A Covid strain was engineered in a Boston lab. Here’s why you shouldn’t panic

A flurry of tweets and headlines aside, the study ignited a debate on creating viruses in labs. Here's what you need to know. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

People will throw away about 5.3B phones this year

Despite containing some valuable materials like copper, silver, and gold, most cell phones are chucked into the garbage. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

An AI called Dragonfly is helping design faster-charging batteries

An AI called Dragonfly and a robotics setup called Clio have partnered up to discover better electrolytes—a key component in batteries. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

The centuries-long quest to map the seafloor’s hidden secrets

Ocean explorers have long tried to chart the contours of the seafloor, but today's maps still pale in comparison to those of distant planets. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

A new energy weapon combines multiple laser beams

Directed-energy weapons like these are intended for use on ships or ground installations, to defend against incoming threats. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

Super-fast jet train would tap into a whole new field of physics

The company unveiled a new vehicle and accompany line that it is building between two cities in Alberta, Canada. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

A solar-powered Army drone has been flying for 40 days straight

The solar-powered aircraft is designed to operate in the stratosphere. It took off on June 15, and was still up there as of July 25. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

The Answer to Lactose Intolerance Might Be in Mongolia

Most Mongolians are lactose intolerant, and yet their diet relies on dairy. A mysterious world of bacteria could be at play. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

A self-aware robot taught itself how to use its body

Engineers have created a robot arm that could learn, through practice, what its own form can do, hinting at future self-aware machines. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

Copyright lawsuit threatens free access to Internet Archive’s library of books

Internet Archive's drama with book publishers is not an anomaly. Many digital libraries have faced similar copyright issues. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

Drones can avoid midair collisions by listening for other aircraft

How do you get a drone to recognize that it could be hit by another aircraft? For Zipline, the solution involves eight microphones. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

Watch these ‘pop-up’ robots scuttle like bitty crabs

These movable, bio-inspired robots are controlled by laser pulses and can be as thin as a strand of human hair. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

From the archives: Forecast on artificial intelligence, from 1980s and beyond

In the February 1989 issue of Popular Science, we dove deep into 'brain-style' computers and their futures in the next two decades. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

By combining screams, chimps seem to know 400 ‘words’

European linguists collected 900 hours of chimpanzee calls in Côte d’Ivoire and found 400 distinct phrases or "words." | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

Hide your house from Google, Apple, and Bing maps

Anyone can see your home if it's visible on the Google, Apple, or Bing map apps. Use these tips to blur it out and hide it from virtual visitors. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

Urban sprawl defines unsustainable cities, but it can be undone

Our car-dependent cities are at the center of the climate dilemma. But it doesn't have to be this way for a sustainable future. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

Worm Science Secrets

Worms from the farthest and most dangerous places on Earth could have pharmaceutical, scientific, and industrial value to all of humanity. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 1 year ago

Copper jaws of venomous bloodworms could be a win for manufacturing

The copper fangs of these feisty marine worms could inspire future sustainable manufacturing processes. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

An F-22 flying in Alaska was saved by software

The pilot in the 2020 event became disoriented. Software called Auto GCAS averted a crash of the stealth fighter jet. Here's how it works. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Overconsumption, explained

The richest corners of the world use up way more resources than they need. Poor people and nations are paying the price. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Cornell's Merlin app can identify birds by sight and sound

The pandemic has made lots of people hopeful birders. The updated Merlin app from Cornell Lab of Ornithology can help ID mystery birds. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

These Are the Most Useless Car Tech Features

A camera-based rear-view mirror system is helpful. An infotainment screen that lets you order coffee is less so. Here's how it breaks down. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

‘Lithium Valley’ could save one of the most polluted areas in California

Sustainable lithium extraction is necessary for a renewable-energy and EV friendly future, but mining has traditionally been tricky. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Stanford engineers made a tiny LED display that stretches like a rubber band

A small, stretchy LED display is a big proof-of-concept for Stanford engineers hoping to make more re-shapable and interactive screens. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Birth control pill for men could begin human trials later this year

