Last Updated 11/21/09 1:25 PM
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Science News
Fringe Is on the Right Track With Code-Cracking Science
The Fringe team encounters the Observers—strange men who keep a log of mysterious code that the agents must try to crack. PM spoke with etymologist Rex Curry about deciphering ancient codes and symbols to see how (and if) it can be done. Click For More.
Dwayne Johnson Promotes Space Exploration for NASA (Video!)
In Planet 51, Dwayne Johnson voices Chuck, an astronaut who lands on an extra-solar planet populated by aliens—so NASA felt he was the perfect person to spearhead the agency's new series of public service announcements. Click For More.
Leonid Meteor Shower Dazzled, Impressed: Gallery
Did you see the Leonid meteor shower? Or was it just too cloudy to spot the shooting stars? Well, PM has the next best thing: images of the shower in full swing—as well as a calendar of North American meteor showers so that you don’t miss the next event. Click For More.
This Is Not Your Grade School Solar System: Gallery
In the last 30 years, new instruments and methods have acted together to form one giant, interdisciplinary zoom lens on our planetary companions. Here, planet by planet, is a quick guide to how our vision of the solar system has changed. Click For More.
Hopes Stirring at NASA for Ares Engineering Vindication: Exclusive
When NASA released news of troubles surrounding the Ares I rocket's propensity to shake violently, critics were quick to jeer. But now engineers are optimistic that the fears have been overstated after reviewing early data from the Ares I-X's test flight. Click For More.
IBM Reveals the Biggest Artificial Brain of All Time
IBM has revealed the biggest artificial brain of all time, a simulation run by a 147,456-processor supercomputer. Will we ever get to truly capable artificial intelligence? PM reports from IBM's Almaden research center to find out. Click For More.
Five Body Parts You May Be Able to Regrow Soon(ish)
While humans may never be able to regenerate body parts they've lost, scientists are perfecting ways to create different types of replacement tissue using stem cells or techniques that kick-start regrowth and development. Click For More.
The Retirement of the Space Shuttle—And What's Next for NASA
At this pivotal moment in manned space flight history, PM looks back at our coverage of the technology behind the Constellation Program and the development of the International Space Station, as well as news surrounding the Space Shuttles. Click For More.
The Top 8 Dinosaur Discoveries of 2009
Paleontologists have had a good year, bringing a slew of new dinosaurs to the books. We pored through the many finds to bring you the best horned, bird-footed, feathered and, of course, ferocious new dinosaurs unveiled this year. Click For More.
NASA Confirms There Is Water on the Moon—But Where Did It Come From?
A month after it sent the LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) probe hurtling into the Cabeus crater near the moon's south pole, NASA revealed today that it has uncovered irrefutable evidence of "significant quantities" of water. Click For More.
Is Fringe's Ritalin-Inspired Mind Control Cocktail Possible?
The latest episode of Fringe had us thinking about mind control theories. To sort the pseudo- from the science, we talked to Steven Novella, clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine. Click For More.
5 Animal Genomes That May Hold Cures to Human Diseases
The Genome 10K project proposes decoding the genetic blueprints of 10,000 species of vertebrates—essentially, one member of each genus. Here are five species that have had their genomes sequenced—and what scientists expect they will contribute to human health. Click For More.
How Better Place's Robotic Battery Swap Stations Work
The world's most ambitious electric car company, Better Place, will rely on robotic station attendants to change its EV cars' batteries. Here's how it will work. Click For More.
On Fringe, Radiation Ghoul is Pure Fiction
In this week's Fringe episode, "Earthling," the team searches for an explanation behind a string of murders in which victims turn to ash without explanation—the handy work of a space ghoul who's going after the radiation stored in human cancer patients. Click For More.
UFOlogy Hits a New Low With The Fourth Kind: Analysis
The Fourth Kind's unconvincing, irreverent UFOlogy gives this reviewer chills. The movie stumbles directly into the biggest problems facing the discussion and investigation of UFOs and alien abductions. Click For More.
Methane Maps Step One for Energy Prospectors
A team of geologists recently found hundreds of plumes of methane gas—a potent greenhouse gas and potential energy source—in the Arctic Ocean, indicating there may be more methane being released from deep in the ocean than expected. Click For More.
Why the Hydrogen Feud Needs to End: Analysis
Hydrogen fuel cell research is in the midst of a tumultuous debate. Proponents continue to sink money into research and marketing while the opposition asks that researchers shift time and money to more promising technologies, like batteries. Click For More.
