Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 744)

E. coli under a microscope
Exoplanets

Yeast and E. coli can grow in conditions that might exist on alien planets

The microbes thrived in pure hydrogen conditions, suggesting alien microbes might as well.

Peoples at a riverside beach
COVID-19

This summer’s severe temperatures could make the pandemic even more complicated

Heat and humidity will send people outdoors, where the risk of catching the coronavirus is higher.

gestalt dalmatian
Science

These splotches hide an image if you think about it hard enough

What do you see?

A current view of the South Colwater Ridge Trail at Mount Saint Helens in Washington.
Environment

After Mount St. Helens erupted, scientists fought to preserve its devastation

The biggest volcanic catastrophe in US history has taught us a lot about natural resilience.

A bull elk bugles in a field.
Wildlife

Ten shocking survival stories that real people lived to tell

Gator-infested swamps, misplaced fish hooks, and angry beavers galore.

a map of temperatures across the US, showing very low temperatures in the northeast, mid-atlantic, and midwest
Climate Change

The polar vortex is bringing snow to the US this weekend, because chaos loves company

The polar vortex is swooping in to cool down our spring.

a DIY solar oven baking s'mores
Projects

Stay-at-home science project: Bake s’mores using the power of the sun

Get that albedo going.

DJI Matrice 300 RTK
Drones

DJI’s new industrial UAV is the coolest drone you’ll never get to fly

It’s made to inspect power lines and other industrial installations.

Here’s why your brain is so bad at those ‘spot the difference’ games
Science

Here’s why your brain is so bad at those ‘spot the difference’ games

They entertained you for entire minutes at the dentist’s office.

Staff and military personnel at a Florida nursing home secure COVID-19 test samples.
COVID-19

COVID-19 tests are far from perfect, but accuracy isn’t the biggest problem

Here’s what all those false positives and negatives really mean.

Live hero shrew
Animals

This fuzzy little shrew has nature’s toughest backbone

Don’t let their size fool you.

Rock candy
Projects

Stay-at-home science project: Grow your own rock candy

So. Much. Sugar.

Pamela Smith in her lab
Science

This scientist studies alchemy to turn historical handicrafts into modern innovations

Some of the best science lies in the designs of really old stuff.

bikes tied up by fence
COVID-19

The pandemic could make cities more bike-friendly—for good

Cities are creating “slow streets” to enable social distancing and prevent surges in traffic when they reopen.

Two starts orbiting a black hole, as portrayed by an illustrator
Black Holes

Astronomers just found the closest black hole to Earth

And more probably lurk nearby.

bats flying out of an abandoned gold mine
COVID-19

Why do so many diseases come from bats?

Many viruses originate in bats, but that doesn’t mean we should live in fear of them.

A ball of homemade Silly Putty
Projects

Stay-at-home science project: Two-ingredient Silly Putty

Easy peasy, putty squeezy.

a war propaganda poster
Space

Carrots were once a crucial tool in anti-Nazi propaganda

And they don’t actually improve your eyesight.

alaska permafrost lab
Climate Change

Inside a frozen tunnel hiding the galaxy’s biggest secrets

The permafrost in the Fox tunnel in Alaska protects age-old biological clues from decay. But the priceless substrate and scientific tool is disappearing fast.

SARS-CoV-2 strain under a microscope
COVID-19

How the CDC plans to track the mutating coronavirus

Changes to the SARS-CoV-2 genome can be difficult to identify and track.