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L - R, Sergeants Clarence Beavers, James Kornegay, Ned Bess, Corporal Elijah Wesby and Sergeant Alvin Moon of the United States Army All African American 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (nicknamed the "Triple Nickles" because of its numerical designation) aim their M3 .45-caliber submachine guns, commonly referred to as the "Grease Gun" during a training exercise at Fort Benning circa February 1944 at Fort Benning, Georgia, United States. These five soldiers were part of the original 17 member selection that succeeded in becoming the first All African American parachute infantry battalion. In early 1945 the battalion were sent to Camp Pendleton in Oregon and assigned to the 9th Services Command, trained by the U.S. Forest Service, and became history's first military airborne firefighting smokejumpers. (Photo by INP/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
Military

National Park Service names 10 new American World War II Heritage cities

The latest designations are located in Alaska all the way to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Artist's depiction of White Sands in New Mexico as it existed during the last ice age. At the time, it was marshy and colder, and populated by mammoths, giant sloths, and humans
Ask Us Anything

North America’s oldest human footprints tell a tale of ice age chaos

Pollen shows how present-day New Mexico completely transformed within only a few decades.

a side by side of a sleeping bat with an awake bat
Endangered Species

Tiny, critically endangered bat rescued and released in Pennsylvania

A fungal disease has wiped out up to 97 percent of northern long-eared bats in North America.

Macro Studio Shot Of Woman's Eye With Close Up On Eyelashes And Pupil
Biology

Your eyes dilate depending on your thoughts

Brain activity and verbalization can both affect our pupils.

a military vehicle with large tires
Vehicles

Ukraine’s military robots are getting tires that can’t go flat

The 3D printed, airless design makes the wheels more adaptable.

two california condors
Endangered Species

Condors get the ‘zoomies’ too

Chert and Pumice have moves.

Scottish traveller John o’ Arnha fighting a kelpy, witches and demons in a church graveyard. Grim furies spread their forkit fangs, An drove at John wi furious bangs... Handcoloured copperplate engraving from George Beattie’s John o’ Arnha, Montrose, Scotland, 1826.
Psychology

Americans who go to church and trust science are also more likely to believe in ghosts and curses

About 3 in 10 American adults now claim no religious affiliation.

Woman walking in front of Nanotyrannus skeleton
Dinosaurs

Nanotyrannus named Jodi needs a new home (if you have $9M)

The controversial dinosaur species was officially described last year after 80 years of debate.

A couple of marine iguanas of Galapagos, amblyrhynchus cristatus, Punta Carola Beach. San Cristobal. Galapagos islands, Ecuador.
Endangered Species

Super El Niño influencing ‘strange uptick’ in illegal Galápagos iguana trafficking

The iconic marine reptiles are swimming farther to find food—and into harm’s way.

Front and back photos of Neanderthal scapula with clear, circular puncture wound
Evolution

75,000 years ago, this Neanderthal was stabbed with a spear

Mercy killing or murder? The prehistoric scene reveals the highs and lows of hominin life.

The cool white dwarf WDJ1330+6435 has accreted sodium-rich rocky material from its planetary system into its atmosphere. The immense atmospheric density causes the sodium to absorb light over a broad range of yellow, orange, and red wavelengths, giving the WDJ1330+6435 a ghostly green appearance (left). The cool white dwarf WDJ0902+2010 has a deep convection zone within its helium dominated outer envelope. The convection zone has reached the white dwarf core, lifting interior carbon to the surface, and forming carbon molecules. These C2 molecules strongly absorb light across the optical range, including blue, green, and yellow wavelengths, resulting in WDJ0902+2010 appearing pink to the human eye (right)
Solar System

Astronomers discover first green star and the reddest star ever recorded

WDJ1330+6435 and WDJ0902+2010 are changing our understanding of star colors.

person investigating shipwreck
Archaeology

World’s oldest shipwreck discovered off coast of Turkey

The discovery could transform our understanding of ancient Mediterranean connections during the Early Bronze Age.

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Popular Science has been demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872. We explain the inner workings of the phone in your pocket, explore world-changing innovations, and examine everything from the marvels of deep space to the secret lives of staples like bread. We deliver an engaging, approachable, and inclusive look at emerging technologies and scientific advances.
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