The air we breathe every day is full of moisture—even in the desert. Under the right conditions, that moisture will form clouds, which may eventually let loose some rain. It’s almost magical, so it’s no surprise that cultures around the world have rain deities and that precipitation has been used to powerful effect in movies, music, and other forms of art. But there’s nothing mystical about it, and this project does a great job illustrating the basic science behind those dreary drizzles, refreshing summer storms, and torrential downpours....

We call this balancing act homeostasis. Walter Bradford Cannon coined the term in 1926, but study of it took off in the 1960s, when scientists applied control theory—a branch of engineering concerned with dynamic, changing systems—to human anatomy. They found it to be filled with receptors and sensors that are constantly assessing for changes, like drops in blood oxygenation, fluctuations in sugar, and external threats. These sentinels stay in contact with systems equipped to issue streams of calibrated instructions to the parts of the body that can act to maintain stability....

During a hurricane, a poorly executed plan can make evacuation nearly impossible. But the software, created by graduate student Michael Metzger as part of his research for his Ph.D., allows the possible effects of specific decisions to be individually analyzed. The software can assist managers in making a full array of difficult decisions, from when to order evacuations to being more efficient when clearing people out of affected areas. Furthermore, the program could help decide the best locations for relief supplies before a hurricane hits....

While these bears kept in captivity might primarily be there for entertainment and education, much to the dismay of animal rights groups, a collective of scientists wants to study them to help save their wild brethren from the threats such as rising temperatures. Since 2018, the Polar Bear Research Council (PBRC) in partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) has studied polar bears in captivity to help conserve them in the wild....

One of the best surf spots in the United States to practice aerial tricks is in central Texas, some 200 miles from the Gulf Coast. On a brisk December day at the BSR Surf Resort, Caroline Marks was ripping a front-side air reverse. Aquamarine water sloshed off the concrete rear wall of the wave pool as she pumped down the line and flew off the crest of a head-high breaker into a clockwise spin....

As a ranger, it wasn’t my job to tell tall tales to the American taxpayer. The National Park service offers the public only deeply-vetted facts. At Katmai National Park, in subarctic Alaska, I introduced visitors to the largest volcanic eruption to occur on Earth in over a century. Atop the 10,000 foot summit of Haleakala National Park, I showed visitors silverswords—profoundly silver-colored plants that grow nowhere else on Earth. And hundreds of feet below the ground, at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, I revealed how the cave’s giant stalactites and stalagmites preserve a precise record of North America’s climatic past....

TrackingPoint’s “Precision Guided Firearms” aren’t really guided, but they do allow the human shooter to mitigate shaking or flinching that might occur at the moment of trigger pull, movements that could send a shot off target (and when a target is, say, 200 yards downrange even a slight movement of the rifle can pull a round many inches off target). The entire rig is all one system–scope, rifle, and even the ammunition, which must be of a specific type manufactured to very narrow tolerances so that the guidance computer is working within known constraints....

Now, thanks to the opening of a new suspension bridge across the strait this month, travelers can zip across this geographic divide in just six minutes flat. Dubbed the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in reference to 1915 battle fought at the strait during WWI, this structure currently holds the world record for the longest suspension bridge in the world as measured by the distance between its two towers. The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge is charged with both symbolic and engineering significance....

To get started, you’ll need the following items: scissorstapegluerocket fuel (Alka-Seltzer® tablets)waterrocket motor (an empty 35mm Fuji Film canister)rocket plans (make your own crazy designs and see which work best) STEPS Design your rocket. A simple cylinder, nose cone, and a pair of fins will suffice. Use bond paper or Bristol board to draw your plan. Your final rocket should stand about six inches tall and be approximately 1 3/8 inches in diameter....

The researchers used a special satellite technique, called Vegetation Optical Depth, to determine how much biomass the massive rainforest held from 1991 to 2016. Using these findings, along with statistical indicators of stability that have been used to assess other rapidly changing ecosystems like the Greenland ice sheet, the team determined that since 2000, 75 percent of the forest has become less resilient to disruptions like wildfires and droughts. Areas of the forest that are near farms, urban areas, and roads are losing their stability at the quickest rate....

