Popular Science

Christina Koch made history this week, becoming the first woman to travel around the moon. The NASA astronaut’s lunar flyby wasn’t her first groundbreaking moment: Koch also holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman and took part in the first all-female spacewalk.

Despite being a seasoned space explorer, the impact of seeing Earth as a small dot in vast blackness still astonishes Koch. In a post shared by NASA on Instagram, Koch poignantly reflected on the Artemis II mission:

The thing that changed for me, looking back at Earth, was that I found myself noticing not only the beauty of Earth, but how much blackness there was around it and how it just made it even more special. It truly emphasized how alike we are, how the same thing keeps every single person on planet Earth alive. We evolved on the same planet, and we have some shared things about how we love and live that are just universal. And the specialness and preciousness of that really is emphasized when you notice how much else there is around it.

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Koch, along with the rest of the Artemis II crew, return to Earth on April 10.

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Supermassive black holes literally don’t add up. Astrophysicists know it takes more time than is mathematically possible for one of them to reach its incomprehensible proportions via standard gas accretion. Despite this, they are clearly observable at the center of nearly every large galaxy. So how do they get so big?

The likeliest explanation is that supermassive black holes attain their size when two smaller black holes smack into one another during a galactic collision. For years, this theory has remained simply that—a theory. However, evidence from a team at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy now offers the first clear look at a pair of supermassive black holes at the heart of a distant galaxy. As they explain in a study published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the duo is racing towards a head-on collision.

Markarian 501 (Mrk 501) is an elliptical galaxy located in the Hercules constellation, and the site of the breakthrough. Researchers recorded a spectrum of radio frequencies during dozens of observations over 23 years. Like many other galaxies, Mrk 501 features a jet of supercharged particles ejected from a black hole at nearly the speed of light. Mrk 501’s jet is particularly bright because it points towards Earth, making it easy to study.

Researchers started noticing something peculiar over the years of observational data. Although oriented in a different direction, it became increasingly clear that there wasn’t one, but two jets emitted from the heart of Mrk 501. In a matter of weeks, astronomers tracked the second jet as it started behind the first one, then proceeded to move counterclockwise around it. In June 2022, the radiation appeared so crooked that it looked almost circular—a situation known as an Einstein ring. The researchers believe the likeliest explanation for this was that the system was briefly, perfectly aligned towards Earth. During that time, gravitational lensing from the first black hole bent the second jet’s light behind it.

The graphical depiction shows the central region of the galaxy Mrk 501 at a frequency of 43 gigahertz on three different days. The contours indicate the intensity of the emission, while the grey circles mark bright regions within the jet, identified through model calculations. One can track the movement of the jets by following the movement of these regions. The previously known jet (Jet 1, orange guide line) pointing towards Earth is clearly visible. The newly discovered second jet (Jet 2, blue) changed its appearance within a few weeks. Both particle streams originate close to each other in the core of the galaxy. The position of the black hole (BH) associated with Jet 1 is marked with an arrow. Credit: Silke Britzen

“We searched for it for so long, and then it came as a complete surprise that we could not only see a second jet, but even track its movement,” study coauthor and astronomer Silke Britzen said in a statement.

After multiple repeating brightness cycles, Britzen and colleagues estimated the black holes orbit each other once every 121 days. The distance between them is 250–540 times farther than Earth’s distance to the sun. That may sound like a lengthy separation, but it’s actually incredibly close for cosmic objects possessing masses anywhere between 100 million and 1 billion times that of our sun. They’re already so near one another that it’s possible they merge a century from now.

Unfortunately, no one will likely ever witness the actual grand finale. At more than 440 million light-years away from Earth, the two black holes are inseparable even when seen through astronomy’s most advanced tools. This will only become more difficult to see as they move closer to one another. That said, the dual jet emissions remain the strongest evidence so far that supermassive black holes grow by combining forces. If true, the pair should eventually start emitting extremely low-frequency gravitational waves that are detectable—providing even more evidence of the astounding meetup.

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Less than a 30 minute drive from the University of Cambridge, a metal detectorist followed beeps to a remarkable treasure: a ninth century gold coin pendant. 

Now finding long-lost coins in the English countryside isn’t exactly unheard of. In 2025, another metal detectorist discovered a gold coin dating back to the Iron Age in East Yorkshire. Before that, a Viking silver cache was discovered in North Yorkshire.

But this newly discovered gold coin isn’t like the others. This coin might just rewrite history, at least a little bit.

What makes this coin a bit of a head scratcher is what it depicts: a bearded profile of Saint John the Baptist. Thanks to a Latin inscription, experts have no doubts the coin shows the Christian saint. But what experts don’t yet understand is why the Vikings, who had conquered the English kingdom of East Anglia (where the coin was found) and who weren’t Christians, minted or wore a coin with a Christian saint on it. Why would pagans want a coin with a Christian on it?

In an interview with BBC, numismatics expert Simon Coupland compared the coin to “a child trying to fit a hexagonal object into a square hole.” The coin just doesn’t fit into history the way it should, which suggests we may have some of the history wrong. 

Maybe pagan Vikings liked wearing pendants showing Christian saints as a way to assimilate into East Anglia’s largely Christian population? Or maybe a Christian East Anglian wore the pendant? Or maybe a Christian Viking wore the pendant, even though most historians believed the invading Danes were pagan, not Christian?

And just like that, one small gold coin can upend history—rewriting England’s cultural landscape during the island’s perilous ninth century. 

Limestone relief of John the Baptist from Zakynthos, Byzantine and Christian Museum, Greece. Image: Public Domain

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The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is widely seen as a model success story for wildlife conservation. Prior to the 1986 global ban on commercial whaling, marine biologists estimated only around 10,000 of the marine animals still existed around the world. Today, more than 135,000 of them swim in Earth’s oceans.

This steadily increasing population is a testament to both human environmental stewardship as well as the humpback whale’s own adaptability and intelligence. But even scientists aboard the superyacht-turned-research vessel M/Y Solace were surprised at the sheer number of whales during a recent excursion in the Caribbean. Speaking with Popular Science, the EYOS Expeditions team confirmed that Navidad Bank, a shallow underwater coral formation around 62 miles off the coast of the Dominican Republic, is one of the world’s most densely populated humpback whale breeding grounds.

“This is an extraordinary testament to the power of long-term marine conservation,” Jonathan Delance, Chief Conservation Officer for the Dominican Republic Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, said in a statement. “Decades of conservation have allowed humpback whales to thrive in Dominican waters, and the density documented at Navidad Bank underscores the global importance of creating a sanctuary for our treasured marine life.”

Depending on their location, humpback whales typically spend much of the year in colder waters closer to the poles, where they feed on abundant sources of krill. As ocean temperatures warm, they instinctually migrate towards breeding grounds around the world, including areas of the Caribbean. Female whales typically gestate for about 11.5 months and usually give birth to a single calf, who then spends around a year with their mother before setting out on their own.

Pregnant humpback whales will typically gestate for 11-12 months before giving birth. Credit: Caribbean Cetacean Society

Orchestrated in collaboration with the Dominican Republic government and the Caribbean Cetacean Society, the visit to Navidad Bank from scientists with Fundación Puntacana and Fundación Dominicana de Estudios Marinos/FUNDEMAR captured incredible footage and images of North Atlantic humpback whales as they traveled amid their winter nursery. The observations culminated with a total of 513 whale sightings in a single day. According to the team, the event is even more incredible knowing that the whales were congregating far before the peak migration period usually spanning March and April.

“We have seen a profound shift toward travel that yields a sense of purpose through genuine exploration,” added EYOS Explorations co-founder Rob McCallum. “Our guests are increasingly…investing their resources into moments that contribute to our understanding of the natural world.”

The full findings will be presented to the International Whaling Commission in the hopes of further emphasizing Navidad Bank’s integral role in helping some of the ocean’s largest and most fascinating animals thrive.

