Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 659)

A blue recycling bin with a recycling symbol on it.
Life Skills

What do the numbers on plastic mean? And 3 other trashy questions, answered.

Master the art of the blue bin.

person playing violin
Science

You might like Stradivarius violins because worms hate them

Chemicals used to prevent worms and rot seems to have changed the wood's structure.

A woman gives a COVID-19 vaccine shot to a young person while both wear masks
Vaccines

COVID booster shots will be available to all Americans this fall

The CDC is expanding who will be eligible.

Argo float in the ocean.
Robots

These free-floating robots can monitor the health of our oceans

Argo floats pack all types of sensors that can detect pH, oxygen, temperature and more.

An illustration of a best of hatchling baby turtles.
Dinosaurs

A fossilized egg laid by an extinct, human-sized turtle holds a rare jackpot

These turtles lived in the Cretaceous period and were wiped out with the dinosaurs.

Everything you need to know about kids and COVID as schools reopen
COVID-19

Everything you need to know about kids and COVID as schools reopen

Masks, social distancing, and vaccination are key to protecting kids, experts say.

Hand holding iphone with facebook messenger on the screen
Tech Hacks

Learn to use Facebook Messenger’s new encryption option for group chats and calls

Protect your group texts and calls.

Marsh with fossil fuel facility and powerlines in distance
Fossil Fuels

Methane is the greenhouse gas we can no longer afford to ignore

The next decade is crucial to tackle both big polluting gases.

The weirdest things we learned this week: Falcon sex hats and buying human skulls on Instagram
Evolution

The weirdest things we learned this week: Falcon sex hats and buying human skulls on Instagram

Our editors scrounged up some truly bizarre facts.

an electric garbage truck in a parking lot
Electric Vehicles

Electric garbage trucks are the quiet, clean titans of waste collection

Using a battery-powered garbage truck to collect trash in a city like New York is not a stinky idea.

person preparing mRNA vaccine to be injected
Vaccines

The first mRNA-based HIV vaccine is about to start human trials

The same system Moderna used for its COVID vaccine may also be able to help prevent HIV.

Paris catacombs human skulls Skeleton Keys
Health

The human bone trade is legal—and booming on Instagram

Excerpt: Skeleton Keys: The Secret Life of Bone

Meet the cat-sized mammals that thrived after the dinosaurs died
Dinosaurs

Meet the cat-sized mammals that thrived after the dinosaurs died

Three newly discovered fossil mammals hint at a bustling post-dinosaur world.

What the heck is a time crystal, and why are physicists obsessed with them?
Physics

What the heck is a time crystal, and why are physicists obsessed with them?

Some of today’s quantum physicists are tinkering with an esoteric phase of matter that seems to disobey some of our laws of physics.

outdoors compositing pile with veggies
Life Skills

How to keep food, plastic, and fabric out of the landfill

Tackle life on the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle.

a diagram of saturn with its slushy core
Solar System

Saturn has a slushy core and rings that wiggle

Astronomers used the rings as a seismograph to peer inside the planet’s core.

View from inside a catio with white cat on a swing
Projects

Tips to build the safest, most purr-fect catio for your feline overlord

Yes, it's called a catio—it's a patio but for your cat.

Empty cups, both plastic and paper, take out containers, straws, and other trash sit in a multi-colored pile. Starbucks, Nathans, Dunkin Donuts, and Canada Dry logos are visible on some of the items.
Environment

Your compostable cups and containers aren’t reversing the plastic problem

Our waste systems just aren't ready for compostable plastic.

fire trucks lines up on a road
Self Driving

Teslas keep hitting emergency vehicles, and now the government is investigating

The cars in 11 crashes were all in Autopilot or adaptive cruise control mode.

Screenshot of the home screen of an iPhone showing the messages app with one unread message.
Tech Hacks

How to save your text messages from disappearing when you get a new phone

These apps will help you bring your text message history wherever you go.