With that in mind, and to prevent you from diving into a tedious trial and error process, we’re here to guide you towards some of the best Android apps that really make full use of your Chromebook. Netflix Video and movie apps are a no-brainer for your Chromebook, but there are a couple good reasons why you would want to load up the Netflix app for Android on Chrome OS rather than just logging in through a browser tab....

Here’s are some of the best prices to make sure you don’t deplete your funds as you recharge your devices: PowerPort III 65W Pod Lite $28 (Was $34) Discount code: WS7DFL97DP This compact charger can be used on your Samsung S10 or S10+, Macbook Pro or Air, Google Pixel 4 or 4XL, Lenovo ThinkPad X1, iPad Pro, and more. It delivers 65W of power and offers high voltage protection and temperature control....

First and foremost… PopSci merch is on sale! Save 10 percent across the entire Popular Science Threadless store OK onto our regular programming: Smart Home Kitchen Six-quart Instant Pot Smart Electric Pressure Cooker – $90 (was $150)Hurom H-AI Platinum Slow Juicer – $559 (was $699)Anova Precision Cooker Nano – $64 (was $100)Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker – $75 (was $199) Music / Software 50 percent off Native Instruments virtual instruments, plugins, and software20 percent off select Fender gear with code SAVE20ROLI Seaboard Block – $229 (was $300)iZotope Spire Portable Recording Studio – $299 (was $349)Up to 89 percent off iZotope’s software...

Prototypes of the forthcoming 1DX Mark III lived under glass in New York City. While we still don’t know when the new flagship will be available to the public, the development announcement did include some exciting tech specs. The camera will have a brand new CMOS sensor and DIGIC processor, the ability to capture 10-bit stills using HEIF, an enhanced autofocus system with improved tracking and an autofocus sensor with approximately 28 times the resolution of the 1DX Mark II....

Best overall: Breville Smart Oven ProBest with subscription: Tovala Smart OvenBest smart countertop oven: Brava Smart OvenBest smart convection oven: NuWave Bravo XLBest smart toaster oven: Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster OvenBest smart wall oven: Samsung 30-inch Built-in Single Wall OvenBest smart microwave oven: TOSHIBA ML-EM34P Smart Countertop MicrowaveBest smart oven air fryer: Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven What is a smart oven? Though it sounds catchy, the phrase “smart oven” is a somewhat nebulous term....

Amar Bose is the most lead-footed septuagenarian I have ever seen behind the wheel. We’re zipping along the coast of the Hawaiian island where he spends a few weeks every year, and as Bose maneuvers through the curves, I try to account for his driving confidence. He has professed to me a lifelong enthusiasm for sportscars, so there’s that. There’s also his perfect eyesight (thanks, he says, to a series of eye exercises he does daily)....

“Our operators must trust the outcomes of AI systems,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen H. Hicks, the number two civilian at the Department, said at a conference on June 22. “Our commanders must trust the legal, ethical, and moral foundations of explainable AI, and the American people must come to trust the values the Department of Defense has integrated into every application.” Her remarks came as part of the Defense Department’s Artificial Intelligence Symposium and Tech Exchange....

Wind shear usually comes up when you talk about how a hurricane weakens. The term refers to changes in wind speed or direction over a short distance and can be measured either vertically or horizontally. During hurricanes, the vertical measurement is more important. Our active weather is confined between the Earth’s surface and the top of the troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere. Hurricanes, which fill this entire vertical space, are steered by average wind....

When Ford greenlit an all-electric version of its F-150 pickup truck, it knew that its engineers could use this nook to add additional storage without sacrificing existing cabin or bed space. And to give form to its vision, Ford used one of the most rudimentary tools in the industry: a cardboard box. Towards the beginning of Ford’s journey of designing a battery-powered pickup, the automaker set out on a reconnaissance mission in 2018 to determine how it could use electrification to improve the experience of truck ownership....

The faces and the circles may vary ever so slightly, but in reality, there has always been one constant—crash test dummies have always been modeled after “typical” male physiques. That isn’t to say that women, children, and infant dummies don’t exist, but check out the existing models offered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). At 4’11” and 108 lbs, the only used female dummy fits its label of “5th Percentile Adult Female”, but there are no 50th percentile women dummies....