tabs visible.
Tech Hacks

5 browser extensions that will keep you from drowning in tabs

Take control of tab overflow.

Horse bones being measured.
Archaeology

Medieval knights rode tiny horses into battle

Warhorses in the Middle Ages were teenier than you think.

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