Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Establishing a long-term human presence on the moon is a daunting challenge. Daunting—but not impossible. One way to help prepare for our imminent arrival is to gain a better understanding of the frequency and effects of meteorite strikes on…
A rock discovered by NASA‘s Curiosity Mars rover contains “the most diverse collection” of the building blocks of life ever seen on the Red Planet, including seven never found there before, new research confirms. In 2020, Curiosity discovered and drilled into the rock, which has now been confirmed to contain organic molecules that bear the…
NASA’s X-59 is helping the nation celebrate the 250th anniversary of its independence with an update to its livery – its official paint job and insignia. The one-of-a-kind research aircraft is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission to demonstrate technology to fly supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound, without generating loud sonic booms….
Audi has introduced a mid-cycle refresh of the Q4 e-tron for the 2027 model year, and it’s now a more compelling option if you like the Porsche Macan Electric’s compact EV formula but are willing to trade performance for comfort and value. The upgraded SUV still comes in conventional and coupe-like Sportback bodies, but now…
For mammals that roamed the Earth when an asteroid struck 66 million years ago, being small was a blessing. This was especially true for rodent-like mammals in the Cimolodon genus, which weathered the storm while non-avian dinosaurs were dying out. Now, the latest Cimolodon species to be discovered, Cimolodon desosai, is shedding light on the…
If you’ve ever wondered how geologists know so much about ancient beaches and shallow oceans — from the paleoenvironment to the animals roaming around, the seasonality of the weather, and even the time of day when the ancient scene was preserved — they owe it all to the sand particles bound together by microbes, forming…
On Sunday three runners at the London Marathon set the sporting world on fire—not least because of their shared choice of footwear. Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe won the men’s race with a record-setting time of one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds (1:59:30) while Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha came in second, finishing in 1:59:41, and fellow Ethiopian…
Heavy rain slowed the progress of two sprawling southern Georgia wildfires over the weekend, allowing crews to make some progress in containing the blazes that have destroyed more than 100 homes. Although the rain helped the firefighting efforts, it wasn’t “nearly enough to put the fires out” and crews responded to 10 new blazes throughout…
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Comet PanSTARRS ion tail shifts direction in new images from the NASA/ESA SOHO spacecraft. | Credit: NASA/ESA/NOAA A sungazing spacecraft captured spectacular views of Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) as its ion tail appeared to “switch on” and swing…
Discovered in 2019, the material known as nickelates has intrigued researchers for its potential to become a superconductor at elevated temperatures—a property that could significantly advance such fields as quantum science and energy transmission. However, it’s a very unstable material and difficult to work with. But the lab of Professor Charles Ahn has developed a…
