Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 746)

thawed permafrost
Global Warming

The Arctic might be a methane time bomb—or not

Researchers are still debating whether permafrost melting will release mostly methane or carbon dioxide.

Masked researchers handling samples
COVID-19

How the COVID-19 mask shortage imperils virus research

Scientists are being forced to hit the pause button on high-risk projects.

Isle of Skye dinosaurs in the mid Jurassic.
Dinosaurs

Ancient Stegosaurus relatives wandered across the Scottish highlands

Remnants of 170 million-year-old Jurassic bagpipes are yet to be found.

Eleven soup recipes perfect for freezing and hoarding
Projects

Eleven soup recipes perfect for freezing and hoarding

These are great for when you’re tired of canned food.

airport travel
COVID-19

Gotta fly? Wash your hands early and often to keep COVID-19 from following you home

Airports are crowded, confined areas that microbes thrive in.

Death cap Amanita phalloides
Life Skills

From the death cap to the alcohol inky: seven poisonous mushrooms you definitely don’t want to eat

They’ll take you on one hell of a trip—to the morgue.

Artist's interpretation of the teardrop star and its partner.
Exoplanets

First of its kind ‘teardrop’ star pulses with its own rhythm

What other kinds of wild star shapes are out there?

The California Department of Public Health
COVID-19

Who’s responsible for containing COVID-19?

It’s written in the Constitution (sort of).

medical face mask
COVID-19

COVID-19 symptoms typically appear 5 days after infection

But the incubation period can vary from roughly 2 to 12 days.

White hospital beds
COVID-19

COVID-19 has now killed 29 people in the U.S.

Here’s everything we know about the fatalities.

a ferris wheel
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

There was only ever one true Ferris Wheel, and we blew it up

The strange and sad history of a beloved amusement park attraction.

Closeup details of leather boots and laces.
DIY

The best proven way to make your leather boots last

Shower them with love, attention, and bit of baking soda.

four champagne glasses full of colorful liquid
Food Safety

Teen bootleggers are making dangerous booze on TikTok

The homemade brew can poison you if you’re not careful.

a bunch of people putting their hands together
Tech Hacks

Seven apps that make it much easier to work remotely

Collaborate with others without being in the same room.

Verónica Grech illustration
Mental Health

A popular autism drug for children isn’t as safe as its label indicates

A decade’s worth of data suggests that the makers of Abilify haven’t been forthcoming about its side effects.

sea turtle in tank
Ocean

Sea turtles think old ocean plastic smells delicious

Smells like chicken.

A man holds a smartphone with the YouTube app.
Internet

YouTube science videos are riddled with scams, plagiarism, and misinformation

The site is a crucial tool for ‘edutainment,’ but it lacks quality control.

a photo of an Apple Mac laptop screen with the web browsers Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera all in the task bar
Tech Hacks

Some browsers are better for your laptop than others

Google Opera from the Edge of your seat while you’re on a Safari, looking for the elusive Firefox.

Chipotle queso blanco
Agriculture

Inside Chipotle’s two-year process of reinventing its queso

It involved a lot of tasting and chemistry to get the creaminess just right.

firefighters standing in front of smoky hillside
Animals

Bugs, hares, and other unexpected animals that control wild fires

The picture is much bigger than grazing mammals.