Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 714)

Microsoft video authenticator
Internet

Microsoft’s new video authenticator could help weed out dangerous deepfakes

Big tech companies are working on tools to detect AI-manipulated videos as we approach the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

prescription drug
COVID-19

Corticosteroids can help COVID-19 patients with severe respiratory distress

A group of new studies shows the potent anti-inflammatories can help some coronavirus patients who are experiencing severe bouts with the virus.

Push up
Life Skills

Working out at home? Here’s how to keep your house from smelling like a gym.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, your roommates are sweat-loving bacteria.

intersection in a city with people crossing
Pollution

City pavement is a big source of air pollution

Especially in warm, sunny weather, petroleum-based pavement and roofing release compounds that contribute to unhealthy air.

Carlo Giambarresi illustration
Aviation

The science behind how an aircraft glides

Gliding is the solution of a puzzle in which speed, rate of descent, and angle of attack are the clues.

people walking around with masks in the suburbs
COVID-19

Herd immunity alone won’t stop COVID-19. Here’s why.

We have better ways to fight the pandemic.

Amazon drone
Drones

Amazon is one big step closer to delivering packages by drone

What the FAA’s recent decision means for the prospect of your orders arriving from the sky.

A spider
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Your car is probably full of spiders

And other weird things we learned this week.

Jeopardy!
Psychology

Why do we love game shows like ‘Jeopardy!’ so much?

The secrets to making a winning series.

Lynda Gehrman demonstrates a seated calf raise
Life Skills

Six seated exercises to keep you limber at your desk

Don’t just stretch—strengthen.

Chinese paper lanterns in front of a blue and yellow floral mural
COVID-19

The recent rise in Asian American hate crimes could have impacts beyond the pandemic

Without a reliable database, it’s difficult to tackle the aftermath in immigrant communities.

young adults
Cancer

Colon cancer rates among young people are on the rise, and doctors don’t know why

Neither young adults nor their health care providers are actively looking for signs of the disease.

Hurricane Laura
Climate Change

How hurricanes like Laura get so strong

There are three key ingredients to rapid intensification.

Fire
Life Skills

10 caveperson survival skills you need to know

Sometimes you just have to go back to basics.

power line silhouette against reddish sunset
Energy

Severe storms are increasingly leaving us without power. Microgrids can help.

As climate change spurs worsening hurricanes, renewable microgrids have the potential to generate and redistribute power.

A person wearing an N95 mask and making a thumbs up
COVID-19

Convincing someone to wear a mask is hard, but not impossible

Borrow some talking points from famous philosophers in the name of public health.

Pictured: 2002 Honda RC51. From the era of great V-twin racebikes.
Motorcycles

10 classic motorcycles to drool over

A photographic tribute to old-school Hondas.

Neuralink.
Biology

Watch Elon Musk unveil the next version of his AI-powered brain implant, Neuralink

Here’s the tech that’s built to go straight into your actual skull.

Dog vision
Pets

How cats and dogs see the world

Their other senses make up for the fact that they can’t see some colors.

A Blakiston's fish owl hunting for masu salmon in a river
Birds

The quest to snare—and save—the world’s largest owl

Wildlife biologist Jonathan Slaght braved the frigid, inhospitable terrain of Primorye, Russia, to learn the ways of the endangered Blakiston’s fish owl.