Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 688)

A calendar with the page for March 2021 displayed and a red circle around Thursday the 11th sits next to an N95 mask on a blue background surrounded by red illustrations of the coronavirus.
COVID-19

What the first year of COVID tells us about the next

Now is not the time to let our guard down.

a person wearing a backpack and holding textbooks against a blue background with several red coronavirus illustrations
COVID-19

Where are we most likely to catch COVID-19?

We know a lot more about transmission risk than we did a year ago.

Two Black women with curly hair hug against a blue background featuring red coronavirus illustrations
COVID-19

Can we ever hug again?

A year of pandemic life has made this question more important than ever.

illustration of hatchling lamprey
Evolution

These fossilized lamprey hatchlings disprove an age-old evolutionary theory

Lampreys were thought of as models of early vertebrate evolution, but new evidence suggests otherwise.

Salmon and asparagus on a cooking sheet
Nutrition

A low-carb diet doesn’t guarantee weight loss

Experts can’t agree on how to measure caloric effects on metabolism.

Kid with glasses using computer in a living room
Tech Hacks

Your guide to kid-proofing a computer

Unsupervised children can get in a whole lot of trouble.

Canoo electric pickup truck driving through snow with a roof rack
Vehicles

Canoo’s upcoming electric pickup truck will offer modular storage and adorable aesthetics

The unique form factor offers a bigger bed on a smaller overall foot print.

Perseverance rover SHERLOC
Mars

Was there ever life on Mars? Perseverance’s SHERLOC laser sniffs for microscopic clues

The ultraviolet “imager” is a life-hunting machine more than two decades in the making.

Washington Memorial at night with rows of lights along a pool
COVID-19

12 months of pandemic life in 12 photographs

Some scenes can just never be separated from COVID-19.

investigator examines Reactor Unit 3 at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant
Renewables

10 years after Fukushima, outdated nuclear power plants are still the norm

Countries are still figuring out how to implement safety with aging infrastructure.

Urban city square with park and planted trees.
Climate Change

Can planting more trees keep cities from heating up?

Creating an urban forest can be trickier than it seems.

A person lying on a white mattress in dim light, with one arm across their forehead, one arm on their stomach, and a phone next to them.
Life Skills

The best way to prevent arm pain from using your phone too much

Those bedtime videos are straining your joints.

Line graphs in blue, pink, and green for mask, mask mandate, and kn95 masks
COVID-19

A year of pandemic life, as told by the things we Googled

We visualized some of the key trends in Google searches in the past 12 months.

Hawadax Island in Alaska
Animals

How scientists helped Alaska’s “Rat Island” shake off its namesake rodents

A team of scientists helped eradicate the island of the animals in 2008 and the isle has slowly rebounded.

An autonomous ship called the Sea Hunter in 2018.
DARPA

DARPA wants designs for robotic warships that won’t need a crew

Having people on a ship is both an asset and a drawback.

A gas pipeline under construction in a clear-cut strip of forest
Fossil Fuels

Oil and gas companies are making old pipelines the landowner’s problem

In the US, private residents end up footing the bill to prevent further eyesores and pollution.

a person wearing a mask
Vaccines

Long-term COVID-19 symptoms are even more common than we thought

Here’s everything you need to know this week.

Hand in rubber gloves with a cleaning product sprayer
Life Skills

Master odor removal with a little help from science

Get rid of that stink once and for all.

a person getting the COVID vaccine
Vaccines

You’re vaccinated. Now what?

The CDC recently updated its guidance on what fully-vaccinated folks can do, but there’s still a lot we don’t know.

Jacqueline Oakley hippo illustration
Animals

Pablo Escobar’s hippos might be filling an ancient ecological niche

Though it’s not all good news.