Zoo Veterinarian: This Is My Job
Pete Black works for the St. Louis Zoo, where his primary responsibility is to perform routine exams and surgeries and provide preventative care to the zoo's 5000 animals. Black makes house calls to animals' enclosures and works within the confines of the 17,000-square-foot ... Click For More.
Ares' Continued Technical Problems and Money Troubles: Guest Analysis
Space analyst Rand Simberg argues here that last week's test flight of the Ares I-X rocket, NASA's planned, vaunted crew-launch system, did little to stem the controversy over the program. Click For More.
How to Use a Cyclotron Particle Accelerator to Fight Cancer
How do you you target radiation treatments to kill only cancer cells? First, build a particle accelerator. Second: Aim carefully. Here's how the University of Pennsylvania's $144 million "smart bomb" cyclotron works. Click For More.
California Searchers Scour for Survivors of Midair Crash
Aircraft and ships are scouring the ocean off San Diego for any signs of survivors of a nighttime collision of a Coast Guard C-130 airplane and a Marine Corps attack helicopter. Click For More.
7 Saber-Dueling, Phaser-Blasting Hollywood Laser Myths
Lightsabers, space weapons, high-tech security systems: Lasers—real-world, bad-ass technology—get nothing but the sci-fi treatment in Tinseltown. PM compiled 7 errors in laser technology, as portrayed in movies. And, yes, Star Wars is the primary offender. Click For More.
How Plane Technologies Affect the Titanium Market: Timeline
The prices of raw materials offer a barometer to measure the ebbs and flows of manufacturing—and, in that way, the titanium market is a mirror of the often erratic aerospace industry. Click For More.
9 Wildest Exoplanets Ever Spotted
A team of European astronomers has discovered 32 new exoplanets, bringing the total of planets found outside our solar system to 403. Here, we've combed through the hundreds to pick the 9 hottest, biggest, most eccentric alien worlds ever found. Click For More.
Rooting for NASA's Ares I Rockets: Analysis
This week, all eyes were on NASA as it conducted the first flight of the Ares I, the first launch vehicle the agency designed since the Space Shuttle. PM shows why NASA’s Constellation program remains important, and is exceedingly difficult to replace. Click For More.
Critics and Proponents Wait Out NASA's Ares 1-X Rocket Delay
Severe winds and bad weather delayed NASA's first Ares 1-X rocket test today. The launch, which will culminate in a 6-minute flight to test the new hardware, will pick up again tomorrow. Click For More.
Obama Announces Winners of Smart-Grid Stimulus
Today, President Barack Obama spoke at Florida Power and Light’s new DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center about $3.4 billion in stimulus money going to smart-grid projects that will help link renewables to consumers. Click For More.
How California's New Water Laws Inform the Coming National Crisis
California is also in the midst of one of the biggest water crises this nation has ever seen. Here are six of the most prescient fixes proposed by a water task force—problems and solutions that may be coming to a local assembly (or a courthouse) near you. Click For More.
NASA's Orbiter Captures Strange Martian Tattoo Image
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured an image of ornate markings on the surface of Mars. The markings were created by dust devils—spinning columns of rising air—which last just minutes, pick up the red dust on the surface and leave behind darker soil. Click For More.
Night-Time High-Wire Act Becomes Tragic Helicopter Crash
An Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed on a Navy ship in Norfolk, Virginia during training, killing one service member and injuring eight. Click For More.
5 Surprising Passages From the Full Augustine Report
NASA recently released the full report by its Review of Human Spaceflight Plans Committee. The 157-page examination lacked an endorsement of an overall strategy, but there are a few passages of interest that were not included in the summary released in September. Click For More.
Wave Power Desalination Plant Coming Soon to Texas
This month, the state of Texas granted its first-ever offshore lease for a wave-powered energy system to Renew Blue's Seadog Pump. PM sat down with Mark Thomas, founder and CEO of Renew Blue, to talk about how this technology works. Click For More.
The Key to the Battery-Powered House: Q&A With Ceramatec
Researchers have been looking for a small, safe and compact in-home battery capable of storing excess power for use during the renewable energy doldrums: Nighttime and calm winds. Ceramatec might finally have the solution. Click For More.
On Fringe, Brain-Computer Interface Chips Have Real-Life Inspiration
In Fringe's latest episode, a chip implanted in people's brains turns them into murderers. PM spoke with Dr. David Carley, direct of the Center for Narcolepsy, Sleep and Health Research at the University of Illinois Chicago to find out more. Click For More.