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The Artemis II mission has re-inspired our collective fascination with space. We’ve gazed on our home planet in a way unseen in decades and caught a glimpse of a part of the moon never seen by human eyes. The historic lunar flyby also sent humans farther from Earth than ever before.

Thanks to stellar camera work by the mission’s crew—Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and NASA mission specialist Christina Koch, and CSA mission specialist Jeremy Hansen—those of us left down here can feel like we’re along for the ride.

Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. From the crew’s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth. The corona forms a glowing halo around the dark lunar disk, revealing details of the Sun’s outer atmosphere typically hidden by its brightness. Also visible are stars, typically too faint to see when imaging the Moon, but with the Moon in darkness stars are readily imaged. This unique vantage point provides both a striking visual and a valuable opportunity for astronauts to document and describe the corona during humanity’s return to deep space. The faint glow of the nearside of the Moon is visible in this image, having been illuminated by light reflected off the Earth.
Image and caption: NASA

Capturing these beautiful and unprecedented photographs wasn’t a fluke. The NASA and CSA astronauts worked with Rochester Institute of Technology alumni Katrina Willoughby and Paul Reichert at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to up their photography skills in preparation for Artemis II.

“Most people can use a camera and get a photo that is good enough, but good enough isn’t what we’re after scientifically,” Willoughby, a graduate of RIT’s imaging and photographic technology program, said. We’re really teaching the astronauts how to go beyond the basics. Being able to understand how to use the equipment, and what the options are, gives us a lot more capability.”

[Related: Why you can’t see space junk in Artemis II photos]

The pair spent two years working with the crew and designed training modules to emulate the challenges of photographing in space. The astronauts learned how to operate both commercially available cameras (including iPhones), along with more advanced equipment and hardware.

A close-up view from the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II crew’s lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, captures a total solar eclipse, with only part of the Moon visible in the frame as it fully obscures the Sun. Although the full lunar disk extends beyond the image, the Sun’s faint corona remains visible as a soft halo of light around the Moon’s edge. From this deep-space vantage point, the Moon appeared large enough to sustain nearly 54 minutes of totality, far longer than total solar eclipses typically seen from Earth. This cropped perspective emphasizes the scale of the alignment and reveals subtle structure in the corona during the rare, extended eclipse observed by the crew. The bright silver glint on the left edge of the image is the planet Venus. The round, dark gray feature visible along the Moon’s horizon between the 9 and 10 o’clock positions is Mare Crisium, a feature visible from Earth. We see faint lunar features because light reflected off of Earth provides a source of illumination.
Image and caption: NASA

While the photographs are absolutely awe-inspiring, they also hold importance for scientific study. Lunar and planetary scientists can use the images to better understand our moon and solar system. The Artemis II crew returns to Earth on April 10.

The Artemis II crew captures a portion of the Moon coming into view along the terminator – the boundary between lunar day and night – where low-angle sunlight casts long, dramatic shadows across the surface. This grazing light accentuates the Moon’s rugged topography, revealing craters, ridges, and basin structures in striking detail. Features along the terminator such as Jule Crater, Birkhoff Crater, Stebbins Crater, and surrounding highlands stand out. From this perspective, the interplay of light and shadow highlights the complexity of the lunar surface in ways not visible under full illumination. The image was captured about three hours into the crew’s lunar observation period, as they flew around the far side of the Moon on the sixth day of the mission.
Image and caption: NASA Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Central peaks form in complex craters when the lunar surface, liquefied on impact, splashes upwards during the crater’s formation.
Image and caption: NASA Captured from the Orion spacecraft near the end of the Artemis II lunar flyby on April 6, this image shows the Sun beginning to peek out from behind the Moon as the eclipse transitions out of totality. Only a portion of the Moon is visible in frame, its curved edge revealing a bright sliver of sunlight returning after nearly an hour of darkness. In final moments of the eclipse observed by the crew, the reemerging light creates a sharp contrast against the Moon’s silhouette and reveals lunar topography not usually visible along the lunar limb. This fleeting phase captures the dynamic alignment of the Sun, Moon, and spacecraft as Orion continues its journey back from the far side of the Moon.
Image and caption: NASA The Moon seen peeking above the window sill of the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II lunar flyby on April 6, 2026. The Artemis II crew spent about 7 hours at the Orion windows during the flyby, taking photos and recording observations on the Moon to share with scientists on the ground.
Image and caption: NASA A close-up view taken by the Artemis II crew of Vavilov Crater on the rim of the older and larger Hertzsprung basin. The right portion of the image shows the transition from smooth material within an inner ring of mountains to more rugged terrain around the rim. Vavilov and other craters and their ejecta are accentuated by long shadows at the terminator, the boundary between lunar day and night. The image was captured with a handheld camera at a focal length of 400 mm, as the crew flew around the far side of the Moon.
Image: NASA The lunar surface fills the frame in sharp detail, as seen during the Artemis II lunar flyby, while a distant Earth sets in the background. This image was captured at 6:41 p.m. EDT, on April 6, 2026, just three minutes before the Orion spacecraft and its crew went behind the Moon and lost contact with Earth for 40 minutes before emerging on the other side. In this image, the dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime, while on its day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater shows terraced edges and a relatively flat floor marked by central peaks — formed when the surface rebounded upward during the impact that created the crater.
Image: NASA Astronaut Jeremy Hansen captures an image through the camera shroud covering window 2 of the Orion spacecraft. The camera shroud, essentially a curtain with a hole for the lens to pass through, is used to prevent light from the cabin from reflecting on the windowpanes.
Image and caption: NASA A shot from early in the Artemis II lunar flyby, taken with a smaller aperture setting, shows a moodier version of the Moon than some of the other flyby images with more typical lighting settings. The four crew members spent about 7 hours photographing and recording observations of the Moon as they flew around the far side on April 6, 2026.
Image and caption: NASA Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen prepare for their journey around the far side of the Moon by configuring their camera equipment shortly before beginning their lunar flyby observations.
Image and caption: NASA In this view of the Moon, the Artemis II crew captured an intricate snapshot of the rings of the Orientale basin, one of the Moon’s youngest and best-preserved large impact craters on his first shift during the lunar flyby observation period.
Image and caption: NASA NASA’s Orion spacecraft is pictured here from one of the cameras mounted on its solar array wings. At the time this photo was taken at 9:03 a.m. ET, the Artemis II crew was in a sleep period ahead of beginning their seventh day into the mission.
Image and caption: NASA CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut and Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen is seen taking images through the Orion spacecraft window early in the Artemis II lunar flyby. Hansen and his fellow crewmates spent approximately seven hours taking turns at the Orion windows capturing science data to share with their team back on Earth.
Image and caption: NASA The Artemis II crew – (clockwise from left) Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover – take time out for a group hug inside the Orion spacecraft on their way home. Following a swing around the far side of the Moon on April 6, 2026, the crew exited the lunar sphere of influence (the point at which the Moon’s gravity has a stronger pull on Orion than the Earth’s) on April 7, and are headed back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10. The crew was selected in April 2023, and have been training together for their mission for the past three years.
Image and caption: NASA

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Growing up, summers felt like they lasted forever—or close to it. It felt as though the season had no end, until the lure of a new backpack and crayons finally summoned us out of the pool. 

In adulthood, we’re all too aware of summer’s fleeting nature from the moment it begins. We anticipate our vacations. We guard our weekends. We complain about “Back To School” promotions that seem to start the day after school lets out.

It’s tempting to chalk this up to simple logistics—kids have the summers off. But teachers have summers off, too, and they’ll tell you that August hits like a freight train carrying a giant load of Mondays.

So, what happened? How does the season that once felt never-ending now seem to disappear before we’ve even found our sunscreen?

According to time perception researcher Dr. Marc Wittmann, the answer lies in the mechanics of memory, specifically which moments get stored and which ones slip away. 

