Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 571)

a siberian husky in the snow howls
Evolution

Ancient wolf DNA is being used to sniff out where our love story with dogs began

The wolf genomes could help settle the long-standing mystery of dog domestication.

Why DARPA wants its robots to think like kids
DARPA

Why DARPA wants its robots to think like kids

If machines can learn as adeptly as children do, the military thinks they might be able to help out in useful ways.

Clinical sample of the monkeypox virus.
Diseases

More than a million monkeypox vaccines are on their way in the US

The CDC has opened an emergency center to help fight the contagious disease.

Compostable plastic cups found in garbage.
Land

Single-use plastic is on its way out of national parks. But why is the pace so glacial?

Eliminating waste is crucial, but experts argue this timeline is too long.

Wi-Fi logo on a phone Best hotspot plans feature image
Computers

Best hotspot plans

If you need mobile internet, you have tons of options. We can help you sort out the best hotspot plans for you.

Heatwave in Phoenix Arizona sunset or sunrise red sun
Climate Change

How US cities are preparing for more life-threatening heatwaves

Officials from Portland, New York, Miami and Phoenix discuss plans to keep residents safe in extreme heat.

Firefly or lighting bug display in summer in a forest clearing
Insects

The land of lost fireflies is probably a humble New Jersey bog

Ecologist Kitt Heckscher discovered four new firefly species in coastal wetlands. He swears there are many more.

google hangouts mobile app
Internet

Google Hangouts is dead. Long live Google’s mess of chat apps.

Google's history with messaging apps is chaotic. With Hangouts gone, here's a look at what's left.

a large black stick bug isolated on a black background
Endangered Species

Macro portraits reveal the glamor and peril of endangered insects

Photographer Levon Biss captures the exquisite majesty of bugs—and the pressures that threaten them.

Person in brown sweater with a white apron frying something on a gas stove that's leaking methane
Fossil Fuels

Gas appliances could be leaking up to 21 hazardous pollutants in your home

The human health hazards of gas leaks are still relatively unknown. 

A laptop computer with Wikipedia on its screen.
Tech Hacks

‘Adopting typos’ and other ways to edit Wikipedia

Sharing knowledge is how we gain knowledge.

The moon is pockmarked with craters, including holes made by rockets.
Moons

What happens when a rocket hits the moon? It’s not always what astronomers predict.

Rockets have crashed into the lunar surface before, but not like this.

How computer-aided engineering shaped Cadillac’s first EV to a tee
Electric Vehicles

How computer-aided engineering shaped Cadillac’s first EV to a tee

A look at what went into creating the Cadillac Lyriq—and what it's like to drive this important new electric vehicle.

a haboob
Weather

What the heck is a haboob? Hint: You can see it from space.

These brown avalanches—nicknamed black blizzards—can seemingly turn day into night.

A woman with red hair wearing sunglasses and a black-and-white-striped shirt, laying on the concrete edge of a tiled swimming pool, looking at her phone, which she's holding above her face.
Tech Hacks

All you need to know to add closed captions to video calls, Netflix, and more

It doesn’t count as summer reading, though.

Baby woolly mammoth from North American permafrost with trunk intact stretched out on blue tarp
Animals

This is the most-complete woolly mammoth ever found in North America

The find offers paleontologists a rare, clear window into megafauna from the last ice age.

metallica concert in St. Petersburg, Russia
Science

The science is clear: Metal music is good for you

This music genre blows away stereotypes.

Wildfire
Environment

Electrocuted birds cause a surprising amount of wildfires

While perching on power lines, birds can become electrocuted, burst into flames, and set wildlands ablaze.

Meet the ID Aero, Volkswagen’s new electric sedan concept
Concept Cars

Meet the ID Aero, Volkswagen’s new electric sedan concept

The EV should have range of more than 300 miles, and will first be on sale in China.

Photodetectors in a circular array in a large neutrino detector experiment at Fermilab
Particle Physics

This ghostly particle may be why dark matter keeps eluding us

Physicists in Russia think they’re on the trail of a new particle that's everywhere, but nowhere.