Popular Mechanics US
DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL!
AS CARMAKERS LOBBY TO YANK AM RADIO FROM NEW MODELS, BROADCASTERS ARGUE THAT THE TRUSTY 105-YEAR-OLD MEDIUM IS AN IRREPLACEABLE LIFELINE FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS. BUT IS ANYBODY LISTENING?
10+ min |
September/October 2025
Popular Mechanics US
The SECRET VENOMOUS HISTORY of Ozempic
How a deadly toxin from a desert dwelling lizard led to one of the biggest medical breakthroughs in modern times.
10+ min |
September/October 2025
Popular Mechanics US
STURDY STEEL WIENER DOG BOOT SCRAPER
A recent North Atlantic mud season became the inspiration for this weekend metalsmithing project.
3 min |
September/October 2025
Popular Mechanics US
Inside the Glitter LAB
How the tiniest trace of red shimmer helped solve one of California's most brutal crimes.
10+ min |
September/October 2025
Popular Mechanics US
The Ancient People of the Sahara
BETWEEN 14,800 AND 5,500 YEARS AGO, the Sahara—known for being one of the driest places on Earth—actually had enough water to support a way of life. Back then, it was a savanna that early human populations settled to take advantage of the favorable farming conditions. Among them was a mysterious people who lived in what is now southwestern Libya and should have been genetically subSaharan—except, upon a modern analysis, their genes didn’t reflect that.
1 min |
September/October 2025
Popular Mechanics US
Our Global Population
HOMO SAPIENS IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL mammalian species in Earth’s history, and it’s not even close. However, a new study suggests that the impressive nature of humanity’s proliferation may have been vastly underreported.
1 min |
September/October 2025
Popular Mechanics US
Actual Random Numbers
A LARGE TEAM OF SCIENTISTS CLAIMS to have achieved “certified randomness” using a quantum computer.
3 min |
September/October 2025
Popular Mechanics US
Lucid Dreaming
THE STATE KNOWN AS LUCID DREAMING IS an unquestionably surreal one, and it just got even more so. A team of researchers at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands has discovered that lucid dreaming is a state of consciousness separate from both wakefulness and REM sleep (the state usually associated with dreams). In fact, it is associated with its own type of brain activity.
1 min |
September/October 2025
Popular Mechanics US
The Tomb of Jesus Christ
AT THE PLACE WHERE Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.\"-John 19:41.
2 min |
September/October 2025
Popular Mechanics US
ONE BUCKET. TEN GENIUS HACKS.
THERE'S A $5 DO-IT-ALL PROBLEM SOLVER JUST SITTING IN YOUR GARAGE. PUT IT TO WORK!
4 min |
September/October 2025
Scientific American
Plastic Was Supposed to Be Sustainable
Synthetic polymers became one of our biggest environmental crises instead
4 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
RNA, Not DNA, Is the Key to Life
DNA holds our genetic blueprints, but its cousin, RNA, conducts our daily lives
4 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Research in Reverse
When scientists make sharp 180-degree turns in their thinking, it is often for one of two particular reasons
10+ min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Terracotta Cool
Humble clay fends off heat without electricity
2 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
The Cosmos Revised
The universe has a habit of disproving “unassailable” facts
5 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
PEANUT PROOF
Remarkable new treatments can free millions of kids and adults from the deadly threat of peanut allergy, tackling one of our fastest-growing medical problems
10+ min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Cracking a 125-Year-Old Math Problem
A breakthrough in Hilbert's sixth problem is a major step in grounding physics in math
4 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Coping with a Life- Altering Diagnosis
When a child has a major health issue, learning how to manage new routines and expectations can be the key to everyone’s happiness
5 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
The Many Moons of Saturn
Edward Ashton helped to discover two thirds of the planet's known moons
5 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
The Black Hole Next Door
Superfast stars could trace back to a behemoth in a neighboring galaxy
4 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Venom Marinade
Certain spiders evolved a bizarre alternative to biting
2 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Midwestern Melt
The core of the U.S. may be “dripping” away
3 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Space Saver
A new proof dramatically compresses the memory needed for computation
2 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Gut Check
Microbes in the human intestines may absorb dangerous PFAS
3 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Alchemist Fish
Genetically modified fish (and fruit flies) could pull dangerous mercury from the environment
2 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Dog Detectors
Pessimistic dogs may be better sniffersand other pointers for smelling out disease
4 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
We Probably Aren't Alone
The search for advanced life beyond Earth has periodically been turned upside down
4 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Could AI Really Kill Off Humans?
Many people believe Al will one day cause human extinction. A little math tells us it wouldn't be that easy
5 min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Brain Washing
Cleaning waste from the brain is an essential function of sleep—and it could help ward off dementia
10+ min |
September 2025
Scientific American
Nerves Do Regenerate
Neurons, once thought to be irreparable, can grow anew—even in the brain
5 min |