News(Page 23)

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An illustration of what the aurora might have looked like during a polar reversal about 41,000 years ago. The green glow of an aurora is much further south than we see it today.

Sunscreen may have kept ancient humans alive during a polar reversal

By Laura Baisas

This is an artist’s impression of the exoplanet 2M1510 (AB) b’s unusual orbit around its host stars, a pair of brown dwarfs. The newly discovered planet has a polar orbit, which is perpendicular to the plane in which the two stars are travelling. Polar planets around single stars had been found before, as well as polar discs of gas and dust capable of forming planets around binary stars. But thanks to ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) this is the first time we have strong evidence that such a planet actually exists in a polar orbit around two stars. The two brown dwarfs appear as a single source in the sky, but astronomers know there are two of them because they periodically eclipse each other. Using the UVES spectrograph on the VLT they measured their orbital speed, and noticed that their orbits change over time. After carefully ruling out other explanations, they concluded that the gravitational tug of a planet in a polar orbit was the only way to explain the motion of the brown dwarfs.

Exoplanet with two ‘suns’ is even more unique than Tatooine

Skelleftea, Sweden A moose warning sign on a country road in summer.

It’s time to tune in to the Great Moose Migration livestream

a large gold nugget

Huge gold nugget found by metal detector enthusiasts set for auction

By Laura Baisas

an illustration of a small crocodile ancestor sneaking up on a small mammal ancestor

Crocodile ancestors survived two mass extinctions—here’s how

By Laura Baisas

Earth's oceans seen from space

How did water end up on Earth? New evidence upends long-held theory.

three researchers padding a canoe on a polluted waterway under a bridge

Pollution-eating microbes are thriving in infamous NYC canal

By Lauren Leffer

first footage colossal squid

Colossal squid filmed in deep ocean for the first time ever

By Popular Science Team

Close up of woman's mouth during dental exam

Lab-grown teeth could be the future of dentistry

Bowling ball striking pins

How to bowl a strike—mathematically

two hot dogs topped with yellow mustard and sauerkraut

Put more sauerkraut on your hot dog (your gut might like it)

By Laura Baisas

white suv driving through muddy road

Why Honda built an off-roading course in the middle of the ocean

By Kristin Shaw

Old red building and Inuit houses in the background among the snow at the fjord, Nuuk Greenland

Do Inuit languages really have many words for snow?

By Charles Kemp, Ekaterina Vylomova, Temuulen Khishigsuren, Terry Regier / The Conversation

Reviewing the samsung S95F OLED TV with a picture of the earth on it

Early review: Samsung 2025 Neo QLED TVs, OLEDs, and soundbars

By Stan Horaczek, Tony Ware

Spotted dolphin with head above water

Google made an AI model to talk to dolphins

A burned section of a large ice age fireplace.

Ice age humans built sophisticated fireplaces

By Laura Baisas

Gary Feinman and a crew member exposing a plaster floor on Terrace 925 in El Palmillo.

Inequality isn’t inevitable, according to ‘unprecedented’ archeology study

Huajiang Canyon Bridge seen from above

World’s tallest bridge nears completion in China

ReadyMade emergency food bucket and grab bag on sale at walmart

Walmart is clearing out ReadyWise emergency food supplies so stock up before you need it

By Stan Horaczek

brown egg on blue background

How to make an egg bounce

By Laura Baisas

small gumballs in bright colors including green, blue, red, pink, orange, white, yellow, and purple

Chew on this: The 10,000-year history of gum

By Lauren Leffer

An array of Ryobi tools in front of a piece of plywood on sale for Home Depot Spring Black Friday

The Home Depot is blowing out Ryobi tools and batteries during its Spring Black Friday sale

By Stan Horaczek

debris field in water

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch isn’t just a floating trash pile

By RJ Mackenzie

Three old Laptop Piled up on side view.Studio Shot

How to keep your old computer running for as long as possible

Close-up of Funny gigner cat sniffs at a cucumber on the table against gray background,

Are cats really afraid of cucumbers? We asked the experts.

By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Glaciers in Iceland

Ancient rocks tie Roman Empire’s collapse to a mini ice age

Amazon trained Prime drivers to use defibrillators

Coway Airmega air purifiers in a row on sale at Amazon

Amazon is blowing out some of our favorite air purifiers just in time for allergy season

By Stan Horaczek

A bright disc of purplish, white and gold lines surrounds a black ellipse-shaped area, that looks like a hole in space. A ball of shining material pierces through the disc; an eruption of bright white-to-gold rays encircles the small hole in the disc provoked by the passage of the shining ball

For the first time, astronomers watch a black hole ‘wake up’ in real-time

A “zombie ant” that has been infected by the parasitic fungus Complex Ophiocordyceps unilateralis.

