Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 817)

Many people turn to companies like 23andMe to learn about ancestry and ethnicity. But the genetic connection is far more complicated than the industry lets on.

Their impossible fluffiness has researchers scratching their heads.

You’re gonna kill it. But in a good, non-murdery way.

Don’t get sick on the plane.

Few things are more satisfying than making something yourself.

A pulse-pounding F-16 ride. Air races in the Nevada desert. And more from the world of aviation.

But when it does, it’s going to look spectacular (once it finally reaches our eyes).

You’d be hard pressed to find a big enough scale, but it’s basically the same idea.

These forest staples do a lot more than hold ornaments—if you know how to use them.

Make some evasive conversational maneuvers with these strange facts.

The best Google app you’ve never heard of.

The loss of the tracker, supporters say, will inhibit public access to data on environmental hazards.

Balancing holiday magic with the cold, hard truth.

Soon we could have bushes of cucumbers and kiwis, too.

And one absolute disaster.

We Instagrammed a black hole, crash-landed tiny animals on the moon, explored the boundaries of the solar system, and more.

Anxiety is tied to anger in some languages, while in others it’s more related to grief.

Antarctica is cold and desolate—and that’s why it’s so appealing to researchers.

Your ice scraper may finally get a vacation from its windshield duties.

The night sky is changing, and we can’t figure out why.