Animal life is extraordinarily diverse and complex, having colonized almost all environments on Earth—from hostile hydrothermal vents in the deep sea to the skies across our continents. But the planet was not always teeming with complex animal life. For the first 3.7 billion years after it originated, life was small, simple and largely confined to…
A newly discovered trove of fossils in southwestern China is shifting the timeline of when complex animals evolved. The diversity and complexity of animal life is thought to have increased rapidly beginning around 539 million years ago, in an evolutionary burst known as the Cambrian explosion. But the new fossil site suggests that some of…
NASA astronaut Christina Koch reads on a tablet in the dimly lit Orion crew capsule in this April 3, 2026, photo. To the right of the image’s center, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen is seen in profile peering out of one of Orion’s windows. Lights are turned off to avoid glare on the…
Long-time Android users know that there is a hidden set of developer settings where you can customize aspects of your phone not intended for the wider public. Turns out the same is true about Android Auto—sort of. Just like with your Android phone, there is a hidden page with car-related options that aren’t intended for…
Key Takeaways of Kleptoparasitism Kleptoparasitism is a type of foraging where one animal steals food from another. There are three primary types of kleptoparasitism: overt aggression, competitive scramble, and stealth. Researchers are using new tracking technology to better understand kleptoparasitism. The seagull with a French fry stolen from a sparrow. The monkey with a water…
Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts were toasted by Canada on Saturday as they prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. The three Americans and one Canadian will reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom…
April 4, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Where is Artemis II now? NASA mission is now closer to moon than Earth The third day of the Artemis II mission was relatively quiet, as four astronauts trek out to fly around the moon By Meghan Bartels edited by Lee Billings An image…
Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts were toasted by Canada on Saturday as they prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. The three Americans and one Canadian will reach their destination Monday, photographing the mysterious lunar far side as they zoom…
When paper dries and is subsequently rewetted, its properties change permanently. This phenomenon is known as hornification. New research now shows that the process is more complex than previously assumed, and that temperature, humidity, and fiber type all play decisive roles. During hornification, fibers in paper products lose some of their ability to absorb water….
Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Around this time of the year, your social media doom scrolling might be peppered with images of adorable children holding disgruntled yellow chicks. While the sight of puggy little hands wrapped a little too tightly around the Easter and…