Researchers are working on a non-hormonal “male” birth control pill that could start human trials by the end of the year. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Rusty metal could be the battery the energy grid needs

We need more ways to store renewable energy. These scientists are finding ways to overcome metal-air batteries current shortcomings. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Switchblades, the attack drones the US is giving Ukraine

These attack drones can fly like a small unmanned aircraft, but have an explosive charge on board to take out a target. Here's how they work. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

You’ve probably never heard of terahertz waves, but they could change your life

In the far infrared band of the electromagnetic spectrum, engineers are exploring the terahertz gap, which could lead to a wave of faster, more sensitive technologies. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Hydrogen fuel could change the way aircraft work, and look

Switching to hydrogen would mean big changes to the aviation industry, and possibly cleaner aircraft. But it would require major adjustments. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Headed back to the office? Make sure your building has flushed out its water

Copper can build up in the plumbing of green office builds, if that water is allowed to stagnate for weekends or longer. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Ukraine was about to revive its space program. Then Russia invaded

Ukraine’s space program has a rich history, but its future plans are now uncertain as the war with Russia intensify. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

NASA is pumped to watch Rocket smash-into the Moon

NASA has spent years trying to understand the physics of planetary impacts from craters. The mysterious rocket crashing into the moon this week could be the agency's chance. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Meta’s new ‘system cards’ make Instagram’s AI algorithm a little less mysterious

Along with introducing a suite of new AI tools, Meta also rolled out "system cards," which attempt to illustrate how AI algorithms work. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Urologists set the record straight about es (ED) and Covid

When Aaron Rodgers and Nicki Minaj went viral for falsely linking COVID vaccines to infertility, urologists stepped in with a new campaign focused on the virus and erectile dysfunction. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Dust clouds are killing people out West and the dangers could spread

Dust clouds are choking the air in Utah and other Western states, causing traffic jams, health hazards, and issues for the tourism industry. The Dust Squared project is hunting for answers. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Enhance your workouts with ‘invisible exercise’ and brain training

The power of the mind-body connection has long been known among professional athletes. Here's how you may be able to use it too. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Tanks, rockets, and other weapons that Russia has in its arsenal

These tanks and other weapons are some of the machines in Russia's arsenal; whether the country will use them to invade Ukraine is unclear. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

A Black Hawk helicopter flew for the first time without pilots

The experimental helicopter is part of a DARPA program called ALIAS, and features a Sikorsky-made autonomy system. It's flown three times. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Why the web version of Instagram is better than the app

Instagram’s algorithm hasn’t made it to the web, and there are no ads or Suggested Posts. Just photos from the people you follow. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

NASA’s James Webb telescope is about to arrive at an exceptional point in space

The telescope will arrive at Lagrange point 2 on Monday, where it will drift 930,000 miles away in Earth's shadow. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

We need a greener way to die(2019)

We take a lot with us into the ground, but don't give any of the good stuff back. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Greatest Innovations of 2021

Popular Science's 34th annual Best of What's of New awards include life-saving vaccines—and 99 other technologies shaping our future. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Noise canceling headphones at a metal concert

We took Bose's 700 noise-cancelling headphones to a metal show for the ultimate test. Read more about these Bluetooth headphones here! | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Scientists may know what causes AstraZeneca vaccine's rare blood clots

AstraZeneca’s vaccine vector, which delivers coronavirus immunity instructions to human cells, sometimes binds to a protein in the blood. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

DARPA’s Solution to the Military’s Plastic Trash Problem? Eat It

A program run by DARPA is exploring ways to take the waste from items like old water bottles and transform it into something useful. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

The MIT camp teaching kids to spot bias in code

An innovative curriculum developed at MIT takes aim at eliminating the biases inherent in our algorithms—by teaching the concept to youngsters. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

A female-only line of salamanders 'steals' genes from unsuspecting males

What the heck is kleptogenesis? Read on. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago

Why Dyson is going all-in on solid-state batteries

We spoke with James Dyson about what they have in store for their battery tech—and why solid-state Li-ion batteries could be a game-changer. | Continue reading


@popsci.com | 2 years ago