Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 838)

A person looks up at the Milky Way
Space

Why is the night sky dark?

Looking at the stars takes you back through time. All the way to the beginning.

Storm damaged house
Environment

After a natural disaster, houses get bigger not better

A new analysis of five coastal communities made this troublesome pattern visible.

Laptop desk
Tech Hacks

How to disguise your personal web-surfing at work

Take a break but keep your job.

Closeup of blow-fly or carrion fly Calliphoridae
Insects

Blow flies helped exonerate a woman of murder 17 years after the fact

Or rather, a lack thereof.

the moon crossing in front of the earth
Moons

Chinese robots are on a mission to beat NASA to the far side of the moon

It could be the first of many firsts.

a girl reads a textbook with a magnifying glass, and butterflies come out of the pages
Insects

Insects are disappearing from science textbooks—and that should bug you

They make up the biggest bunch of the animal kingdom by far.

dracula ant
Insects

The Dracula ant snaps its jaw shut 5,000 times faster than you can blink

It’s a snap, quite literally.

neti pot
Life Skills

Neti pots are actually very safe—if you use them properly

Don’t rely on tap water.

swim breathe exercise
Health

Why don’t I have to think about breathing?

You inhale so automatically that you might not even realize how you know to do it in the first place.

Cloudy solar panels smog energy
Renewables

Air pollution is choking solar energy around the world

To capitalize on the sun's rays, countries like China need to part the smog.

Hurricane Florence in the Atlantic
Weather

The 2018 hurricane season was full of extremes. Here’s what we expect in 2019.

Both the Atlantic and Pacific areas saw a record number and intensity of storms.

christmas holiday family
Health

The holiday season can be deadly for hospital patients

A study says you're more likely to die if you're discharged during festive times.

Gribble me this: What eats wood and poops clean energy?
Climate Change

Gribble me this: What eats wood and poops clean energy?

This crustacean could help produce biofuels at lower cost and with less energy.

an astronaut stands on the gray surface of the moon in a spacesuit
Moons

7 easy ways you can tell for yourself that the moon landing really happened

The proof is out there.

country dramatic sunset red
Sun

What gives a sunset its color?

Next time you're watching a sunset on the beach, think about the amazing physics that's bringing you the view.

The Voyager spacecraft fly in front of the heliosphere
Space

Voyager 2 can finally probe the rarified plasma surrounding our solar system

It's now one of two working spacecraft in interstellar space.

tungara frog call panama
Animals

Urban frogs are bringing sexy back—and threatening frogs of the woods

In Panama, city slicker frogs are singing complex new tunes.

local winter vegetables
Life Skills

How to eat vegetables this winter without increasing your carbon footprint

Make your diet green in every way.

Drawing of female reproductive system, including uterus, vagina, fallopian tubes and ovaries.
Medicine

The medical community is finally realizing the uterus is more than a ‘baby house’

Rodent studies show a connection to cognitive function.

InSight's solar panel sits in front of a Martian landscape
Mars

Listen to the very first sounds recorded on Mars

InSight rumbles with alien Martian wind.