Cordyceps fungus: ‘The Last of Us’ co-star thriving outside the spotlight

A man suffering from hay fever next to a flowering shrub.

Ask Us Anything

Why are some cities worse for allergies than others?

By Laura Baisas

Oklahoma City USA - September 9 2015; Oklahoma City Bombing Field of Empty Chairs a sculpture in bronze and glass remembering the 168 killed in bombing in 1997

Oklahoma City bombing trauma changed the ‘actual physical being’ of survivors

colorful homes in snow near water

Billionaires dream of building utopian techno-city in Greenland

By Mack DeGeurin

Iconic Windows 95 startup chime added to National Recording Registry

a side view of an injured eagle beak that is regrowing some keratin

Images show bald eagle’s beak healing from gunshot wound

By Laura Baisas

A Birdfy Netvue bird feeder in front of trees with a red bird on it on sale at Amazon

Amazon has this bird feeder with a built-in camera for its cheapest price ever

By Stan Horaczek

Close up of cane toad tadpole eating toad eggs underwater

Cannibal tadpoles help Australia fight invasive species

a baby lion sleeps on a dirt road

10 gorgeous wildlife photos documenting Earth’s beauty

By Popular Science Team

A man is sweating during a heatwave in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 28, 2024. (Photo by Rehman Asad/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The world is heating up. How much can our bodies handle?

By Sachi Kitajima Mulkey / Grist

several stone tools uncovered in a cave

Archaeologists hike up a cliff and find 20,000-year-old stone tools

By Laura Baisas

Adidas pants and crewneck

The Adidas end-of-season clearance sale chops up to 60% off sneakers, clothes, and bags

By Stan Horaczek

Jared Isaacman speaking at congressional hearing

NASA nominee: ‘We will prioritize sending astronauts to Mars’

water from a faucet fills a plastic cup

Why is fluoride in water so controversial? The science of fluoridation, explained.

By Lauren Leffer

Cave site on near ocean coast of Malta at sunset

Cave discovery could rewrite 1,000 years of Mediterranean history

Blue Colored Motion Blurred Earth Globe Spinning on Light Blue Background.

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

The Earth once vibrated for 9 days straight

By Popular Science Team

amazon waterpik-deal-header

Fix your breath with this $100 Waterpik Water Flosser, on sale at Amazon for just $60

By Stan Horaczek

Lunar rover prototype in parking lot

All-terrain space truck hopes to drive astronauts on the moon

a pug named Doug stands on a red carpet with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth

People tend to trust ‘pet-fluencers’ over human influencers

By Laura Baisas

Four urinals mounted on tiled wall

New urinal designs use physics to prevent pee splashback

Gooseneck kettle pouring water into pour-over coffee carafe on table next to coffee beans and mugs

How to brew the best pour-over coffee, according to science

Archeologists find ancient child remains inside Maya altar

By Laura Baisas

Gold mining operation on banks of river in Amazon rainforest

Trees can snitch on illegal gold miners in the Amazon

three iphones on a pink background

How to use the best new features in iOS 18.4

Concept art showing augmented reality smart glass window in airplane cabin

Smart glass windows would beam in-flight info over scenic views

This Hubble image shows Uranus and dynamic aurora activity on 10 October 2022. The centered planet is dominated by a blue hue and a large white region in the lower left. A faint ring is also visible around the planet. Fuzzy blue/purple regions hovering over the planet on the left and ride indicate the presence of aurorae

Space Telescope

Uranus has a longer day than astronomers thought

By Laura Baisas

Beats studio buds plus earbuds on a bright 90s background

The $179 Beats Studio Buds + are just $99 at Amazon, and you can get a rare retro colorway

By Stan Horaczek

Researchers conducting necropsy on woolly mammoth calf

Dissected mammoth calf smells like ‘fermented earth and flesh’

When you were conceived could impact your weight

By Lauren Leffer

an ipad with play app open

Play is the best companion app for YouTube power users

a cut out from old magazine on text background

Why we can’t squash the common cold, even after 100 years of studying it

By Bill Gourgey

Ask Us Anything

Why do our fingers wrinkle in water? It’s much deeper than skin.

By RJ Mackenzie

goose wearing cubs hat

‘Geesekeepers’ protect Canada goose nesting at Chicago’s Wrigley Field

By Annie Colbert

blue screen of death on a laptop

How to use Windows Safe Mode to get out of computer trouble

dog standing in a lake

15 delightful images from the International Pet Photography Awards

By Popular Science Team