Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 631)

A highly weathered human jaw bone, labeled RV 2039.
Archaeology

What a 5,000-year-old plague victim reveals about the Black Death’s origins

It turns out the bubonic plague wasn't nearly as contagious—or gruesome—in the Neolithic era.

A 3-D rendering of a human-like skull faces forward against a black background. The skull is a tan color and has a pronounced brow ridge, large nose cavity, and square-ish eye sockets. The lower jaw is absent.
Evolution

The debate over ‘Dragon Man’ shows that human origins are still kind of messy

Scientists in the field disagree about whether this represents an entirely new species, but it's exciting no matter what.

close up of person sweating
Global Warming

Wet bulb globe temperature is the vital weather stat you’ve never heard of

With the planet warming, wet-bulb globe temperature is going to be an increasingly useful measurement.

The Science of Swine
Agriculture

The Science of Swine

Pigs not only inspire scientists via delicious, brain-sustaining pork products. See the latest pig-influenced developments in medicine and tech, from diabetes treatments to pig-urine-flavored cigarettes

Male red-winged blackbird
Life Skills

How to decode the secret language of birds

Learn to translate tweets.

New GPS Receiver Offers Navigation Accurate To An Inch
Technology

New GPS Receiver Offers Navigation Accurate To An Inch

Great for tiny robots!

Drought
Climate Change

IBM Watson Can Help Find Water Wasters In Drought-Stricken California

Computing conservation

How to book the cheapest flights possible
Tech Hacks

How to book the cheapest flights possible

Tech and tools to save you airfare dollars

Prevent your phone from distracting you while driving
Tech Hacks

Prevent your phone from distracting you while driving

While still using it for navigation

BBC iPlayer
Tech Hacks

How to watch foreign TV at home

Get around those region limits

Smart homes for beginners
Tech Hacks

Smart homes for beginners

Automate your house

Lava
Ask Us Anything

Why don’t we just throw all our garbage into volcanoes?

Because it's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.

Multiple desktops on a Mac computer.
Tech Hacks

Get more screen space than you ever imagined with virtual desktops

It's free, and much easier than buying a second computer monitor.

An image of the black expanse of space, with stars and a galaxy in the middle. A single small star is circled in white.
Space

Astronomers just confirmed a new type of supernova

After decades of speculation, astronomers observed this new type of exploding star in realtime.

How rescue specialists search for survivors in collapsed buildings
Military

How rescue specialists search for survivors in collapsed buildings

In disasters like Miami, urban search and rescue experts employ resources such as cameras, microphones, and dogs as they work on the pile.

a sweaty man pants for air over an orange and yellow background
Climate Change

Heat is the silent killer we should all be worried about

Hot weather is poised to kill more people than ever.

nasa-mariner-2-venus
Exoplanets

These scientists spent decades pushing NASA to go back to Venus. Now they’re on a hot streak.

Our next-door planet is similar to Earth in size and composition, but extreme conditions made Venus a hellscape. Devoted researchers want to know what caused their wildly divergent paths.

A swimming pool, from under the water.
Life Skills

It’s surprisingly hard to tell if someone’s drowning, so we made you a guide

What to look for—and what to do about it.

Night sky and stars above the Cherry Springs National Park.
Space

The world needs dark skies more than ever. Here’s why.

Dark Sky Places help us imagine a world where we can all see the night sky.

Young soybean crows in tilled soil
Agriculture

A huge chunk of the EU’s food imports will be at risk of drought by 2050

Climate-related disruptions in the food supply chain can cause global setbacks.