There was a time when screensavers truly saved screens. If you used any Windows computer in the 1990’s or are simply a fan of digital nostalgia, then you likely remember a PC’s suite of instantly recognizable idle modes—customizable 3D flying text or objects, infinite labyrinths, and expanding networks of complex pipes. These animation screens weren’t […]
Although Mayan written sources clearly document human sacrificial rituals, many details about the Mesoamerican civilization’s ceremonial victims remain unknown. Thanks to new genetic analysis, however, archeologists are piecing together the intricate religious and agricultural rites—and they are as revealing as they are grim. Centrally located in the northern Yucatán Peninsula, Chichén Itzá is considered one […]
Silicon Valley billionaires are still aggressively moving forward with their attempt to create a utopian, sustainable “city of yesterday” near San Francisco atop what they describe as “non-prime farmland.” However, an accredited land trust now claims California Forever’s East Solano Plan is intentionally misleading local residents about the “detrimental harm” it will cause ecosystems, as […]
Millions of people rely on smartphone apps to keep an eye on their children, locate the cheapest nearby gas station, learn the week’s weather forecast, or even simply listen to music—but before doing so, app makers generally require their users to agree to lengthy terms and conditions. And as a June 9 report from The […]
Militarized Cybertrucks driven by cops and private security forces may soon cruise US streets—a scenario repeatedly endorsed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk himself. And while fans of the chunky, soap-phobic, recall-prone EV previously teased similar projects, at least one California-based Tesla alterations company is officially advertising Cybertruck “upfitting” packages to police and other “tactical response” […]
With 80-percent of Earth’s oceans still largely uncharted, there’s a lot out there to discover. Of course, getting there on your own isn’t the easiest journey, but that’s where OceanXplorers can help. Today, National Geographic is premiering the first official trailer for its upcoming, ambitious six-part miniseries, exclusively on Popular Science. Check it out ahead […]
Towering (some might say, decadent) superstructures continue to capture the imaginations of investors—but at least some skyscrapers are now being designed to pull their own weight. According to a recent announcement from Energy Vault Holdings and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), architects and engineers are planning to construct 1-km-tall (3,280 feet) buildings that harness their […]
New genetic analysis of two princes’ within a pair of Germany’s most well-preserved Celtic burial mounds confirms a long-suspected familial relationship—one that may shake up our understanding of gender relationships within Iron Age societies. Based on DNA reconstruction efforts, it appears at least some Celtic clans revolved around matrilineal instead of patrilineal dynasties. Unlike the […]
Amazon has spent nearly a decade working towards unleashing drones fleets capable of rapid, same-day deliveries to customers’ homes. Since 2020, its aerial prototypes have dropped off small packages near a handful of Fulfillment Centers, but only within a human operator’s visual line of sight. But that range is reportedly about extending much farther—in a […]
An Ohio real estate developer is the latest billionaire planning to visit the Titanic in a deep-sea submersible. Larry Connor confirmed his intentions during a recent Triton Submersible profile for The Wall Street Journal, which also revealed that Triton’s co-founder Patrick Lahey will pilot the $20 million, two-passenger 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer. According to Lahey, Connor […]
