Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 798)

melted plasticware
Engineering

Scientists are making progress with better plastic-eating bacteria

Someday engineered organisms might help us do a better job of recycling polymers.

Two kids in a swimming pool full of bacteria
Health

Swimming pools are full of poop, but they probably won’t make you sick

They're still gross, though.

serotonin molecule structure
Mental Health

Treating depression takes much more than serotonin

Neurotransmitters can't tell the whole story, no matter what "serotonin culture" says.

How one Bluetooth adapter can change the way you use your car
Tech Hacks

How one Bluetooth adapter can change the way you use your car

You'll finally be able to pinpoint what the check engine light means.

The Atlantic cod’s migratory supergene comes at a cost
Fish

The Atlantic cod’s migratory supergene comes at a cost

Cod have a supergene that makes them great swimmers—and unfortunately easy dinner.

Last week in tech: Jony Ive left Apple, ‘The Office’ is quitting Netflix, and we tried the iOS 13 beta
Technology

Last week in tech: Jony Ive left Apple, ‘The Office’ is quitting Netflix, and we tried the iOS 13 beta

Catch up on the week's biggest tech news.

This cheap smartphone sensor could help you tell if old food is safe to eat
Climate Change

This cheap smartphone sensor could help you tell if old food is safe to eat

With a two-cent microchip, scientists can determine what's spoiled—and what's not.

Climate change highlighted text roundup
Climate Change

Keeping up with climate change: the latest news in one place

12 things we learned about climate change this month.

How a Victorian heart medicine became a gay sex drug
Medicine

How a Victorian heart medicine became a gay sex drug

Wake up and smell the poppers.

How to make your own butter
Projects

How to make your own butter

Feel like a pioneer, without all the dysentery and typhoid.

Poor lung cancer screening guidelines miss too many African American smokers
Cancer

Poor lung cancer screening guidelines miss too many African American smokers

African American smokers tend to smoke fewer cigarettes, but have a higher risk of lung cancer.

NASA’s new mission to Titan is looking for life in all the right places
Drones

NASA’s new mission to Titan is looking for life in all the right places

Saturn's moon is shockingly Earth-like, so NASA is sending a drone.

Astronomers just made one giant leap in solving a bizarre cosmic mystery
Space

Astronomers just made one giant leap in solving a bizarre cosmic mystery

Fast Radio Bursts have an origin story—and we’re closer to learning what it is.

We battled hordes of tourists to put a weather station in Everest’s ‘death zone’
Climate Change

We battled hordes of tourists to put a weather station in Everest’s ‘death zone’

Despite the challenges, it's still the world's highest weather station.

Too many antioxidants can give you cancer, and other facts about the misunderstood molecules
Diseases

Too many antioxidants can give you cancer, and other facts about the misunderstood molecules

And free radicals aren't always bad for you.

The best tips and tricks for YouTube Music
Tech Hacks

The best tips and tricks for YouTube Music

Everything you need to master YouTube Music.

Natural selection can’t explain this bug’s bizarre horn
Evolution

Natural selection can’t explain this bug’s bizarre horn

Excerpt: Good Enough

Google and YouTube are giving you more control over your data and recommendations
Social Media

Google and YouTube are giving you more control over your data and recommendations

But you have to know where to look.

‘Prob-eye-otics’ could be the future of eye disease treatment
Diseases

‘Prob-eye-otics’ could be the future of eye disease treatment

Ophthalmologists are feeling inspired by the eyeball microbiome.

An e-cigarette shattered a teen’s jaw—here’s how they can turn explosive
Medicine

An e-cigarette shattered a teen’s jaw—here’s how they can turn explosive

Currently the FDA doesn’t require safety testing on any vaping devices before they are sold to consumers.