The science behind the endless summer

When we look back on a period of time, our sense of how long it lasted comes down to how many moments we actually remember from it. Novel experiences—firsts, surprises, anything that catches the brain off guard—are the moments most likely to stick. In childhood, those moments are everywhere. Almost everything is happening for the first time.

“Everything seems new in childhood: the first ride on a pony, the first trip to the circus, the first vacation at the beach—everything is a first,” Wittmann, a research fellow at the Institute for Frontier Areas in Psychology and Mental Health in Freiburg, Germany, and author of Felt Time: The Psychology of How We Perceive Time, tells Popular Science. “So that causes us to store the memory as something special.”

As kids, almost every experience is a new experience, which helps solidify it in your memory. Image: J_art / Getty Images pluto_art_lab

In addition to how novel a summer feels to a child who has only experienced a handful of them, there’s the fact that a child’s brain is still developing. So not only is the child processing new experiences, but they’re processing them through a rapidly changing brain.

“Each year is a completely new year for a child and adolescent,” says Wittmann. “There are so many bodily and mental changes happening. Each year, the child is a new person.”

All those brain changes help cement new experiences into memory.

Why does time go so much more quickly as an adult?

One of the more commonly cited explanations for why childhood summers feel endless deals with simple proportions: a year at age five represents a fifth of your entire life, while a year at age 50 is merely a fiftieth.

Although Wittmann acknowledges the popularity of this theory, he questions whether an individual’s experience of time perception really lines up so neatly with the math.

“This is an easy calculation for us to do, and it’s so intuitively compelling,” he says. “But the question would be whether the mind and brain actually calculate lived time this way, and there is no evidence.”

What is happening, says Wittmann, is something both more human and complex. At some point, childhood ends. Development plateaus, the brain stabilizes, and the world stops feeling quite so new. We’ve seen summers before; we know how they go.

This is where time starts to accelerate, or at least, where it starts to feel that way in retrospect. With fewer novel experiences being stored, there’s simply less to look back on. The summers don’t disappear, exactly. They just leave less new memories behind.

How memory shifts as we age

But novelty is only part of the picture. Wittmann’s newer research points to an additional factor, one that surprised even him.

In a recent study accepted for publication in the journal Memory & Cognition, Wittmann and colleagues tracked memory and time perception across adults ranging in age from their 20s to their 90s. What they found was not what they expected: Older adults didn’t describe their memories as fainter or less vivid. If anything, the opposite was true. The memories they did retain felt richer and more emotionally resonant than those of younger adults.

What was declining was something far more subtle: the ability to encode the unremarkable moments of daily life. Wittmann attributes this to cognitive decline, a process that can begin as early as our thirties. 

“From 30 years on, we already have a slight decline, and then at 50 and 60 we decline even more, and, in very old age, we have a steep decline,” Wittmann says. “And this seems to correlate exactly with this feeling that the last ten years have passed so quickly.”

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How you can make summers feel longer

The good news? We can still live our daily lives in ways that can slow the relentless tick of the clock, or at least make those seconds, minutes, and hours more memorable.

Wittmann recommends seeking out new experiences, new places, and new people where you can find them. Even the smallest shake-ups to your usual routine can make a difference. He also suggests staying physically active, keeping up your social connections, and challenging yourself mentally. These are the same habits, he notes, that help ward off cognitive decline in older age.

“The glue for memory”

However, Wittmann cautions against cramming one’s day planner with novel experiences as a means of seizing (and holding on to) the day. 

“Very often, people think they have to pack their Saturdays full of things to do,” he says. “But because you’re so focused on the timeline of items, time will pass quickly again. Instead, try living into your Saturday morning. Start the day without any plans. Be aware of how you feel, what you want to do, and stay open to whatever comes.”

The endless summers of childhood aren’t coming back, but that may be beside the point. What Wittmann’s research suggests is that we have more control over our experience of time than we might assume. We can seek out the new, maintain social bonds, and keep moving. We can learn to live into our Saturdays.

Ultimately, Wittmann suggests welcoming emotions into your life with—and if that feels like a tall order, start with your calendar. “Emotions are basically the glue for memory,” says Wittmann. “If something is very emotional, it will last your whole life.”

In Ask Us Anything, Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

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The Artemis II astronauts have completed their historic lunar flyby and taken the pictures to prove it. But as skygazers continue enjoying the images of both the moon and Earth, one question is making the rounds online: If there’s such a space junk problem orbiting our home planet, then why isn’t it visible in any of the newest photos?

It may sound like an odd question, but it’s somewhat understandable. After all, numerous astronomers and researchers continue to sound the alarm on the exponentially growing amount of trash encircling Earth at any given moment. Without any actionable solutions, there is an increasing worry about the possibility of initiating a “Kessler cascade.” In such a scenario, the amount of space junk becomes so ubiquitous that collisions are inevitable. Debris traveling at upwards of 17,500 miles per hour smacks into one another, creating even smaller pieces of trash that then increase the likelihood of similar events. All of that ensuing orbital junk could make it extremely difficult to launch new satellites into space, send astronauts on missions, and even protect Earth’s terrestrial residents.

If all that pollution is so concerning and prevalent, how hasn’t the Artemis II crew documented examples to point it out once they return home? Technically, there is a slight possibility that astronauts could snap a perfect photo pointing out low Earth orbit’s fragility. But when you consider the logistics, the likelihood of pulling off such an image is extremely low. The vast majority of space junk isn’t discernible to the naked eye—especially at the speeds both the junk and astronauts are traveling. Aside from the millions of centimeter-or-larger objects orbiting Earth, around 130 million smaller chunks waste from satellites and rocketry encircle the planet.

[Related: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch isn’t just a floating trash pile]

The altitude varies case-by-case, but the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office estimates the greatest concentration of space junk is floating between 466 and 621 miles above Earth. To put it simply, Artemis II’s astronauts were too busy focusing on the earliest minutes of their launch to take photos outside the Orion capsule’s windows. Within seconds, it became nearly impossible to take pictures of any discernible orbital debris, let alone entire satellites. Imagine taking a photo of a pebble on the highway from even 10 miles down the road. It would be that hard—and that’s before piloting a historic space mission.

This isn’t to say Artemis II hasn’t already had firsthand experience with space junk. The International Space Station often collides with tiny debris, but the habitable capsules’ engineering ensures it can withstand strikes from objects as large as one centimeter in diameter. The Orbital Debris Program Office also estimates encounters with anything larger is “slight” at best.\

The bottomline is this: Space is incomprehensibly vast, but even Earth’s dimensions are difficult to imagine. There is still a lot of wiggle-room for Artemis II and future NASA astronaut crews, especially with the aid of precise computing models and orbital tracking technology. Space junk is a serious problem—but it’s not something to make you worry about crew safety, much less doubt humanity’s latest trip around the moon.

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Sometimes it feels like the names of new species can come from just about anything—from regions to a supportive grandmother to a creature’s short butt. Certain people, however, have received more attention from the taxonomic community, inspiring the names of more than one previously undiscovered creature—much to one man’s joking chagrin. 

1. Stephen Colbert 

Famous comedian and television host Stephen Colbert has a number of creepy crawlies named after him, including the wasp Aleiodes Colberti, the trapdoor spider Aptostichus stephencolberti, and the diving beetle the Agaporomorphus colberti. 

“Last year, Stephen shamelessly asked the science community to name something cooler than a spider to honor him,” Arizona State University entomologist Quentin Wheeler, who was involved in the naming of the diving beetle, explained in a statement back in 2009. “His top choices were a giant ant or a laser lion. While those would be cool species to discover, our research involves beetles, and they are ‘way cooler’ than a spider any day.”

Botanical artist Lucy Smith (left) and Kew Gardens’ scientific and botanical research horticulturalist Carlos Magdalena (right) pose for photographs with the Victoria Boliviana, a new botanical discovery named in honor of Queen Victoria, at Kew Gardens on July 01, 2022 in London, England. Despite specimens sitting in Kew’s Herbarium for 177 years, the waterlily was identified as a previously unrecognized species. Image: Leon Neal / Staff / Getty Images 2. Queen Victoria

The famous British monarch doesn’t just have animal species named after her. She has a whole genus of giant waterlilies. Of course, the queen is also referenced in specific animal names, such as the large pigeon Goura victoria (Victoria crowned pigeon), and the Ornithoptera victoriae (Queen Victoria’s birdwing). 

