timely

Latest in timely

An illustration of Earth next to Mars, comparing sizes. Earth is bigger.
Science

Mars may be too small to have ever been habitable

By Hannah Seo

An illustration of an extinct species of giant penguins. Two penguins stand upright and one huddles down on a rocky island.
Environment

Schoolkids in New Zealand discovered a new species of giant penguin

By Hannah Seo

A folded American flag rests on top of a grave stone, with other gravestones in the background.
Health

COVID-19 has now killed 1 in 500 Americans

By Hannah Seo

A humpback whale breaches water and hangs in mid-air, in front of forested cliffs.
Environment

A rare humpback whale ‘megapod’ was spotted snacking off the Australian coast

By Hannah Seo

A satellite image of Tropical Storm Nicholas moving towards coastal Texas and Louisiana.
Environment

Nicholas marks the 14th named storm of 2021—a number we usually hit in November

By Sara Kiley Watson

a statue of a firefighter sits with the One World Trade Center tower in the background
Health

What 20 years of screening 9/11 first responders for health risks has taught us

By Betsy Ladyzhets

Two dinosaur heads in profile, the one below about half the size of the one above.
Science

New fossil reveals a fearsome shark-toothed dinosaur

By Hannah Seo

passenger plane security since 9/11
Technology

The post-9/11 flight security changes you don’t see

By Rob Verger

A light brown and dark brown tabby cat lays on its back and looks at a camera upside down.
Environment

We finally know what turns cats into tabbies

By Hannah Seo

Wildfire in forest with smoke and flames.
Environment

The Dixie fire is on track to be California’s biggest ever

By Popular Science Team

A small child is having a bandage put on his arm after receiving a shot. A caregiver stands behind him.
Health

This year’s flu season could be a rager. Shots can help.

By Hannah Seo

A woman in bed wears a mask and reads a book.
Health

Vaccination cuts the risk of long COVID in half

By Hannah Seo

satellite view of what remains of hurricane ida
Environment

Hurricane Ida’s remnants will bring record-breaking rain as it travels north

By Sara Chodosh

An illustration of a star slowly consuming a planet. The star's gravity has warped the planet into a football-like shape.
Science

Stars that gobble up planets could narrow the search for other Earths

By Hannah Seo

A microscopic image of a tardigrade, a pillowy creature with eight legs.
Environment

We’ve seen how tardigrades walk, and it’s mesmerizing

By Hannah Seo

A bird-like brown dinosaur with a huge red crest on its head, in a jungle.
Environment

Smugglers almost made off with a near-complete fossil of a bizarre flying reptile

By Hannah Seo

Two photos of wasps and their nests. The photo on the left is under regular light, and the nest appears off-white. The photo on the right is under blacklight, and the nest glows highlighter yellow.
Environment

Paper wasp nests have a secret fluorescent glow

By Hannah Seo

An illustration of an asteroid, at right foreground, passing through Mercury's orbit, seen in the middle background, with the glare from the sun shining brightly on the left.
Science

This speedy space rock is the fastest asteroid in our solar system

By Hannah Seo

A hand in a blue glove holds a small vial labeled "Comirnaty," the new name for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.
Health

The FDA officially approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine

By Claire Maldarelli

A science lab with a nuclear fusion reactor in the background, and a ladder leading to the center.
Environment

Humans just generated nuclear energy akin to a star

By Hannah Seo

COVID hospitalizations for kids and younger adults are at record highs
Health

COVID hospitalizations for kids and younger adults are at record highs

By Claire Maldarelli

What the heck is a time crystal, and why are physicists obsessed with them?
Science

What the heck is a time crystal, and why are physicists obsessed with them?

By Rahul Rao

costal view of palermo, sicily
Environment

Anticyclone Lucifer is bringing record-breaking temperatures to Italy

By Hannah Seo

Venus as a white dome in the background, a camera in the left foreground, in black and white.
Science

A probe destined for Mercury ended up rubbernecking Venus

By Lauren Leffer

An artist's depiction of an extinct pterosaur, a flying reptile relative of dinosaurs.
Science

This dragon-like reptile once soared over Australia

By Hannah Seo

A hand holds a black sticker against a green background. The sticker has a red bandage on it and says 'I got my COVID-19 vaccine.'
Health

People who had COVID should still get vaccinated, according to the CDC

By Erin Fennessy

A man wearing a grey suit and glasses has a white surgical mask partially covering his mouth and chin. He is walking down a cobblestone street facing towards the camera while others walk facing the other way. It is nighttime and a building and street vendor are in the background.
Health

