Read the latest articles from Popular Science (Page 870)

Laminated material environmentally responsive textile design
Engineering

This textile’s twitching tendrils hint at a future of programmable materials

Responsive environments. No robots needed.

The truth behind 8 common misconceptions about drugs
Health

The truth behind 8 common misconceptions about drugs

Your spine doesn't store LSD, and MDMA doesn’t put holes in your brain.

It’s surprisingly easy for your headphones to damage your hearing
Life Skills

It’s surprisingly easy for your headphones to damage your hearing

Here's how to check.

circulating termite hill microbiome
Engineering

Termites are nature’s most amazing skyscraper engineers

Their towers even have central air.

diamonds on black background
Environment

Geologists think there could be a quadrillion tons of diamonds inside our planet

But we’ll never get them out of the ground.

Rising sea levels are going to mess with the internet, sooner than you think
Climate Change

Rising sea levels are going to mess with the internet, sooner than you think

Connectivity issues could get much worse.

The tanning bed in your gym is worrying dermatologists
Cancer

The tanning bed in your gym is worrying dermatologists

How healthy is that ‘healthy glow’?

a white pigeon
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

The weirdest things we learned this week: artistic farts, meat lozenges, and Tesla’s beloved pigeon

Our editors scrounged up some truly bizarre facts.

Old footage of sports events can help scientists track climate change
Climate Change

Old footage of sports events can help scientists track climate change

Cycling videos of the Tour of Flanders show how trees are responding to warmer weather.

underwater swimming pool
Technology

The complicated, century-long relationship between swimming pools and chlorine

Even new-fangled salt water systems can't quit chlorination.

Supercharged blood helps some dolphins dive 1,000 meters
Animals

Supercharged blood helps some dolphins dive 1,000 meters

They also might be better equipped to adapt to climate change.

Your first memory probably isn’t yours, no matter how real it seems
Psychology

Your first memory probably isn’t yours, no matter how real it seems

Around 40 percent of us may have a fictional recollection as our “first” memory.

The timing of your dinner could affect your overall cancer risk
Cancer

The timing of your dinner could affect your overall cancer risk

Breast and prostate cancers seem to be more common amongst those who eat dinner late, but it may just be a correlation.

Ginger emoji at salon
Internet

The winding, heated, and absurdly technical oral history of the ginger emoji

It's complicated.

Jupiter has 10 newly-discovered moons, and one is a weirdo
Moons

Jupiter has 10 newly-discovered moons, and one is a weirdo

The survey also confirmed the existence of two other moons, whose discovery was announced last year

Human cancers aren’t contagious, but dogs and other animals aren’t so lucky
Cancer

Human cancers aren’t contagious, but dogs and other animals aren’t so lucky

Don’t worry, these diseases can’t spread to people.

Alcohol’s health risks are far easier to prove than its benefits
Cancer

Alcohol’s health risks are far easier to prove than its benefits

Drinking is part of American life, but its health consequences may be underplayed.

The case for full-fat yogurt
Diabetes

The case for full-fat yogurt

Dairy fat may be saturated, but it's not unhealthy the way animal fats are.

These tiny tree shrews can handle hotter peppers than you
Animals

These tiny tree shrews can handle hotter peppers than you

And now we know why they can handle the heat

Do you really need to properly eject a USB drive before yanking it out?
Security

Do you really need to properly eject a USB drive before yanking it out?

Short answer: Probably not.