3. Leonardo DiCaprio 

While some argue that there could have been room for Jack next to Rose at the end of the Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio would have certainly drowned them all if he had climbed aboard with all the species named after him. The American actor inspired the names of the Cameroonian tree Uvariopsis dicaprio, the water beetle Grouvellinus leonardodicaprioi, and the frog Phyllonastes dicaprioi. 

4. Harrison Ford

Indiana Jones is terrified of snakes, so he probably wouldn’t be too happy to discover that in 2023 the slithering species Tachymenoides harrisonfordi was named in honor of actor Harrison Ford and his environmental advocacy, among other things. 

“These scientists keep naming critters after me, but it’s always the ones that terrify children. I don’t understand. I spend my free time cross-stitching. I sing lullabies to my basil plants, so they won’t fear the night,” Ford said in a statement. “In all seriousness, this discovery [of Tachymenoides harrisonfordi] is humbling. It’s a reminder that there’s still so much to learn about our wild world — and that humans are one small part of an impossibly vast biosphere.

The aforementioned critters include the spider Calponia harrisonfordi and the ant Pheidole harrisonfordi.

Arachnologist Norman Platnick first described this tiny spider in 1993 and named it after actor Harrison Ford as a thank you for his voice narration work on a documentary for the Natural History Museum in London. Image: Marshal Hedin / CC BY-SA 2.0 5. Barack Obama 

The former president has an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to things named after him, including an impressive number of organisms. There is the bee Lasioglossum obamai, the spider Spintharus barackobamai (which is in the same genus as Spintharus berniesandersi), and the waterbeetle Desmopachria barackobamai, among others. Like Queen Victoria, even Obama has a genus named after him, as seen in the (extinct) lizard Obamadon gracilis.

6. David Attenborough

Last but certainly not least, there are a whooping over 50 species that carry the name of broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough (though we would argue there should be a few species named specifically after his voice, too). These include the bird Polioptila attenboroughi, the carnivorous plant Nepenthes attenboroughii, and the Bolivian lichen Malmidea attenboroughii. 

In Ask Us Anything, Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

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In 2023, the U.S. government approved the sale of “lab-grown” chicken after it passed food safety tests.

Lab-grown meat, also called “cultivated” or “cultured” meat, is meat grown in a lab instead of on a farm. Scientists take a few cells from an animal and put them in a tank called a bioreactor with nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. The cells grow and multiply until they form muscle tissue—the same stuff that makes up the meat people eat.

Because no animal has to be killed, cultivated meat is better for animal welfare. The environmental impact is still debated: cultivated meat could be better or worse for the planet depending on the type of energy used to power the factories that make it. 

But what about the big question: Is it actually healthy to eat?

Lab-grown meat is nutritionally similar—but not identical—to conventional meat

Lab-grown meat is designed to be as close to the real thing as possible in terms of look, taste, and nutrition, but it’s not a perfect copy.

Conventional meat contains all nine essential amino acids (protein building blocks), which the human body cannot produce on its own, as well as various non-essential amino acids. It is also a source of B vitamins and several mineral nutrients, including iron and zinc. 

According to Dr. Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King’s College London and co-founder of the nutrition science company ZOE, “the protein quality and amino acid profile of cultivated meat is generally similar to conventional meat, with all essential amino acids present but with varying ratios.” 

And what about the vitamin and mineral content? “There is still limited published data on how closely real-world cultivated meat products match conventional meat for these micronutrients,” Spector says.

Early research suggests that some nutrients may be lower in lab-grown meat, while others could be equal—or even higher, says Noah Praamsma, a registered dietitian nutritionist and a nutrition education coordinator with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

At an agricultural expo in Hangzhou in east China’s Zhejiang province, a piece of lab-grown rainbow trout meat is displayed in November 2024. Image: Feature China / Contributor / Getty Images

One study found that, compared with regular chicken meat, lab-grown chicken had less protein, lower amounts of most essential amino acids, less magnesium, and less vitamin B3. However, it had more total fat, more saturated fat, more cholesterol, and higher levels of vitamins B5, B6, and A. Lab-grown chicken also contained higher amounts of several minerals, including calcium, copper, iron, potassium, manganese, sodium, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc.

In conventional meat, nutrients build up in animal tissues over the animal’s lifetime through diet, microbes in the animal’s gut, and normal metabolism, explains Spector.  Replicating that complex process in a lab environment is difficult, although technology is making great strides.

Lab-grown meat could be healthier than conventional meat

One of the biggest promises of lab-grown meat is that, unlike conventional meat, its nutritional content can potentially be fine-tuned during production.

“In practice, this might mean aiming for less saturated fat and more unsaturated fat and enriching the product with beneficial fatty acids such as omega-3,” says Spector. This may come with a few trade-offs, as fat plays a major role in how meat tastes and feels, he says. 

Another benefit of cultivated meat comes from the way it’s produced—in a sterile lab environment. This contrasts with traditional meat farming where manure is present and can—potentially—come into contact with meat. Lab-grown meat might improve the food safety concerns associated with large-scale animal farming, Praamsma says.

Lab-grown meat falls under the ‘ultra-processed food’ umbrella

Because of how lab-grown meat is made—through an industrial process, and with added ingredients—it would probably count as an ultra-processed food, says Spector. 

“But ‘processed’ doesn’t automatically mean unhealthy,” he says. “What matters is the quality of the final product, what’s added, how it affects the gut microbiome, and what it replaces in the diet.”

Nutritionally, lab-grown meat is much like regular meat: low in fiber and high in saturated fat. “But in theory, it could be designed to have an improved nutrient profile,” Spector says, for instance with more iron or vitamin B12 and less saturated fat.

Still, tweaking the nutrient mix doesn’t erase the health concerns linked to eating meat. “Decades of research shows that diets emphasizing whole plant foods are consistently associated with better long-term health outcomes than diets high in meat, whether conventional or novel,” says Praamsma. Simply swapping conventional meat for lab-grown versions isn’t likely to deliver the same benefits as adding more fruits, vegetables, and legumes to your plate, he points out.

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Its long-term impact on health is unknown

At the moment, we don’t yet know how eating lab-grown meat affects health in the long run.

“Studies evaluating its long-term health outcomes relative to traditional meat do not yet exist,” says Praamsma.

Spector agrees. “No clinical trials have been conducted to date, which means we don’t have data on its impact on any health conditions or allergies. This includes the impact on our gut microbiome.”

The bottom line

Nutritionally, lab-grown meat is much like regular meat, though it isn’t an exact copy. On the upside, it could be designed to be healthier, and because it’s made in a clean lab, it may lower the risk of contamination compared with farm-raised meat. 

But we still don’t know how eating lab-grown meat affects our health long-term. Based on what we know now, diets rich in whole plant foods are still the best way to improve overall health.

In Ask Us Anything, Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

The post Is ‘lab-grown’ meat actually safe? appeared first on Popular Science.

Sports arenas across  the United States could soon have a new, jiggly way to measure the excitement of a game. Jell-O, the company most known for its physics-defying gelatin dessert, is introducing a device it says can calculate fan intensity in a stadium and then visually represent that data in real time as a jiggling mass of Jell-O. The rowdier the crowd gets, the more the Jell-O jiggles. The company is calling its bizarre invention the JELL-OMETER. It’s already been used at a professional hockey game in New York and is expected to be on its way to other stadiums soon.

Anyone who has been to a sporting event has likely seen messages on the jumbotron urging fans to “Get Loud” and cheer. Those systems typically use decibel readers to measure sound.