As Olympics continue, Japan struggles with its largest COVID spike yet

By Lauren Leffer

A trio of galaxies swirl around each other.
Science

See galactic triplets play tug-of-war in Hubble’s latest snapshot

By Erin Fennessy

Dried grass and flowers in a drought and heat wave
Environment

More than a dozen US states are under a heatwave alert

By Sara Kiley Watson

An artist's depiction of a black hole with an accretion disk, a flat structure of material orbiting the black hole, and a jet of hot gas launching out from the center, called plasma.
Science

One of Einstein’s predictions on black holes has finally been confirmed

By Hannah Seo

A dark haired person wearing a black and white patterned mask with a red backpack stands in a grocery store aisle, holding up a smartphone in one hand and running their other hand through their hair. They are looking intently at an array of colorful packaged foods.
Health

What the CDC’s new mask guidance means for you

By Lauren Leffer

A dam on Lake Powell displays a chalky white bathtub-like ring that shows how much water reservoir levels have declined amid an ongoing drought.
Environment

40 million Americans depend on two reservoirs that just hit record lows

By Hannah Seo

The Hubble Space Telescope, with its yellow solar panels featured prominently.
Science

Hubble spied water vapor on our solar system’s largest moon

By Hannah Seo

young girl wearing mask
Health

CDC: Vaccinated people in two-thirds of the US should mask up

By Sara Chodosh and Claire Maldarelli

Several glass vials of the COVID-19 vaccine sit on a table top.
Health

Despite surging Delta variant, a national vaccine mandate is unlikely

By Erin Fennessy

A healthcare professional administers a shot in an arm to a person in a brown shirt.
Health

The J&J vaccine may be less effective against the Delta variant than we hoped

By Hannah Seo

A black and white, side-by-side photo of galaxies. On the left, a pair of interacting galaxies. On the right, an usual three-armed spiral galaxy.
Science

With its latest fix, Hubble proves to be the telescope that just won’t quit

By Hannah Seo

A grey haired man in a dark suit, wearing a black mask stands in from of a two-toned blue background and behind a long table set up with three microphones and chairs. The background says "Tokyo 2020" in large white letters and displays the Olympic logo.
Health

COVID cases are plaguing the Olympics even before they’ve begun

By Lauren Leffer

Shirtless person looking out at the ocean and beach
Health

Your favorite sunscreen might have just been recalled

By Purbita Saha

A blue-gloved hand holds a vial of the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.
Health

Why the FDA issued a new warning about the J&J vaccine

By Hannah Seo

A person wearing a surgical hair net, face mask, face shield and protective surgical gown pulls on surgical gloves while standing in a health clinic.
Health

Under-vaccinated hotspots fuel 60 percent increase in US COVID-19 cases

By Erin Fennessy

A doctor with a mask on hold a COVID vaccine vial
Health

All three US COVID vaccines protect against the Delta variant

By Lauren Leffer

Man is getting vaccine in arm
Health

Novavax’s COVID vaccine might be key for vaccinating the world

By Lauren Leffer

Doctor examines MRI brain scans.
Health

COVID-19 survivors may have higher risk of anxiety, depression, and neurological disorders

By Hannah Seo

University students walk on campus in masks.
Health

COVID’s fourth wave is on the way—and younger people could be most at risk

By Nikita Amir

Traveler sits on suitcase in airport.
Health

Fully vaccinated people can safely travel, the CDC says

By Rahul Rao

people wearing masks walking down a street
Health

Most states will open vaccinations to all adults by mid-April

By Rahul Rao

Healthcare worker speaks with patient.
Health

Getting COVID after vaccination is really rare—and likely to be more mild

By Hannah Seo

Young person receiving vaccine from healthcare worker while wearing a mask.
Health

COVID-19 vaccines are working in the real world

By Sara Chodosh

Older man wearing a medical mask
Health

Is it okay to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines? We’ll know soon enough.

By Hannah Seo

Vaccine vials in a lab
Health

What went wrong with AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine data?

By Hannah Seo

syringe
Health

Countries resume use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after new data shows it’s safe

By Rahul Rao

COVID-19 vaccines
Health

Returning to normal life is going to be a slow and steady process

By Rahul Rao

COVID-19 vaccine vials
Health

Why COVID cases are falling around the world

By Rahul Rao

a vial of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
Health

Facing COVID-19 variants, vaccine makers are weighing how to tweak their designs

By Rahul Rao

woman wearing mask in subway station
Health

The US finally has a national mask mandate

By Rahul Rao

people wearing masks walking their dogs
Health

The places where Americans aren’t wearing masks

By Rahul Rao

person wearing a mask and looking at the departures board at an airport
Health

What to know about new COVID-related travel restrictions in the US

By Rahul Rao

A Popular Science magazine cover with a hacked Esquire e-ink cover panel inside it, so the title reads "You're ours now :)".
DIY

Hacking the Esquire e-ink cover

By Dave Prochnow