Sci-Tech news

• The yin-yang of polar sea ice

  07-12-2014 19:26
  
  It comes as no surprise, therefore, when researchers announce as they did this past September that Arctic sea ice extent is still below normal, continuing a years-long downward trend, covering less and less of the north polar seas with a frozen crust. On the heels of that announcement, came another, a little more puzzling.  While Arctic sea ice was melting, Antarctic sea ice was at an all-time high.  In 2014, sea ice surrounding Antarctica covered more of the southern oceans than it has since
  
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• 2,000-year-old marble torso symbolizes the dawn of ancient Rome

  08-10-2026 17:50 via popsci.com
  
  A 2,000-year-old marble sculpture slated for auction later this month is more than a well-preserved piece of artistic history. From its original vantage point inside an ancient temple in present-day Croatia, the depiction of an emperor’s decorative chestplate reminded the recently conquered residents that the age of the Roman empire had arrived.The intricately detailed bust dates back to the Julio-Claudian era (27 BCE–68 CE), and was crafted from highly coveted marble mined from the
  
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• Rare red bat rescued in Maine gobbles up mealworms

  08-10-2026 17:06 via popsci.com
  
  A rare Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) is recovering after being found struggling in the surf on a Maine beach. Earlier this week, the Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick, Maine, shared new footage of the winged mammal chowing down on a hearty plate of mealworms—a good sign for her recovery.“She was very lethargic upon admission, and is now feisty and active,” Kristen Lamb, the Center for Wildlife’s Executive Director tells Popular Science. “She has been eating
  
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• Stihl built its first battery-powered snow thrower to offer plenty of power with minimal maintenance

  08-10-2026 16:57 via popsci.com
  
  A gas snow blower spends most of the year parked, so the first storm tends to start with stale fuel and a shoulder injury from yanking the cord. The Stihl SFA 120 is the company’s first battery-powered snow thrower. Stihl says it goes on sale November 1 at $699.99 as a bare tool or $899.99 with a battery and charger.
  It runs on the same AP batteries as more than 60 Stihl yard tools, and the kit’s battery comes from the new ALLPRO system that won best cordless tool battery system in o
  
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• The Tokenization Pitch: Turn In Your Gold And ‘Unlock Utility’

  08-10-2026 15:59 via technocracy.news
  
  Get ready to unscramble your brain after you read this article from the venerable Kitco. You will see why you need to read Crucible of Tokens to unpack the pitch. Either the writer doesn’t understand tokenization, or he is a huckster trying to convert your held gold into a tokenized pool in exchange for asset tokens. Either way, this article intentionally misleads the reader. My comments on each point are in blue. Read this carefully! ⁃ Patrick Wood, Editor.Although gold is recognize
  
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• Why are some animals so colorful? Blame this pigment.

  08-10-2026 15:03 via popsci.com
  
  Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands are home to an incredible array of wildlife. Amid landscapes of black lava fields, scattered prickly pear cacti, lush highlands, and green mangrove fringes, you’ll spot lumbering land iguanas in striking shades of yellow, orange, and red, comical blue-footed boobies, and some of the pinkest flamingos around. But it turns out that these magnificent creatures aren’t born with their vibrant hues. They actually have to work for them! To find out why
  
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• U.S. Army Bomb Plant Will Arm Eric Schmidt’s Drones

  08-10-2026 05:22 via technocracy.news
  
  Mr. Eric “Don’t be Evil” Schmidt is the former CEO of Google, a member of the Trilateral Commission, and a good friend of the late Henry Kissinger. His drone company, Perennial Autonomy, builds autonomous drones for Ukraine to attack deep in Russia. Schmidt believes that AI-guided drones (“critical force multiplier”) are the future of warfare, and he is positioned to make billions. War is big business but not for the people on the receiving end. ⁃ Patrick Wood
  
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• The best last-minute laptop and computer deals for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days

  08-10-2026 01:53 via popsci.com
  
  Update, 7:35pm ET, Wednesday, Oct. 7: We rechecked every price on Amazon this evening. Several laptop and tablet prices moved, and nine listings came out because they no longer showed a discount.Prime Big Deal Days ends at 2:59am ET Thursday, which leaves tonight for anything on this list. The Microsoft Surface Laptop (2026) leads the laptops at $1,329.97, $370 under its $1,699.99 list price, and Amazon prices it that way for Prime members only. Apple’s MacBook Air M5 is $1,099 and the iPa
  
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• The best last-minute audio deals for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days

  08-10-2026 01:52 via popsci.com
  
  Update, 7:35 pm ET, Wednesday, Oct. 7: We rechecked every price on Amazon this evening. The Beats Studio Pro are now $149.95, four listings came out because Amazon no longer shows a buy box for them or only one third-party unit is left, and several prices and Prime labels changed. More deals are in our live Prime Big Deal Days roundup.The Beats Studio Pro are $149.95 on Amazon until the sale ends at 2:59am ET Thursday. That’s half off their $299.99 list price, and Amazon doesn’t requ
  
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• Amazon Prime Day ends soon. These are the best deals you can still buy.