Winners Announced in Solar Decathlon Competition
The Solar Decathlon competition, run by the Department of Energy (and sponsored in part by Popular Mechanics), pits 20 college teams against one another in a solar-paneled showdown of architecture and engineering. Here are the 20 teams competing. Click For More.
X2 Helicopter Gurus Pay Homage to Engineering Inspirations
With the successful test flight of the X2 in August 2008, the team that created it proved that their stacked rotor design had solved the conundrum of dissymmetry of lift. The trick is a coaxial rotor system whose blades spin in opposite directions, generating constant lift. Click For More.
Ohio State's Solar Decathlon Entry Is Entirely Home-Grown
Ohio State's Solar House 1 is net-zero in terms of energy—it produces as much power as it consumes. The facade is made of reclaimed wood from a barn in Southern Ohio. Louver window shades help residents control the interior climate. Click For More.
University of Illinois Builds a Salvaged Solar Home: Solar Decathlon
The Gable Home doesn't just echo historic icons of the team's home state—it's actually constructed of them. For example, wood from the wall of an old grain elevator has become the decking. But there are lots of new materials in the home, too, like bamboo. Click For More.
5 Companies Making Fuel From Algae Now
Algae is now a burgeoning sector in biofuels with several high-profile start-ups, including Craig Venter’s Synthetic Genomics, and the interest of big-time investors like Bill Gates and ExxonMobil. Here are 5 projects leading the pack today. Click For More.
UW's Meltwater House is Inspired by Glaciers: Solar Decathlon
At Meltwater, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's 2009 Solar Decathlon house, undulating glacial shapes imitate the state's landscape. Click For More.
8 Experts Weigh in on the Future of Human Spaceflight
The Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Planes Committee is getting ready to release its full report detailing the options for the future of manned missions into space. While the discussion over NASA's future continues, PM turned to the leading rocketeers, astronauts and ... Click For More.
Can Worms Help Recover Memory? Fringe Fact vs Fiction
The latest episode of Fringe looks at brain function as Agent Dunham begins to piece together her memories from an alternate dimension. PM talked to Carmela Tartaglia of the University of California, San Francisco's Memory and Aging Center. Click For More.
Innovators Share Ideas at 2009 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards
Popular Mechanics held its fifth annual Breakthrough Awards Ceremony, bringing together scientists, engineers and inventors who are changing our world for the better. Senior tech editor Glenn Derene reports on some scenes from the all-day event. Click For More.
Virginia Tech's Lumenhaus Sports Sliding Panels: Solar Decathlon
Popular Mechanics visited Virginia Tech's Solar Decathlon entry, the Lumenhaus, on the National Mall in Washington. The team was putting the finishing touches on the house, in anticipation of the event, which opened to the public yesterday morning. Click For More.
NASA’s LCROSS “Moon Bomb” Makes Lunar Impact: Video
NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, which uses an empty fuel tank to kick up a plume in order to measure the amount of water ice on the moon, is no more. The spacecraft careened into a crater and the analysis is just starting. Click For More.
Exclusive Interview With Inventor and Innovator Dean Kamen
PM editor in chief Jim Meigs and deputy editor Jerry Beilinson sat down with inventor Dean Kamen, the winner of PM's 2009 Leadership Award, to discuss innovation, his hope for the future of America and his hands-down favorite piece of technology ever. Click For More.
Unmanned Helicopter Hunts Drug Smugglers
The Fire Scout unmanned helicopter got its first job—hunting drug smugglers. MQ-8B became the first unmanned helo to deploy on a naval anti-narcotics mission when it left port in Florida recently aboard the USS McInerney. Click For More.
5 Technologies Missing From the Clean Energy Bill
Sens. John Kerry and Barbara Boxer recently unveiled the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, a bill that aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020. The following weren't mentioned in the new bill, but they deserve attention. Click For More.
MythBusters Q&A: New Season Filled With Bullets, MPG Tests and Duct Tape
Fresh off of guest-editing PM's Sept. issue, Jamie and Adam get back to their day jobs: Busting and confirming myths on MythBusters. PM caught up with the duo to talk about their new season, airing Wednesdays at 9 pm on the Discovery Channel. Click For More.
The Backwater DIY Electric Boat Marathon
Who said water and electricity don't mix? At the Wye Island Marathon, the pairing of the two is celebrated as racers push more than 23 miles into 20 mph headwinds, 2 foot waves and rough chop, propelled only by DIY battery packs that can fail at any time. Click For More.
What Does a Beer Taste Like After the Singularity?