The JELL-OMETER takes a different approach and tries to measure fan energy instead. The company claims the device uses “proprietary plate-sensing” technology to capture sound pressure from the crowd’s cheers. That sound pressure is then converted into mechanical motion and presented as a shaking mold of Jell-O.

The energy is measured in “jiggles”on a scale of one to 10. One jiggle is roughly equivalent to a microwave, while 10 is supposedly the same as a small earthquake rumble. No word yet on how many the small earthquakes generated at Taylor Swift concerts would be. 

Related: [What a Jell-O brain tells us about the future of human-machine interaction]

The  company says that their goal is to create an “interactive way to experience crowd intensity.” Priming fans to get up and buy a packet of the jiggly substance probably doesn’t hurt either.

“As the inventors of the jiggle more than 125 years ago, we knew we had a unique opportunity to visually measure sound in a way no one else could,” Kathryn O’Brien, the Kraft Heinz Company’s head of marketing for desserts, said in a statement.

“With the JELL-OMETER, we’re bringing the iconic Jell-O jiggle to sports to give the fans something they’ve long waited for—the opportunity to secure bragging rights on who has the most passionate fanbase.” 

The JELL-OMETER has already seen some action. On Friday, the device was trialed  at a professional hockey game between the New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers. This clip posted on Instagram shows the device registering “5.8” jiggles. 

View this post on Instagram Loud crowds can win games 

Sports fans aren’t shy about getting loud. In 2014, Kansas City Chiefs fans broke the Guinness World Record for loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium, belting out an ear-blistering 142.2 decibels—roughly equivalent to the sound of a jet taking off. That record beat the one set by Chiefs fans in 2013.

And while the rowdy fans certainly played a role, the stadium has also earned a reputation for being particularly loud, something reportedly attributed to a pair of canopies that cover a large portion of the seats. That coverage protects fans from rain, but it also serves a secondary purpose of amplifying sound.

Some particularly crafty sports teams have also been known to use a stadium’s loudness to their advantage. The Houston Astros famously opted to keep their roof closed during the 2017 World Series, even when the weather was fine, in a deliberate attempt to amplify the crowd noise bouncing back down from the roof. They ended up winning that series four to three.

The science behind the JELL-OMETER. Image: JELL-O

Jell-O makes it clear they aren’t pulling for any one team in particular. The company said it is looking to introduce its device to more stadiums and is gathering feedback from fans to see which cities might be prime candidates. 

“The JELL-OMETER doesn’t take sides,” O’Brien said. “It just measures the madness.”

The post Giant Jell-O measures crowd volume in wobbles appeared first on Popular Science.

While it might not always feel like it, spring has finally sprung for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. At the New England Wildlife Center in Massachusetts, the arrival of the first baby squirrels is an important indicator of the start of the season. 

While they usually begin to come in around St. Patrick’s Day, the center has received them as early as late February. This year’s  first baby squirrels have just arrived, New England Wildlife Center CEO Greg Mertz, tells Popular Science. 

Regardless of their admittance date, baby squirrels always mean lots of work for the staff. And the work has just begun, as the staff must feed them specially formulated milk every half an hour. 

Mertz explains that they receive the young animals in waves. They’re currently experiencing a spring wave and there will be another over the summer, and one more at the beginning of October. 

Baby squirrels can fall out of their nests for a variety of reasons. Wind storms can knock the babies out of a tree, the nest could be too small, or yard work like trimming or cutting down a tree may cause problems. The mother squirrel may also be injured, killed, or have been scared away. If the mother is still alive and well she will usually return her baby to the nest, which is why people shouldn’t immediately move a baby squirrel when they find one. 

Staff at the New England Wildlife Center must feed baby squirrels specially formulated milk every half an hour. Image: Greg Mertz / New England Wildlife Center.

“I would tell people to monitor the situation, not closely, but monitor from a distance for a good 12 hours, even if it’s overnight,” Mertz explains. “If people have indoor outdoor cats, keep the cat inside. If they have dogs, keep dogs inside and away from where that area is and let mom do her business, because as soon as we’re nearby, or dogs are nearby, or cats are nearby, she’s going to run away.” 

A predator like a hawk or raccoon might still come by, “but that’s the way of nature. We’re trying to do what we can for those that are left out of the system.”

If 12 hours passes and the baby has not been recuperated, then you should pick it up and reach out to a wildlife rehabilitator, he adds. 

According to an adorable New England Wildlife Center video, people could facilitate a healthy baby’s return to the mother by putting it (and a hot water bottle in case of cold weather) in an elevated basket and playing baby squirrel noises on YouTube. After setting this up, people should keep their distance. 

“Yes, it can work,” Mertz says, explaining that this solution is meant to keep the baby out of reach from predators. Though he admits, “I’m not sure that it’s gonna work successfully all the time.” 

When in doubt, contact your local animal rescue organization. 

In Ask Us Anything, Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.

The post Baby squirrels are here! Here’s what to do if you find one. appeared first on Popular Science.

Modern life requires lots of logging into apps and websites. Even with a password manager, remembering all of that log in information can be difficult. Using a fingerprint, eye, or other biometrics can introduce privacy concerns. A new security system might solve that password problem by using vibrations—in our skulls. 

The newly designed software program called VitalID uses the tiny vibrations generated by heartbeats and breathing that move through the skull. Like our fingerprints, these patterns are unique to an individual’s facial tissue and bone structure. VitalID is designed for use in extended reality settings and was presented at the 2025 ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security. 

What is XR?

Extended reality (XR) includes virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality technologies that mix digital content with the physical world. XR systems including Viture, MetaQuest, and Oculus Rift are best known in the gaming world. However, this technology is expanding into finance, medicine, education, and remote work. As it increases its reach, security in XR systems has become increasingly urgent.

“Extended reality will play a major role in our future,” Yingying Chen, a study co-author and computer engineer who specializes in remote sensors at Rutgers University in New Jersey, said in a statement. “If immersive systems are going to become woven into daily life, authentication has to be secure, continuous and effortless.”

How VitalID works

VitalID uses simple biology to fix these user experience and security issues. Even when we are sitting still, our bodies are moving in subtle ways. Every breath and heartbeat creates tiny vibrations that travel through the neck and into the head. Once they reach the skull, they make our heads shake slightly. Since every skull has a different shape, thickness, and bone structure, the vibrations change in unique ways as they travel. 

As a result, we all produce a distinct vibration pattern within our skulls. Motion sensors that already reside inside virtual reality headsets can detect these tiny patterns and determine who is wearing the device.

“We do not need to add any device or additional hardware,” Chen said. “It requires only software.”

In their study, Chen and the team tested 52 users over a 10-month period using two popular XR headsets. Their system correctly authenticated legitimate users over 95 percent of the time. Importantly, it rejected unauthorized users more than 98 percent of the time.

They also built a filtering system that removes interference from extra head and body movement like nodding. This helps the headset only focus on the tiny vibrations in the skull that are caused by an individual’s breathing and heartbeat. They then used computer models to analyze the skull vibration patterns.

According to Chen, these vibrations may be more difficult to mimic since they travel internally through a person’s bone and tissue. While someone might imitate another person’s breathing rhythm, they can’t replicate the biomechanical properties of another person’s skull quite so easily. The headset would constantly sense these subtle vibrations to confirm that the right person is using it.

A next-gen solution

XR headsets now store confidential documents, personal accounts, and access to web services. However, typing passwords in a virtual environment based on gestures can be awkward. Two-factor authentication often interrupts immersion and hardware that scans the eye adds cost, according to Chen.

While not commercially available yet, VitalID is an attempt at solving this user experience and security problem. It allows users to access financial platforms, medical records or enterprise systems inside immersive environments without stopping to log in. 

This technology is available for licensing and/or research collaboration and Rutgers has applied for a provisional patent. The study was a collaboration with Cong Shi at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Yan Wang at Temple University in Philadelphia, and Nitesh Saxena at Texas A&M University.

The post Skull vibrations could be your next password appeared first on Popular Science.