  08-10-2026 01:27 via popsci.com
  
  Top Prime Big Deal Days deals right now
  Apple AirPods Pro 3 $179 (was $249)Samsonite Freeform 2-Piece Luggage Set $175 (was $479.99), for Prime membersMicrosoft Surface Laptop (2026) $1,329.97 (was $1,699.99), for Prime membersSamsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (256GB, unlocked) $949.99 (was $1,399.99)Amazon Fire HD 10 Tablet $72.99 (was $154.99), for Prime membersSony BRAVIA 6 65-Inch OLED TV $1,298 (was $1,999.99)Ultimate Ears BOOM 4 Portable Speaker $94.99 (was $149.99), for Prime members
  Amazon shuts
  
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• Scientists Decode a 12,000-Year-Old Mystery Hidden in Ancient Spear Points

  08-10-2026 00:19 via scitechdaily.com
  An analysis of roughly 500 spear points suggests that inherited knowledge of stone deposits helped Ice Age hunters decide which tools were worth carrying. Ice Age hunters in the Tennessee River Valley sometimes threw away stone spearheads that were still usable. Leaving a point behind lightened the load, but replacing it required suitable rock, something [...]
  
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• An AI-generated Rumpelstiltskin meme is freaking out much of the internet

  07-10-2026 23:09 via nbcnews.com
  
  The creepy Rumpelstiltskin-like imp has become a viral meme template. The AI clip looked so real that many assumed it was from an old film.
  
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• Meteor spotted flying over bald eagle nest

  07-10-2026 22:02 via popsci.com
  
  During the still night above California’s Big Bear Valley, a meteor recently soared across the sky. Cameras stationed to document the lives of the area’s bald eagles captured an image of the fireball on its journey.Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), the non-profit that oversees the 24/7 livestream of the internet’s most famous bald eagles, shared the moment on Facebook with an emotional caption.
  https://www.facebook.com/FOBBV/posts/pfbid027at986gqyAS2Vx5NbLuSXS1bMUudE7w2PPT5bt
  
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• Researchers Reverse Autism-Related Behaviors in Mice by Targeting Brain Blood Vessels

  07-10-2026 21:31 via scitechdaily.com
  A study in mice suggests that cells lining the brain’s blood vessels may play an important role in autism-related symptoms. Researchers have reversed several autism related behavioral symptoms in adult mice by correcting a problem in the blood vessels that supply the brain. The findings point to an unexpected treatment target: endothelial cells, which line [...]
  
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• The world’s first nuclear clocks start ticking

  07-10-2026 21:26 via popsci.com
  
  Timekeeping has officially entered its nuclear age. Two independent teams, one in Vienna, Austria and another in Beijing, China have built working thorium-229 nuclear clock prototypes. Rather than track changes in an atom’s electrons the way that current atomic clocks do, these nuclear versions use a laser that’s tuned to the frequency where a thorium nucleus flips between two energy states for potentially even more accurate time keeping. Scientists believe this new approach could on
  
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• The world’s first nuclear clocks are ticking

  07-10-2026 21:26 via popsci.com
  
  Timekeeping has officially entered its nuclear age. Two independent teams, one in Vienna, Austria and another in Beijing, China have built working thorium-229 nuclear clock prototypes. Rather than track changes in an atom’s electrons the way that current atomic clocks do, these nuclear versions use a laser that’s tuned to the frequency where a thorium nucleus flips between two energy states for potentially even more accurate time keeping. Scientists believe this new approach could on
  
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• Scientists Tested This Tropical Fruit for Diabetes – and Found an Unexpected Blood Pressure Effect

  07-10-2026 20:56 via scitechdaily.com
  Researchers studying whether feijoa could help prevent type 2 diabetes unexpectedly found a possible benefit for blood pressure. Each morning for six months, adults with prediabetes stirred about a gram of feijoa powder into water or breakfast while trying to lose weight. Researchers were watching their blood sugar, hoping the tropical fruit might help reduce [...]
  
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• Pink, pretty, and protective. A dumbo octopus is here with a message from the deep-sea.

  07-10-2026 20:30 via popsci.com
  
  She’s bubblegum pink with a permanent little smile. She sports a pretty flower on her head sports a black tattoo on one of her eight arms. But don’t let this dumbo octopus’ adorable exterior fool you. Miss Abyss is here on serious business. “Miss Abyss is a dumbo octopus from the deep-sea, and she is on a journey all across the country looking for allies to support her to help defend the deep-sea,” Angelo Villagomez, a research fellow at the Center for American
  
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• Rare Mutation May Shield the Brain From Alzheimer’s Damage

  07-10-2026 20:21 via scitechdaily.com
  A rare mutation may keep a major Alzheimer’s risk gene from damaging the brain’s protective barrier. About one in five people carries at least one copy of APOE ε4, the strongest common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Yet some carriers remain mentally sharp into their 80s. Columbia researchers previously identified a rare variant in [...]
  
