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three spooky sculptures made out of kelp
Biology

Spooooooky! Alaskan man makes terrifying ‘kelp-o’-lanterns’

The kelp-y creations will only look creepier with time.

By Margherita Bassi

Depiction of a comet
Space

Why the 1066 appearance of Halley’s comet terrified the medieval world

‘Terror of kings.’

By Giles Gasper, Brian Tanner / The Conversation

four monkeys hugging
Wildlife

Monkeys also avoid germs after viral outbreaks 

Macaques who survived the spread of a deadly disease were more wary of potentially contaminated food.

By Laura Baisas

cartoon of researchers with stop button for AI robot
AI

Why calling for a ‘kill switch’ is the wrong way to think about reining in AI

It would be nice to think that stopping an out-of-control AI could be this simple.

By Trent Wintermeier / The Conversation

A man showing mental distress from constant exposure to harmful content online. His family, in the background, progressively disappears.
Mental Health

For the first time, artificial intelligence is a top 10 fear in the U.S.

Many Americans are more scared of AI than a loved one getting sick.

By Andrew Paul

a flat robot with a ping pod paddle and ball
Robots

This robot exists solely to bounce ping-pong balls

Hexa-Bouncer is the latest in a series of ‘useless but mildly interesting ball bouncing machines.’

By Mack DeGeurin

Artist impression of the Euclid mission in space. The spacecraft is white and gold and consists of three main elements: a flat sunshield, a large cylinder where the light from space will enter, and a 'boxy' bottom containing the instruments. The spacecraft is shown half in the shadow, because the sunshield will always be faced in the direction of the Sun and thus protecting the telescope from the light of the Sun. The background is a realistic representation of a deep field view of the night sky, with many galaxies visible. On the bottom half of the image, an artistic representation of the cosmic web is overlayed over the galaxies. The cosmic web is the scaffolding of the cosmos on which galaxies are built, consisting primarily of dark matter and laced with gas. The cosmic web is here represented with a grid and a two-dimensional representation of a cosmological simulation
Space Telescope

New comet accidentally discovered by space telescope

The ‘happy coincidence’ is currently more than 807 million miles from Earth.

By Andrew Paul

a close up of a bat with yellow fur
Bats

Bat Beauty Contest returns October 24

Who will take ‘Hoary Potter’s’ crown?

By Laura Baisas

Transitional tattoos of a tiger, lamp, and stoplight seen before and after exposure to UV light. The tattoos become colorful after exposure
Physics

Scientist tattoos himself with disappearing ink

The dye appears only after exposure to UV light.

By Andrew Paul

Two ancient Roman gold earrings found in child's grave in Bulgaria
Archaeology

Roman child’s grave contains coin to pay afterlife entry fee

The 1,750-year-old remains were unearthed under a construction site in Bulgaria.

By Andrew Paul

space craft over mars
Mars

How to watch Japan’s mission to Mars

MMX could help unlock the mystery of Phobos’ origins.

By Popular Science Team

Close up of dwarf reed snake
Wildlife

This snake cartwheels to escape danger

Watch a dwarf reed snake make its dizzying getaway in slow-motion.

By Andrew Paul

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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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