Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 695)

person with acne
Medicine

This popular acne medication carries a disturbing legacy

Albert Kligman conducted his groundbreaking work on tretinoin primarily on local Black inmates.

Athena Aktipis
Health

Sharing doesn’t make you a sucker. This scientist has the numbers to prove it.

With the Human Generosity Project, Athena Aktipis wants to show that cooperation makes humans stronger.

A cutting board with baked venison
COVID-19

Hunters are helping keep food banks stocked through COVID-19

All that extra meat can make a difference in a crisis.

a campfire in a designated fire area
Life Skills

How to build and extinguish a campfire without sparking a catastrophe

Do not disappoint Smokey Bear.

Tim Enthoven illustration
Evolution

Why do cats purr?

All theories are purr-speculation.

Drone
Tech Hacks

A beginner’s guide to buying your first drone

Take to the skies.

person handling blood samples in a lab
COVID-19

COVID-19 may have been circulating in the U.S. as early as last year

A new CDC report found evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in blood samples from late 2019.

edible bug snacks
Insects

Cricket-based snacks are surprisingly delicious

What if your tortilla chips had 20 grams of protein?

Three people watching the night sky while sitting on a hay bale in a field
Space

These ghostly circles in the sky came out of nowhere

Astronomers call them ORCs.

Arecibo’s disk suffered damage in November, before the suspended receiver collapsed completely in December.
NASA

The Arecibo Observatory collapsed this week. What now?

Reeling from a damaging astronomical loss, researchers contemplate how to adapt to a new reality.

Herbal tea
Projects

Mix your own delicious herbal tea using leftover spices

Caffeine-free, no-waste, and way better than a tea bag.

Unspun Body scan jeans
Best of What's New

The 10 most exceptional personal care products from 2020

They’re the Best of What’s New.

Coho salmon
Pollution

Salmon are dying off and your car tires might be to blame

Stormwater runoff causes annual die-offs in Pacific Northwest coho salmon.

person planting seeds
Environment

How to buy carbon offsets that actually make a difference

Even during a pandemic, you produced a lot of greenhouse gases this year.

Frozen Bubble
Projects

Turn soap bubbles into magical frozen orbs

Unleash your inner icemancer.

IndyCar and Red Bull Aeroscreen
Best of What's New

The best car and automotive technologies of 2020

They’re the Best of What’s New.

Tim Enthoven illustration
Weather

Why is it so hard to predict the weather?

That light breeze could mean there’s a storm a few miles away.

Hyundai E-GMP
Electric Vehicles

Hyundai plans to build dozens of vehicles on its new modular EV platform

The E-GMP system works for everything from sports cars to larger family vehicles.

Bjarke Ingels Group CopenHill
Best of What's New

The wildest engineering innovations of 2020

They’re the Best of What’s New.

Person looking at mirror
COVID-19

Mask up without breaking out. Here’s how to prevent pandemic acne.

Yes, maskne is real—and we hate it.