Only 80 to 90 percent of Earth’s vast oceans have been explored, leaving countless species just waiting to be discovered. That’s where the Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative: One Thousand Reasons campaign comes in. The project is designed to describe 1,000 previously unknown deep-sea species by 2030 in order to assess ocean biodiversity to protect species as the prospect of deep-sea mining expands.

Twenty-four new species of deep-sea crustaceans are now on the project’s growing list. The new species are detailed in a special edition of the journal Zookeys and were discovered in the remote Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). This vast area of 1.7 million square-miles of deep ocean between the west coast of Mexico and Hawaii is home to numerous unknown species as well as minerals needed for many high-tech uses.

The type specimens of some of the new species, including Elimedon breviclunis, are now cared for by curators at the Natural History Museun in London. Image: © Horton et al. 2026. Meet the amphipods

These new species are amphipods—a diverse group of crustaceans made up of over 10,000 known species. Some amphipods are only millimeters in size, while the largest species Alicella gigantea is the size of a loaf of bread. They play a key role as a food source for larger animals and help decompose the bodies of larger creatures. 

Amphipods are adapted to live in a wide range of habitats. Some live in damp caves or even woodlands on land, while most live in fresh and saltwater environments. Parasitic whale lice ride around on marine mammals, eating algae and keeping whales clean. Predatory amphipods hunt small worms and other invertebrates, while other species are scavengers that help recycle nutrients in marine ecosystems.

The new species were found while researchers were taking so-called “box samples” from the seafloor. During box sampling, scientists take a huge cube of mud from the seabed and bring it up to a ship to study its contents and get a sense of what’s lurking inside. After washing and separating the material from these particular cores, they found a variety of pale amphipods.

“These amphipods appear to have a range of different feeding styles,” Dr. Eva Stewart, a study co-author and deep-sea scientist at the Natural History Museum in London, said in a statement. “Some seem to be eating the mud and getting nutrients from that, while others have large claws, which suggest they might be predating other things that are living in the sediment.”

Naming the new amphipods after video games, family, and a short butt

Since amphipods are such a diverse group of animals, it only makes sense that their names follow suit. The scientists met for one week to determine the name for this exciting new batch of critters. 

Mirabestia maisie and Astyra mclaughlinae are named after family members and colleagues, while Elimedon breviclunis is named for the animal’s short butt. 

Pop culture inspired other names. Lepidepecreum myla reminded the team of Myla from the videogame “Hollow Knight.” According to the team, both the character and specifically Lepidepecreum myla “are just little arthropods trying to survive in total darkness.”

In addition to new species, the team also discovered a new family and superfamily. A superfamily ranks below an order and above family. For example, the superfamily Hominoidea (or apes) includes both the family Hominidae (humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans) and Hylobatidae (gibbons).

“To find a new superfamily is very rare, so this is a discovery we’ll all remember,” added study co-author Dr. Tammy Hortonopens. “But each species we describe is just as important, as they’re a vital step towards improving our understanding of this fascinating ecosystem.”

One of the new species, Mirabestia maisie, was named after Dr. Tammy Horton’s daughter. Image: © Horton et al. 2026. The Clarion-Clipperton Zone has the attention of big tech

Further study of these creatures will give us a better idea of how they are living in one of the most untouched places on Earth. Despite its remoteness, the CCZ has drawn a lot of interest due to the metallic nodules found on the ocean floor. These nodules often contain minerals used for solar panels and wind turbines. While deep-sea mining can help us reach environmental goals, this region is poorly understood and mining could risk damage to these important ecosystems. 

“It’s estimated there are around 5,600 species in the CCZ, but around 90 percent of these are undescribed,” Stewart explained. “As a result, there are thousands of potential species that have been discovered over the past decade just waiting to be named.”

These types of discovery will be vital to understand the possible impacts of deep-sea mining in the future.

The post New crustacean named after its unique butt appeared first on Popular Science.

April 1Full Pink MoonApril 17Best Chance to See Comet C/2025 R3April 19The Moon, Venus, and Pleiades ConjunctionApril 22Lyrid Meteor Shower Predicted Peak

Spring has sprung, the annual hour of sleep has been stolen from us, and the days are getting longer.  But don’t fear, skygazers, there are still enough celestial sights to see this month to keep you happy. They include an early full moon, a meteor shower known for generating unexpected spectacles, and a lovely conjunction of the moon and one of our cosmic neighbors. Also, there’s a comet to see! Onwards! 

April 1: Full Pink Moon

A full moon on the first day of the month! As far as we know, there’s no name for this, but it doesn’t matter, because April’s moon is gifted with the most poetic of names anyway. It’s the Pink Moon, making April the best month of the year for fans of Nick Drake, Édith Piaf and, excuse the pun,, P!nk herself. Sadly, despite the poetic name, the moon itself is the same color as always. The “pink” in the pink moon is a reference to the flowers that bloom as winter releases its icy grasp and spring warms the Earth for another year.

This April’s full moon is also a micromoon, placing it firmly at the opposite end of the scale from the string of supermoons we had from October through January. A micromoon is a full moon that occurs when the moon is at or near its furthest distance from Earth. This distance means that the moon will appear relatively small. To see our little April moonlet, bless it, look to the skies at 10:12 p.m. EDT on April 1 when it reaches peak illumination.

April 17: Best Chance to See Comet C/2025 R3

There’s a comet heading our way this month—but don’t worry! As per NASA, that comet named Comet C/2025 R3 might be the brightest such visitor visible this year. While its closest approach to Earth isn’t until April 27, NASA suggests that the evening of April 17 might be the best time to catch it, because there’ll be no moonlight to interfere with comet viewing action. You’ll still need a telescope or a good pair of binoculars, though. If you have access to such gear, look to the eastern sky above the constellation Pisces—the comet should be visible within the constellation Pegasus.

April 19: The Moon, Venus, and Pleiades Conjunction

By April 19, the moon will have waxed almost to invisibility—but not quite. And that’s just as well.Otherwise, we’d be denied the lovely spectacle of the tiny crescent moon peeking its way out from the constellation Pleiades, just above the always eye-catching beauty that is the planet Venus. The scene will play out in the western sky, not far above the horizon. If you look a little further upward, you’ll see the absolute big boy himself, cousin Jupiter, rumbling into the chat to make sure he gets some attention too.

April 22: Lyrid Meteor Shower Predicted Peak

As far as meteor showers go, the Lyrids don’t mess around. They’re in and out of the sky in a couple of weeks, and if you miss them, that’s it  until next year. This means they can be hit or miss, especially if they coincide with the light of a full moon or a spell of bad weather. In these cases, there might be none to see at all.

Fortunately, their predicted peak will coincide with excellent viewing conditions—weather permitting, of course. The meteor shower will last from April 15 to April 29, with the predicted peak smack bang in the middle on April 22. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the radiant point—from which the meteors appear to originate—will be high in the northern sky. Expect to see 10 to 15 meteors an hour—but as per EarthSky, the Lyrids are known for generating “uncommon surges,” so you never know what you might see!

During any month, remember that you’ll get the best experience gazing at the cosmos if you get away from any sources of light pollution, give your eyeballs some time to adjust to the darkness, and review our stargazing tips before setting out into the night.

Until next time! 

The post April skygazing: An early micromoon, comet flyby, and the Lyrid meteor shower appeared first on Popular Science.

Navigating streaming services is basically a nightmare at this point. On top of their constantly shifting libraries, it feels like nearly every week includes the announcement of yet another subscription price hike. If you’re looking for a temporary reprieve and some truly unique content this week, an unsung hero is ready to help you out. Folks, it’s time to tune into C-SPAN for NASA’s upcoming Artemis II launch.

Yes, that C-SPAN. The same channel that has been broadcasting government hearings daily since 1979.

