Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 834)

man eating fast food hamburger
Psychology

Reverse your bad habits with just a handful of tiny changes

A Stanford scientist puts a new spin on the self-help movement.

Looking down on an open pit mine in the Brazilian Amazon
Energy

Latin American environmentalists face unprecedented violence in defending their land

Foreign investors in the region have a responsibility to help safeguard local activists.

man delivering drinking water in jugs
Environment

To solve global water scarcity, we need to get more serious about desalination

Scientists suggest we more strongly consider the technology as the climate warms.

Paul Rudd says "Hey, look at us."
Internet

Ten GIFs that really got us through 2019

whodoesn’tloveagood.gif

A Spanish-American family photographed in New Mexico in 1940.
Biology

DNA tests can’t tell you your race

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.

artist's interpretation of a super puff exoplanet
Exoplanets

These ‘super puff’ planets have the same density as cotton candy

Their impossible fluffiness has researchers scratching their heads.

a black man giving a thumb's up and thumb's down sign while looking confused and standing near some lights at night
Life Skills

Be a better person in 2020

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

How to stay healthy on your next germ-filled flight
Life Skills

How to stay healthy on your next germ-filled flight

Don’t get sick on the plane.

a before and after photo of a messy kitchen utensil drawer and a drawer organized with a homemade DIY drawer organizer
Projects

Let PopSci’s best builds be your first 2020 projects

Few things are more satisfying than making something yourself.

Air Force F-16
Aviation

Our highest-flying stories of 2019

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

an orange star
Physics

We really don’t know when Betelgeuse is going to explode

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

an image of a galaxy
NASA

How astronomers weigh the universe (and everything in it)

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

pinecone hanging in a tree.
Life Skills

Eight ways an evergreen tree could save your life

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

two people arguing with one person sitting awkwardly between them
Science

Weird science stories to help you avoid holiday drama

Make some evasive conversational maneuvers with these strange facts.

An iPhone 11's triple-lens camera
Tech Hacks

Wield your smartphone camera in new ways with this all-purpose app

The best Google app you’ve never heard of.

National Library of Medicine’s Toxmap
Pollution

U.S. government ‘retires’ (read removes) detailed pollution map from internet

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

Should parents lie to kids about Santa Claus? We asked the experts.
Psychology

Should parents lie to kids about Santa Claus? We asked the experts.

Balancing holiday magic with the cold, hard truth.

a bunch of small tomatoes
Gene Editing

These gene-edited tomatoes grow in cute little bouquets suited to urban farming

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

DIY

Ten of our favorite DIY stories to take you into the new year

And one absolute disaster.

the first image of a black hole
Black Holes

This year, space stole all the headlines. Here are our favorite stories

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