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Young mother sitting and holding her newborn child while breastfeeding her child on sofa. She is looking at her baby with eyes contact.
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Nursing babies spit backwash into the breast—and that’s a good thing 

Plus a WWII, dress-wearing squirrel and other weird things we learned this week.

an illustration of four humans. one adult is nursing a baby, while a child looks on. two adults are standing over an infant lying on its back
Evolution

Human newborns have been helpless for 1 million years

Weak necks, soft spots, and underdeveloped brains make our babies much less independent than other great apes.

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on June 18, 2026, vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices tumbled after Trump and his Iranian counterpart separately signed their accord to end the Middle East war, with the Strait of Hormuz to reopen but two months of negotiations lying ahead. (Photo by AMIRHOSSEIN KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP) /
Wildlife

Strait of Hormuz ship bottleneck could fuel invasive species nightmare

Hundreds of ships currently sitting in the Strait have untold organisms in their hulls.

a contact lens under a 3d printer
Engineering

Breakthrough process 3D prints contact lenses in 20 minutes

The new method could create soft contacts for those with irregular cornea shapes, without several trips to the eye doctor.

This artist's concept depicts a tidal disruption event, which occurs when a star passes fatally close to a supermassive black hole. Crumbs of the splintering star heat up as they swirl around the black hole, creating a glow astronomers can see from far across the cosmos, and the black hole launches a relativistic jet into space.
Space Telescope

Super rare black hole devours unlucky star

Similar black holes are usually found at the center of a galaxy. This one is wandering the cosmos.

two women in big dresses pose wth the oranges and grapefruit in the shape of a heart.
Food Safety

Radiation fruit: How 1950s ‘gamma gardens’ created today’s grapefruit

But don’t worry: Grapefruits can’t hurt you.

Portrait of a beautiful raccoon
Wildlife

Jimothy the raccoon survived against the odds, a testament to sophisticated brains and devoted mothers

A compelling tale of an animal overcoming disability and surviving in the wild.

a side by side of a bald eagle. in one image, her profile is seen, in the other she is being fed
Birds

Bald eagle Jackie ‘more feisty’ during feedings, still in critical condition

Meanwhile, the sub-adult eagle that may have injured Jackie has been spotted near her habitat in Big Bear Lake.

a split picture with a babbon that has a red and grey face and white fur and a bird with bright white and black feathers
Wildlife

Ancient Egyptian god of magic is sometimes a bird, sometimes a baboon. Now we know why.

It all has to do with moonlight’s iridescent glow.

Fossilized footprint of P. boisei next to ruler for size comparison
Evolution

Toothy human ancestor may have traveled in all-male packs

The strong and hefty hominin ‘Paranthropus boisei’ may have been more social than scientists thought.

Desk clock broken apart into its components and suspended in air
Physics

Information isn’t sterile. It’s stranger than you think.

Somehow, information often feels like a world of 1’s and 0’s. The bigger picture is much weirder.

Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World screw worm fly, or screw-worm for short, is a species of parasitic fly that is well known for the way in which its larvae (maggots) eat the living tissue.
Wildlife

Smell of death could help trap invasive, cow-killing screwworms

The parasite that feeds on livestock flesh is making an unwelcome return in the U.S.

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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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