Through Sunday, April 5, CSPAN is airing daily coverage of all things Artemis II. The NASA mission deserves it, after all. The four astronauts are scheduled to launch no earlier than Wednesday, April 1, and when they do it will kick off a major new era of space exploration. Over 10 days, the Artemis II crew will complete the first human flyby loop around the moon since the Apollo 8 mission in 1972.

The trip is expected to pave the way for NASA’s return to the lunar surface, estimated for 2027. The mission will also set new milestones and break multiple records in the process. Upon its return, Artemis II will have carried the first woman, first person of color, and the first non-United States citizen beyond low Earth orbit. It will also travel about 4,800 miles beyond the moon to surpass Apollo 8’s total distance, and set a new reentry top speed of around 25,000 miles per hour.

C-SPAN’s special programming began on March 29 and will continue through April 5. It features daily news briefings before all-day launch coverage expected on April 1. On March 31 and April 4, C-SPAN2 will air 24 hours of documentaries on the history of U.S. crewed spaceflights. There will also be live call-in sessions, as well as commentary from guests from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. While the exact date isn’t confirmed yet, C-SPAN will also cover Artemis II’s atmospheric reentry and splashdown.

No T.V.? No problem. You can also watch all of the coverage on C-SPAN.org, the C-SPAN YouTube channel, C-SPAN Radio, and the C-SPAN mobile app. Check out the upcoming programming schedule below.

C-SPAN’S Artemis II Coverage Schedule

Monday, March 30

• LIVE 5:00 p.m. ET (C-SPAN): NASA news conference

Tuesday, March 31

• LIVE 1:00 p.m. ET (C-SPAN): NASA pre-launch news conference

Wednesday, April 1 – expected Launch Day

• LIVE 1 p.m. ET (C-SPAN): C-SPAN’S extended live all-day launch coverage begins

Saturday, April 4

• 24 hours Historic Space Programming (C-SPAN2): American History TV marathon of historic programming about America’s manned spaceflight program

Sunday, April 5

• C-SPAN’s “Q&A” series (C-SPAN): Program will feature a history of the Space Shuttle, including video shot on location at The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum

The post The best way to watch the Artemis II launch is on C-SPAN appeared first on Popular Science.

Navigating streaming services is basically a nightmare at this point. On top of their constantly shifting libraries, it feels like nearly every week includes the announcement of yet another subscription price hike. If you’re looking for a temporary reprieve and some truly unique content this week, an unsung hero is ready to help you out. Folks, it’s time to tune into C-SPAN for NASA’s upcoming Artemis II launch.

Yes, that C-SPAN. The same channel that has been broadcasting government hearings daily since 1979.

Through Sunday, April 5, CSPAN is airing daily coverage of all things Artemis II. The NASA mission deserves it, after all. The four astronauts are scheduled to launch no earlier than Wednesday, April 1, and when they do it will kick off a major new era of space exploration. Over 10 days, the Artemis II crew will complete the first human flyby loop around the moon since the Apollo 8 mission in 1972.

The trip is expected to pave the way for NASA’s return to the lunar surface, estimated for 2027. The mission will also set new milestones and break multiple records in the process. Upon its return, Artemis II will have carried the first woman, first person of color, and the first non-United States citizen beyond low Earth orbit. It will also travel about 4,800 miles beyond the moon to surpass Apollo 8’s total distance, and set a new reentry top speed of around 25,000 miles per hour.

C-SPAN’s special programming began on March 29 and will continue through April 5. It features daily news briefings before all-day launch coverage expected on April 1. On March 31 and April 4, C-SPAN2 will air 24 hours of documentaries on the history of U.S. crewed spaceflights. There will also be live call-in sessions, as well as commentary from guests from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. While the exact date isn’t confirmed yet, C-SPAN will also cover Artemis II’s atmospheric reentry and splashdown.

No T.V.? No problem. You can also watch all of the coverage on C-SPAN.org, the C-SPAN YouTube channel, C-SPAN Radio, and the C-SPAN mobile app. Check out the upcoming programming schedule below.

C-SPAN’S Artemis II Coverage Schedule

Monday, March 30

• LIVE 5:00 p.m. ET (C-SPAN): NASA news conference

Tuesday, March 31

• LIVE 1:00 p.m. ET (C-SPAN): NASA pre-launch news conference

Wednesday, April 1 – expected Launch Day

• LIVE 1 p.m. ET (C-SPAN): C-SPAN’S extended live all-day launch coverage begins

Saturday, April 4

• 24 hours Historic Space Programming (C-SPAN2): American History TV marathon of historic programming about America’s manned spaceflight program

Sunday, April 5

• C-SPAN’s “Q&A” series (C-SPAN): Program will feature a history of the Space Shuttle, including video shot on location at The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum

The post The best way to watch the Artemis II launch is on C-SPAN appeared first on Popular Science.

The notorious disease known as sleeping sickness can lurk inside a host for months or even years before serious symptoms arrive. When these tiny parasites do, it’s often a death sentence for its human host. After confounding epidemiologists for decades, researchers now know exactly how sleeping sickness can remain undetected for so long. Its secret weapon is a constantly adapting “invisibility cloak” crafted from special proteins. The evidence is laid out in a study published on March 30 in the journal Nature Microbiology.

Trypanosomiasis, better known as sleeping sickness, starts with a tiny bloodsucking bug called the tsetse fly that causes a huge problem. Like the mosquito, the tsetse fly is a vector for multiple dangerous diseases. However, the tsetse fly is particularly notorious for its role in spreading sleeping sickness in humans via the parasite Typanosoma brucei gambiense (T. brucei). Roughly 70 million people across 36 countries are still at risk of contracting sleeping sickness, and a total eradication remains elusive. 

Around 70 million people live in regions at risk of spreading sleeping sickness. Credit: Deposit Photos

Cases of sleeping sickness are steadily declining, but they remain frequently fatal. Initial symptoms appear relatively innocuous, with a patient developing a fever, joint pain, headaches, and itchiness between one and three weeks after an insect bite. But the problems intensify from there. The second stage of sleeping sickness may arrive weeks, months, or even later, but its effects on the nervous system invariably include neurological complications like confusion, numbness, poor coordination, irregular sleep disruptions, and coma. What’s more, it’s often already too late for effective treatment once the most severe symptoms arrive. At that point, there isn’t much to do for a patient.

But how and why does it take so long to learn when someone has sleeping sickness? Newly discovered ESB2 proteins may be the reason why. These collectively create a barrier structure called a variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). At the same time, the parasite is also precisely editing its genes to hide inside its host.

“We’ve discovered that the parasite’s secret to staying invisible isn’t just what it prints, but what it chooses to redact,” explained University of York biologist and study co-author Joana Faria. “By placing a ‘molecular shredder’ directly inside its ‘protein factory,’ the parasite can edit its genetic manual in real-time.”

The explanation answers a question that’s stumped microbiologists and epidemiologists for nearly 40 years. In addition to the protein cloak, T. brucei is producing “helper genes” that ensure its survival by hiding it from the immune system. Researchers noted that although the genetic instructions should result in equal quantities of each gene type, the parasite knows to make many more VSG proteins than the helpers.

That’s where ESB2 comes into play. Faria’s team successfully identified the protein inside a region of the parasite known as the Expression Site Body. As new genetic material is manufactured, ESB2 immediately takes a cellular scalpel to the helper sections while sparing the cloaking mechanisms. Basically, it’s retracting telltale phrases in a manifesto that would otherwise trace back to the author.

“When we first saw the molecular shredder localized in the microscope, we knew we had found something special,” recalled biologist and study co-author Lianne Lansink.

The implications also extend beyond sleeping sickness. According to Faria, the breakthrough “suggests a fundamental shift” in how infectious diseases are approached. In some cases, an organism’s survival may rely less on how it creates genetic instructions, and more on which ones they eliminate in the moment.

Despite its classification as a neglected tropical disease, sleeping sickness cases have steadily declined in recent decades thanks to public health efforts. With the discovery of ESB2, researchers are one step closer to wiping out sleeping sickness.

