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A team of astronomers led by Penn State scientists have discovered a planet that has the most oblong orbit ever found among transiting planets. The exoplanet’s extreme circuit — which looks closer to a cucumber than a circle — follows one of the most drastically stretched-out orbits of all known exoplanets, planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. The planet, , named TIC 241249530, is also orbiting its star backwards, lending insight into the mystery of how close-in massive gas planets, known as hot Jupiters, form, stabilize and evolve over time.
Science

Newly discovered exoplanet’s orbit is like a ‘cucumber’

By Tom Hawking

Rumpl blankets arranged in a row
Gear

Amazon Prime Day editor’s pick: Rumpl’s super-fancy camping blankets get a rare deep discount

By Stan Horaczek

a large SUV parked in front of a colonial-style building. palm trees in the background
Technology

2024 GMC Acadia’s new engine is smaller, but more powerful 

By Kristin Shaw

a long, dark brown millipede crawling on brown and green leaves
Animals

Expedition finds a 10-inch long millipede lost to science for 126 years

By Laura Baisas

The English women's athletics team, the appearance of the first UK female athletes at international Olympics, Sweden, Stockholm 1912.
Science

The Olympics has been obsessed with sex for centuries

By Popular Science Team

Cat Falling
Science

How animals use physics

By Tom Siegfried / Knowable Magazine

Celestron telescopes on a plain background on-sale for Prime Day
Gear

Grab a great deal on a Celestron telescope during Amazon Prime Day

By Stan Horaczek

Ultimate Ears’ new Wonderboom is one of the best portable party speakers on sale for Prime Day
Gear

Ultimate Ears’ new Wonderboom is one of the best portable party speakers on sale for Prime Day

By Brandt Ranj

These are the best headphones we’re buying during Amazon Prime Day 2024
Gear

These are the best headphones we’re buying during Amazon Prime Day 2024

By Tony Ware

Dragonfly resting on flower
Animals

Dragonflies reveal how toxic mercury moves in nature

By Andrew Paul

Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 in action
Gear

Solo Stove’s hottest fire pits and accessories are up to $102 off for Prime Day

By Brandt Ranj

stick figure camera
Technology

This camera turns people into stick figures to preserve privacy

By Mack DeGeurin

EF EcoFlow River 2 portable power stations arranged in a pattern
Gear

Get an EcoFlow portable power station with a solar charging panel for just $179 before they sell out on Prime Day

By Stan Horaczek

A blue Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder filled with seed is mounted to a green post.
Gear

The Bird Buddy is the best bird feeder camera at its best price ever for Prime Day

By Stan Horaczek

Screenshot from music video for Missy Elliott's "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)"
Deep Space

NASA beamed Missy Elliott’s ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ to her favorite planet

By Andrew Paul

several snakes entwined together on a rock
Animals

Ssssso many snakes: Watch a ‘mega-den’ of rattlesnakes in real time

By Laura Baisas

Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) on a plain white background.
Gear

The Apple Watch SE (2nd gen.) is the cheapest it’s ever been during Prime Day

By Brandt Ranj

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite on a plain white background.
Gear

The Kindle Paperwhite is the best e-reader, and it’s on sale during Amazon Prime Day

By Brandt Ranj

Sonos Era 100 speaker in Santa Barbara showroom
Gear

Get Sonos’ latest speakers at their lowest prices ever during Prime Day

By Brandt Ranj

How plant hunting has evolved over the centuries
Environment

How plant hunting has evolved over the centuries

By Bill Gourgey

KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer in a tiled configuration.
Gear

Save more than $100 on KitchenAid’s Artisan Series Stand Mixer during Amazon Prime Day

By Brandt Ranj

DeWalt drill driver kits on a plain background
Gear

This $129 DeWalt drill and driver kit is the best Prime Day tool deal we’ve seen so far

By Stan Horaczek

An Acer Predator Cestus 315 Gaming Mouse in a pattern on a plain background.
Gear

80+ of the best Prime Day sales under $50, according to our editors

By Amanda Reed

A eufy pet camera in a pattern on a plain background.
Gear

The 50+ best Prime Day pet sales, chosen by our editors

By Amanda Reed

Peloton bikes in a pattern on a plain background.
Gear

The best 30+ Prime Day fitness sales from our editors

By Amanda Reed

A bottle of L'Occitane almond shower oil in a pattern on a plain background
Gear

Our editors’ favorite beauty and skincare Prime Day deals

By Amanda Reed

SAMSUNG ViewFinity S80A Series 27-Inch 4K UHD Monitor on a plain white background.
Gear

The best Prime Day computer monitor deals

By Brandt Ranj

HP EliteBook 655 G10 in a tiled configuration.
Gear

The best Prime Day laptop deals

By Brandt Ranj

iRobot Roomba Vac Essential Robot Vacuum Amazon Prime Deal on a plain white background.
Gear

60+ of the best Prime Day home and kitchen deals

By Brandt Ranj

Hisense 65U6HF in a tiled configuration.
Gear

The best Prime Day TV deals from Hisense, TCL, Sony, and more

By Brandt Ranj

storm chasers
Environment

What do storm chasers really do?