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• Jonathan the tortoise is 194 years old and thriving. His genes help explain why.

  07-10-2026 20:00 via popsci.com
  
  He lived at the same time as Charles Darwin, Queen Victoria, and President Andrew Jackson. He’s a gay icon, who was alive before Thomas Edison patented the lightbulb. At 194 years old, Jonathan the Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) is the world’s oldest known living giant tortoise and oldest land animal. But what is helping Jonathan stay alive this long? Good genes alone are not responsible for Jonathan’s longevity but a lack of genetic wear and tear appears
  
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• Carhartt built its new ultra-tough Steel series workwear to flex and stretch like athletic gear

  07-10-2026 17:48 via popsci.com
  
  I have a pair of Carhartt’s iconic double-knee work pants that are basically indestructible. I love them, but the rigid material isn’t very flexible. Carhartt’s new Steel Series is the company’s attempt to match the stretch offered by athletic wear without giving up abrasion resistance. The six-piece line goes on sale today at Carhartt.com and select retailers, starting at $89.99 for the Relaxed Tapered Steel Buffalo Pant and topping out at $209.99 for the Steel Braddock
  
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• World’s largest steam locomotive returns to the rails for special holiday tour

  07-10-2026 17:35 via popsci.com
  
  For the first time since 2019, Union Pacific’s Living Legend No. 844 will be hitting the rails with Big Boy No. 4014. These historic locomotives will be together for a special holiday tour this November. On November 21, the pair of steam locomotives will run during a fundraising tour from Greeley to Denver, Colorado. The trip will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with a donation from Union Pacific’s Community Ties Giving Program. The steam duo will also be on display to the p
  
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• A Strange New Material Breaks the Usual Rules of Heat and Stiffness

  07-10-2026 17:23 via scitechdaily.com
  A new material barely lets heat through yet is up to 10,000 times stiffer than the silicone used in oven mitts. Researchers at North Carolina State University have engineered a thin film that combines exceptional stiffness with extreme thermal insulation. Its thermal conductivity ranks among the lowest reported for a dense, nonporous material, approaching the [...]
  
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• Scientists Detect a Major Shift Beneath the Sun’s Surface

  07-10-2026 16:48 via scitechdaily.com
  Sound waves echoing through the Sun indicate that its magnetic activity is progressively migrating toward the surface, altering how the star generates space weather. Ninety-three million miles away, an eruption on the Sun can send clouds of charged particles toward Earth, threatening satellites, communications, GPS systems, and power grids. Forecasting these disturbances requires understanding the [...]
  
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• Global bond sell-off pushes U.S. Treasury yields to fresh 24-year highs

  07-10-2026 16:47 via nbcnews.com
  
  Stocks fell as yields rose and investors bet that corporate borrowing would get more expensive.
  
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• James Webb Telescope Detects the Fingerprints of Catastrophic Planetary Collisions

  07-10-2026 16:13 via scitechdaily.com
  Dust around distant stars may reveal whether colliding worlds grazed one another or hit hard enough to vaporize rock. Vaporizing vast amounts of solid rock, a Mars-sized world called Theia may have slammed into the infant Earth, blasting debris into space that eventually gathered into the Moon. Astronomers searching for similar collisions around distant stars [...]
  
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• Why did kissing evolve? If we want to find out, we’ve got to decide what counts as a kiss first. 

  07-10-2026 15:02 via popsci.com
  
  What’s the weirdest thing you learned this week? Well, whatever it is, we promise you’ll have an even weirder answer if you listen to PopSci’s hit podcast. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week hits Spotify, YouTube, Apple, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts every-other Wednesday morning. It’s your new favorite source for the strangest science-adjacent facts, figures, and Wikipedia spirals the editors of Popular Science can muster. If you like the stories in this
  
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• Aging Cells May Be Hiding From the Immune System – Scientists Think They Know How

  07-10-2026 13:01 via scitechdaily.com
  Your immune system is supposed to clear out damaged cells. Researchers may have found how some of them hide and linger as the body ages. Researchers led by Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University have identified PD-L2 as a protein that may help damaged cells escape immune removal. In the study, published in Cell Metabolism, blocking PD-L2 [...]
  
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• Night Owls Were 70% More Likely To Leave Work on Disability, 12-Year Study Finds

  07-10-2026 12:26 via scitechdaily.com
  Night owls faced a 70% higher risk of receiving a disability pension than morning people in a Finnish study that tracked adults for 12 years. Night owls were 70% more likely than morning people to receive a disability pension in a Finnish study tracking adults for 12 years. When the morning alarm rings, getting up [...]
  
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• New Fat-Dissolving Shot Cuts Hidden Visceral Fat in Early Human Trials

  07-10-2026 11:51 via scitechdaily.com
  An experimental injection called CBL-514 reduced both fat beneath the skin and the deeper belly fat liposuction leaves behind in early human studies. Deep inside the abdomen, fat wraps around internal organs, beyond the layer that can be pinched at the waist or removed with liposuction. These hidden deposits, known as visceral fat, actively influence [...]
  
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