“The mystery of how this parasite manages the asymmetric expression of its genetic manual has been a cold case in the back of my mind since my days as a postdoc,” said Faria. “It’s a testament to what a fresh lab and a diverse group of scientists can achieve when they look at an old problem from a completely new angle.”

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Betty White spent the winter hiding from the authorities. The roughly 20-year-old female Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) named after the iconic actress is one of Oregon’s Badger Run Wildlife Rehab resident reptiles. She went missing this past fall, only to be found months later underneath her enclosure by a volunteer named Rose.

Russian tortoises like Betty White are found throughout Central Asia, including in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and China. After the fall of the Soviet Union, they became a popular export for former Soviet states. 

“Almost all of the Russian tortoises in the pet trade are wild-caught and this has taken a toll on their species in their native territories along with habitat loss,” Laura Hale, a biologist and the president of Badger Run Wildlife Rehab, tells Popular Science. “They are considered endangered or threatened in much of their range.” 

Betty White is a Russian tortoise, a species found through Central Asia. Image: Laura and John Hale / Badger Run Wildlife Rehab.

In December 2023, Betty White and a male Russian tortoise named Smudge were rescued after her owner had died. Both were brought to Badger Run Wildlife Rehab in Klamath Falls, Oregon, where they teach the public about turtles, tortoises, and the dangers of the exotic pet trade. Trafficking wild animals takes them out of their natural habitats and owning exotic pets also pose health risks for human handlers and the animals—Betty White included. Her name comes from the white lines on her shell due to improper growth between the individual sections of the shell. These lines are due to a poor diet and the incorrect humidity she was originally kept in.

Betty White and Smudge now spend their spring, summer, and fall together in a large outdoor enclosure with deep soil for burrowing. In the winter they are moved indoors to a warmer enclosure with UVB lamps.

Betty White (left) and her buddy Smudge (right) were reduced in 2023 and now help teach the public about reptiles and the dangers of the exotic pet trade. Image: Laura and John Hale / Badger Run Wildlife Rehab.

“Since Betty White and Smudge have ‘day jobs’ as education animals we do not let them brumate (hibernate) during cold weather,” Hale says. “They are moved indoors where they stay active throughout the cold months.”

According to Hale, many reptile experts advise against letting captive animals like Betty White and Smudge brumate unless caretakers can ensure absolute silence without any disturbances for the animals’ wellbeing.

“Every time a hibernating animal is awakened, it raises their metabolism again which burns precious calories,” Hale explains. “If that happens too often, they won’t have enough calories stored to survive until spring.”

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This past fall, the Badger Run team prepared to move the pair into their winter lodgings. Smudge, who is  more of a “people tortoise,” made sure to come out for shell rubs and scratches. But Ms. White had other plans. She burrowed a few feet beneath the heavy and insulated house underneath their 16 by eight foot rectangular enclosure. 

“The bottom of the enclosure has a heavy wire mesh floor to prevent a tortoise from completely tunneling out and escaping,” says Hale. “So, we knew she was in there somewhere.” 

Betty White spent the winter snugly tucked into her burrow, while the team patiently scanned the area for signs of tortoise life. When a spell of unusually warm weather returned earlier this month, Betty White came out to sun herself and was picked up by volunteers on Saturday March 21. 

Russian tortoises like Betty White were heavily trafficked after the fall of the Soviet Union. Image: Laura and John Hale / Badger Run Wildlife Rehab.

She was cleaned up and fed greens, dried flowers, a calcium supplement, in addition to access to water, heat, and UVB lamps. “Betty White was none too pleased with having her shell rinsed of caked mud upon return from her winter brumation adventure,” Hale explains.

Betty White will remain back indoors with Smudge until more steady warm temperatures return to southern Oregon.

“Smudge was very happy to see Betty White return,” says Hale. “He spent the first day following her around their indoor enclosure.”

The post Volunteers finally find Betty White—the rescue tortoise appeared first on Popular Science.

Artemis II astronauts have entered final preparations for their historic trip around the moon, but they won’t be flying alone. While speaking recently at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, mission commander Reid Wiseman revealed the mission’s adorable zero gravity indicator. Designed by a 2nd grader from California, “Rise” is a tiny plush doll that will let the four-person crew know when they’ve reached zero gravity. Aside from being extremely cute, Rise is also a symbolic celebration of the first crewed NASA mission to leave Earth’s orbit and circle the moon since the Apollo program.

“Rise,” designed by Lucas Ye of Mountain View, California, as the zero gravity indicator that will fly with the crew around the Moon. “Rise” was inspired by the iconic Earthrise moment from the Apollo 8 mission. A zero gravity indicator is a small plush item that typically rides with a crew to visually indicate when they are in space.
Credit: NASA

A zero gravity indicator is an untethered object—often a stuffed animal or something similar—that highlights astronauts’ journey into space. However, their inclusion during flights wasn’t an original NASA idea. In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first to pack a small doll alongside him during the Vostok I journey to showcase when he reached microgravity. Zero gravity indicators have since become an international staple of spacefaring, with past examples including plushies of R2-D2, Albert Einstein, and multiple dinosaurs. More recently, Snoopy was the sole inhabitant aboard the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022.

The Rise doll was one of over 2,600 submissions from more than 50 countries during NASA’s Moon Mascot contest. In August 2025, the Artemis II crew narrowed down the selections to 25 finalists before settling on the top five contenders:

• “Big Steps of Little Octopus,” Anzhelika Iudakova, Finland
• “Corey the Explorer,” Daniela Colina, Peru
• “Creation Mythos,” Johanna Beck, McPherson, Kansas
• “Lepus the Moon Rabbit,” Oakville Trafalgar School, Canada
• “Rise,” Lucas Ye, Mountain View, California

Ye’s creation is inspired by the historic Earthrise scene captured during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. While Rise will only be one official zero gravity indicator for Artemis II, there’s a solid chance that its very trendy, planet-themed baseball cap may start showing up in stores after the mission’s completion. Artemis II is currently scheduled to launch no earlier than Wednesday, April 1.

The post A 2nd grader designed an adorable mascot for NASA’s Artemis II mission appeared first on Popular Science.

Peter Cottontail would probably pull a muscle trying to lug this giant chocolate egg down the bunny trail. After the success of the world’s largest Cadbury Creme Egg in 2025, Cadbury World has a new sweet concoction. Behold the world’s largest Cadbury Mini Egg, aka The Mega Mini Egg.

The Mega Mini Egg is currently on display in the U.K.  Image: Cadbury World / PA Media

It took chocolatiers Claire Fielding, Dawn Jenks, and Donna Pitt two days to craft the giant egg entirely by hand. The 27.5-inch-tall, 121-pound egg weighs about as much as an emu. The Mega Mini Egg has a pastel pink sugar coating on its crisp shell and some subtle speckles on the surface. 

“Cadbury Mini Eggs are another absolute favourite and a British Easter staple, so creating the Mega Mini Egg felt like the perfect next challenge,” Cadbury chocolatier Claire Fielding said in a statement. “We took that instantly recognisable shell and chocolate centre and scaled it up into a real showstopper. It’s been so rewarding seeing it come to life, and we can’t wait for visitors to come and see it in person this Easter.”

Cadbury World Chocolatier Claire Fielding with the “Mega Mini Egg.”  Image: Cadbury World / PA Media

The egg is on display in the Chocolate Making area at Cadbury World in Bournville, England, about 100 miles northwest of London. 

Even if you were able to take a bite out of this enormous piece of candy, it would take a lot of chocolate to kill a person. The adult human weighing 165 pounds would need to eat 75,000 milligrams to be at a toxic level. To reach that level, our estimates say that a person would need to consume:

• 711 regular-sized Hershey’s milk chocolate bars OR 

• 7,084 Hershey chocolate kisses OR

• 332 standard- sized Hershey’s dark chocolate bars.

You’d probably end up getting sick long before reaching that chocolate critical mass. 

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