In this issue

INTEGRITY The smallest wildlife trackers do their job without disrupting the animal’s behavior or life span.

LEADERSHIP Connecting home astronomers with professionals through a new kind of telescope.

Where The Wild Things Are

TRACKING WILDLIFE HAS improved our understanding of animal activities such as migration and hunting. Yet most species remain invisible to biologists. Transmitter devices that exceed 5 percent of an animal’s body weight can negatively impact its behavior and chances of survival. Size concerns put the vast majority of animals—including an estimated 75 percent of the world’s mammals and birds—off-limits.

2 mins

Looking Sharp

WHEN SETI RESEARCHER FRANCK MARCHIS WAS A KID IN France, he looked at Saturn for the first time through a telescope and saw the planet magnified from a speck in the night sky to a beautifully ringed orb.

2 mins

Compressed Camp

WHEN YOU’RE CLIMBING A STEEP, rocky trail on the side of a mountain, a bulky pack catching on branches or scraping against boulders will slow your ascent.

2 mins

A Campsite In a Backpack

When you’re climbing a steep, rocky trail on the side of a mountain, a bulky pack catching on branches or scraping against boulders will slow your ascent.

2 mins

The Incredible! Shrinking! Airplane!

Jets are getting bigger, yet, inch by inch, our personal space dwindles. How the %*#+ does that work?

10+ mins

The Incredible! Shrinking! Airplane!

Jets are getting bigger, yet, inch by inch, our personal space dwindles. How the %*#+ does that work?

10+ mins

​​​​​​​Dirty Little Secret

Meet the wee, multilegged chefs behind the world’s most sought-after loaves.

7 mins

Dirty Little Secret 

Meet the wee, multilegged chefs behind the world’s most sought-after loaves.

7 mins

Shamu Dreams Of Europa

The microscope that could look for life on Jupiter’s moon.

10+ mins

The Microscope That Wants To See Europa

The microscope that could look for life on Jupiter’s moon.

10+ mins

Sand

A tale of innovation, war, and glory.

10+ mins

How A Sand Scientist Helped Win World War II

A tale of innovation, war, and glory.

10+ mins

The Winding, Heated, And Absurdly Technical Oral History Of The Ginger Emoji

In November 2014, a tech-industry consortium announced a new set of emoji that would diversify the physical appearance of the pictograms.EMMA KELLY, editor and founder of the site Ginger Parrot: I checked and saw that redheads were just not on there. I wondered, has no one brought this up? Is there no one at Apple with red hair? Has everyone forgotten about Ed Sheeran?

10+ mins

The Winding, Heated, And Absurdly Technical Oral History Of The Ginger Emoji

In November 2014, a tech-industry consortium announced a new set of emoji that would diversify the physical appearance of the pictograms.EMMA KELLY, editor and founder of the site Ginger Parrot: I checked and saw that redheads were just not on there. I wondered, has no one brought this up? Is there no one at Apple with red hair? Has everyone forgotten about Ed Sheeran?

10+ mins

Read all stories from Popular Science US

Popular Science US Magazine Description:

This is the most exciting time to be alive in history. Discovery and innovation are reshaping the world around us, and Popular Science makes even the most complex ideas entertaining and accessible. By taking an upbeat, solutions-oriented look at today's most audacious science and revolutionary technology, we forecast what tomorrow will be like. We deliver the future now.