When a kooky-sounding technology theory gains enough intellectual momentum to have its own conference, with smart people discussing it and venture capitalists talking about investing in it—it's worth stopping by to listen. Click For More.
Earthquake Research Digs Deep to Find Timely Warning System
With no promising methods for short-term earthquake prediction, researchers are studying fault zones in several ways to develop a clearer picture of tectonic plate behavior. Click For More.
Fringe's Human Bomb Proposes Proximity Fuses, Strange Serums
This week on Fringe an evil military physician is creating bombs out of patients. PM sat down with a toxicologist to ask: Can explosives really stick around in a body? Click For More.
Advanced Tactical Laser Blasts a Stationary Target (With Video!)
Recently, we've seen progress in Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser program. Here is video of an in-flight aircraft precisely firing its laser at a stationary ground vehicle target during a test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The vehicle never stood a chance. Click For More.
Global Aspirations for a Solar-Electric Plane
Electric airplanes are not being made just for joyrides. Swiss engineers have unveiled the prototype of an airplane they hope will become the first manned vehicle to fly around the world powered only by the sun. Click For More.
Robotic Surgeons Take Over at a Hospital Near You
Once considered oddities, multiarmed robots are becoming mainstays in hospital operating rooms. The industry trailblazer is the da Vinci HD Surgical System, a multiarmed assistant that is directly controlled by a surgeon who sits at a nearby console. Click For More.
Students Build the Solar Homes of the Future
For the Solar Decathlon, 20 teams of college students strive to build the most technologically savvy sun-powered house. For two weeks in October their homes go head to head in a contest to consume the least energy. Click For More.
GE Dredges Hudson River PCBs, Ships Them to Texas
Before PCBs were phased out in the '70s, companies like General Electric dumped tons into New York’s Hudson River. In 2009, GE marshaled 12 excavators, 18 tugboats and 37 barges to begin digging up the toxic sludge and then ship it to West Texas. Click For More.
Why NASA Should Bomb the Moon to Find Water: Analysis
NASA's LCROSS, which crash-landed into the moon on Oct. 9, 2009, has confirmed that there is water on the moon, silencing once and for all critics of this mission. Here's why we rooted for the mission to bombard the moon from the beginning. Click For More.
Who’s Killing the Electric Plane?
U.S. Aviation designers are hampered by federal rules restricting the use of battery-powered aircraft. Here is a look at a few electric planes that, under current FAA rules, are unavailable to sport pilots. Click For More.
Popular Mechanics' First-Ever Guest Editors: The MythBusters
Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, guest editors for the September 2009 issue of Popular Mechanics, meet the PM team. Click For More.
8 Tools and Gadgets to Prepare Your Home For Any Disaster
Every year, millions of Americans cope with the threat of hurricanes, wildfires, quakes and tornadoes—and blackouts can strike anywhere. Here’s a step-by-step guide to preparing your home and family. Click For More.
Marine Biologist Debunks Common Misconceptions About Sharks
Andy DeHart, the director of Biological Programs at the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C., has been working with sharks for 20 years. In honor of the Discovery Channel's Shark Week, he sat down with PM to debunk shark myths. Click For More.
5 Top Galactic Bodies Anyone Can See (With a Cheap Telescope)
Even a casual stargazer can catch some of the universe's five star views with an inexpensive telescope and a curious eye. Here are five celestial beauties you can see even with your $300, 75x zoom telescope. Click For More.
Affordable Ways to Become an Amateur Astronomer
PM's Glenn Derene explains how to add a a computerized guidance system to your telescope so you can find celestial bodies without star charts, and how to connect your digital SLR so you can photograph what you're seeing with a super-zoom lens. Click For More.
The Key to the Battery-Powered House
Scientists have created a small-scale prototype battery that could store enough energy to power a house for most of the day. Is this small disk the key to cost-effective solar-powered homes? Click For More.
Collision Course: The Need for Better Space Junk Regulations
With 3000 satellites and a growing arsenal of space junk, Earth’s orbit is a crowded area. Unfortunately, space junk is hard to regulate and even harder to clean up. Here’s an overview of existing laws and some proposals for addressing the problem. Click For More.
CSI Myths: The Shaky Science Behind Forensics
Forensic science was not developed by scientists. And as hundreds of criminal cases begin to unravel, many established practices are coming under fire. PM takes an in-depth look at the shaky science that is putting innocent people behind bars. Click For More.
Neuroscientist's Research Holds Clues About Short-Term Memory
Raja Parasuraman was conducting a study of brain function among 650 participants when he stumbled across what he calls a "cognitive superstar." What is a cognitive superstar? One man's exceptional brain could help settle the debate of nature versus nurture. Click For More.
