As big as the state of Delaware. Twice as big as Luxembourg. When Larsen C, a Western Antarctic ice shelf—otherwise known as a floating mass of ice attached to land—finally separated itself from the mother shelf earlier this week, the news didn't just send waves rippling across the Wendell Sea. It also launched a thousand size analogies (it's twice the volume of Lake Erie, in case you were still having a hard time visualizing it).
Not everyone is familiar with the tardigrade (also known as the water bear, also known as the moss piglet, previously known as "animalcules"), and that's a damn shame. They're less than a millimeter long, sure, but they're almost certainly the most indestructible animals on the planet. You can expose them to the unforgiving vacuum of space, starve them for decades, dehydrate them for literally-who-knows-how-long, boil them, mash them, stick them in a stew, whatever, and as soon as you return them to normal conditions they'll perk right back up and go on their merry way. Their abilities are so obscenely awesome that some scientists are convinced they contain an unprecedented ratio of DNA that's "stolen" from other organisms by way of horizontal gene transfer, though these results proved controversial.
A new study published this month in Nature marks a key milestone in Alzheimer's research. It demonstrates the first complete model of a tau filament, a protein structure found in the brain cells of Alzheimer's patients and thought to be the cause of the neurodegenerative disease.
Kids have no fun anymore, amiright? Back in the day we used to play in the streets! We chased cars! We climbed trees and we fell and sometimes we got hurt—but that was okay! If only we could go back to those days. Life was so great when we didn't really understand the risks involved in cherished childhood activities.
As the sun starts to set on the 'jungle paradise' of Australia's Orpheus Island, a sweet song fills the air. But instead of leading a beloved wife out of the underworld, this melody leads cane toads to their doom.
By the end of the year, South Australia will be home to the world's biggest battery, if Elon Musk and Tesla make good on an ambitious commitment. The battery installation will be hooked up to a 99-turbine wind farm (which is still being built) and serve as an energy reservoir to ensure that the region has enough power, even during times when power demand peaks.
A lander like this will fly in Moon Express's first launch, slated for later this year. It can carry up to 66 pounds of equipment and scientific instruments to the lunar surface. Or it can stay in orbit or travel deeper into space.
A flock of ravens ravaging a carcass may technically be called an unkindness, but the real unkindness is using that term. Everyone is always hating on the smarty pants, but ravens are not terrifying. Do they have sharp, curved beaks that they use to tear dead animals to pieces? Yes. Are their calls reminiscent of a creepy laugh? Most definitely. But just because they're masterminds doesn't make them evil—it just makes them awesome.
Alongside its Hue smart light bulbs, Philips has been quietly selling stand-alone lamps for a few years now. The Wellness and Wellner are two of the company's latest tabletop offerings. Both come with White Ambiance LED bulbs, which can mimic a range of natural daylight color temperatures and are meant to help you wake up, concentrate, relax, and fall asleep.
The first time I tried to make ice cream, I forgot to add the cold. Friends had just given me a free ice cream machine and I was hyped up on the thrill of being able to make ice cream in my own kitchen. I read the recipe over and over, but neglected to read the directions to the brand-new appliance quite as carefully. After 40 minutes spinning in the machine, my cream contained no ice, and was just a well-stirred, soupy mess.
Summer is finally here. That means lots of sunshine, beaches, hiking, and (for me, at least) armpit stains. I'm tired of ruining my white shirts with nasty yellow-brown sweat blotches. So this spring, I decided to look into alternatives. Believe it or not, it isn't your sweat that causes those noxious stains—it's the aluminum salts in your antiperspirant. That's why I was intrigued by the new wave of probiotic deodorants; underarm salves that supposedly use a healthy mix of bacteria to combat body odor without the chemicals that cause armpit stains. So myself and five other Popular Science staffers put these products to the test. This is what we found.
It's an age-old tradition: Millions of Americans, from infants to the elderly, attend fireworks shows for the Fourth of July. There's nothing quite as patriotic as sitting out on a blanket and watching hundreds of explosions light up the sky in honor of your country's birthday. But how do those explosions even happen?
Despite its worldwide popularity as a form of exercise, running—whether it's long-distance or sprinting—is grueling. It not only requires an incredible amount of mental focus and a high pain tolerance, but it's also extremely taxing on the body. Unlike sports such as swimming or cycling, running is a high-impact activity. With each stride, your foot collides with the ground. This impact sends vibrations to every muscle you've got. Over time, that can lead to muscle fatigue and injury.
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