By Yvette Richardson and Paul Markowski / The Conversation

DJI Mini 4K drones on a plain background
Gear

This $239 DJI Mini 4K drone will definitely sell out during Amazon Prime Day

By Stan Horaczek

AirPods 3 in charging case
Gear

Get AirPods and AirPods Pro for their cheapest prices ever during Amazon Prime Day

By Stan Horaczek

European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, Expedition 36 flight engineer, is pictured near food packages floating freely in the Unity node of the International Space Station.
Health

Why food tastes more bland in space

By Andrew Paul

blue shield with G on it along with other security icons like a lock, cursor and gear
DIY

Google is making dark web reports free for everyone. Here’s how they work.

By David Nield

Silhouette of moon
Moons

There really are moon lava tunnels—and humans may live in them one day

By Andrew Paul

beluga whales
Environment

Beluga Whale Live Cam brings the ‘canaries of the sea’ to your screen

By Laura Baisas

kids playing with numbers
Science

Why schools are teaching math word problems all wrong

By Sarah Carr / The Hechinger Report

white tank top with yellow armpit stains on a plain, orange background
DIY

How to remove sweat stains from white shirts

By Debbie Wolfe

Researcher Andrea Spolaor holds an ice core recovered in Svalbard, Norway in April 2023.
Environment

The race to save glacial ice records before they melt away

By Nicola Jones / Yale Environment 360

two photos of little libraries. one is shaped like a cactus, the other is a simple blue box with glass windows
DIY

How to set up a Little Free Library

By Justin Pot

two people standing and looking at a cuckoo clock on a hotel
Environment

This 500-year-old hotel in Germany’s Black Forest is an energy self-sufficient wonder

By Alisha McDarris

co2 collector containers
Environment

Why carbon capture needs to evolve

By Natasha Gilbert / Knowable Magazine

Beautiful cat on red background
Environment

Why do cats make biscuits?

By RJ Mackenzie

Image of ice falling away from Falcon 9 rocket shortly before explosion
Private Space Flight

SpaceX’s historic Falcon 9 success streak met a fiery end

By Andrew Paul

harvester ants
Environment

How ants acts for the common good of the colony

By Tom Hawking

Close up of bald eagle
Animals

Hunters’ bullets are poisoning bald eagles

By Andrew Paul

How to make a walkie talkie for your dog
DIY

How to make a walkie talkie for your dog

By Bill Gourgey

a person's hands typing on a typewriter
DIY

The 5 best writing apps that help avoid distractions

By David Nield

Hurricane Ian flood, Florida.
Environment

FEMA will now consider climate change when it rebuilds after floods

By Jake Bittle/Grist

A new urine filtration system could help future astronauts explore further without needing to lug around hefty water reserves.
Science

Future astronauts could safely drink their own urine with this Dune-like device

By Mack DeGeurin

Bag filled with smuggled snakes
Animals

Chinese Customs caught man with 104 snakes in his pants

By Andrew Paul

The rim and floor of Gale Crater as seen from NASA’s Curiosity Rover.
Science

Mars was icy and wet billions of years ago, new study suggests

By Tom Hawking

Joby retrofitted a prototype electric VTOL with a liquid hydrogen system that traveled 523 miles with net-zero in flight emissions.
Technology

A hydrogen-powered air taxi flew 523 miles emitting only water vapor

By Mack DeGeurin

Image of the planet Mars
Mars

Elon Musk’s Martian dreams include modded Cybertrucks and bioengineered animals

By Andrew Paul

An illustration of newly discovered crocodile relative named Benggwigwishingasuchus eremicarminis on the coast of an ancient ocean called Panthalassa.
Animals

Say hello to the surprising crocodile relative Benggwigwishingasuchus eremicarminis

By Laura Baisas

a thick mammoth foot preserved in permafrost. it is round and dark brown
Animals

Woolly mammoth ‘jerky’ preserves 52,000-year-old fossil chromosomes

By Laura Baisas

Millions Of Red Crabs Make Their Way To Ocean As Part Of Annual Migration On Christmas Island
Science

Millions of crabs scuttle across this island every year

By Lauren Leffer

WIPP site in New Mexico
Environment

Finding a forever home for nuclear waste

By Sarah Scoles/Undark

a male lion sits in a tree
Environment

Lion brothers take risky swim across crocodile-infested channel

By Laura Baisas

Screenshot of model rocket vertically landing
Aviation

Teen’s model rocket sticks a SpaceX-inspired vertical landing

By Andrew Paul

several stone circles marking gravesites in a field in norway
Archaeology

Stone circles unearthed in Norway mark ancient children’s graves

By Laura Baisas

Image of Omega Centauri star cluster with black hole and evidence stars highlighted
Black Holes

Astronomers discover Earth’s closest black hole

By Andrew Paul

tourists in greece
Environment

Tourists are feeling the heat—and their bodies may not be able to catch up

By Kiley Price / Inside Climate News