MythBusters Announce Popular Mechanics Special Issue at Comic Con
In addition to previewing clips from the upcoming season of MythBusters at Comic Con, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage premiered their cover of the September issue of Popular Mechanics, which they guest edited, for the first time. Click For More.
Inside the Battle for India's Warplane Dollars: Gallery
India announced that it is in the market for a national warplane, sparking a faceoff among the most formidable warplane manufacturers. Here are six planes that are contenders—they're some of the best multirole military aircraft in the world today. Click For More.Breakthrough Awards '09
Brilliant Innovators
PM has been presenting the Breakthrough Awards for 5 years now, and we’ve considered thousands of potential winners. Here are the scientists promising us a brighter future now.
The Truth Behind UFOs
What were the UFOs that mystified hundreds of eyewitnesses around Stephenville, Texas, last year? PM investigated UFO conspiracy theories, looking for straightforward explanations.
Geek the Vote '08
PM covered every step of the presidential campaign and has Obama's takes on space, energy, the Internet and more.
Breakthrough Gadgets
Most breakthrough innovations make their greatest contributions when they become products people can buy. PM awards the 10 most brilliant gadgets, tools and toys on sale now.
Flying Saucer Flicks
Since the 1940's, depictions of UFOs as alien spaceships have been eerily similar, even as they evolve with the times. Here are the 10 most influential UFO-inspired books, movies and TV shows.
Win the Lunar X Prize
Google's $20M purse is open to all, but you'll need a plan. PM's ultimate DIY guide can help you beat NASA to the moon.ADVERTISEMENT
2009 PM Car Makeover
Almost everyone agrees that hybrid cars are the next big step on our way to an all-electric future. But what if we use two parallel powertrains, gas and electric, to drive a full size car? That way, we can offer the muscular V8 performance that buyers crave, yet still produce zero emissions around town.
It's solar's new dawn. Now new innovations are exiting the lab and plugging into the grid - turning sunlight into serious energy.
Mythbusters
Mythbusters Central
Jamie and Adam break down today's tech conundrums, from the moon landing to the state of science in the classroom and more!Mythbusters
Jamie and Adam break down today's tech conundrums, from the moon landing to the state of science in the classroom and more!
• PLUS: Enter to win a signed cover of the September issue
Breakthrough Awards
Big Ideas, Better World
For PM's third annual innovation celebration, we honor eight inventors (with video from the lab) and 10 products with one IQ-packed party and three discussions for our future.Future of Space
Space Travel: The Next 50 Years
Top experts, former astronauts and more on trips to the moon, water on Mars and beyond!
Breakthrough Awards '08
Inventing the Future, Today
The early 20th century was a golden age of engineering. A century hence, observers may well look back at our era in much the same way. Welcome to the new golden age.Robotics
It's a Bot, Bot World
There's never a dull moment in the world of automated machines, and we cover it bit by bit.Military & Law Enforcement
War Tech 2.0
Breaking news, photos and analysis on the high-tech defense technology shaping America's battlegrounds.
Health & Medicine
Labs of the Future
Your body is surging to the forefront of the technology world. Stay up to date with news from the health front.Extreme Machines
Drive Green
Solving the Fuel Crunch
From plug-in hybrids to biofuels, MPG legislation to far-out test drives, check out all our coverage on the gas-saving cars of the future.9-11 Myths
9/11: Debunking the Myths
PM's investigation, greatly expanded in book form. Plus, new myths debunked.The Popular Mechanics Show
Bi-weekly Podcast!
Leading experts and PM editors analyze the science, tech, home and car news you need to know now in a half-hour of brain power.PM Ad Partner Links
PM Sweeps
Win a Signed Cover!
We will be giving away signed covers of our special Mythbusters issue to 10 lucky PM readers. Enter now!PM Sweeps
Win This Telescope!
We’re giving away a Celestron NexStar 6 SE Computerized Telescope to one lucky winner. With an onboard computer and built-in motor, the NexStar 6 SE can automatically locate and slew to any heavenly body from its 40,000 object database.Current Issue
Out Now: Crash Course
In December, PM tackles plane crashes. What happened to Air France Flight 447, and what new technologies can help prevent similar disasters? Also look for 20 Macgyver repair tips, and our annual holiday gift guide.PM Poll
Survival
Survive Anything
The skills, ideas and tech that can ensure survival and long-term sustainability through any disaster.PM Poll
